fiscal year

noun

|Updated on: 14 Aug 2018

Examples: fiscal year in a Sentence

Definition of fiscal year

: an accounting period of 12 months

See fiscal year defined for English-language learners

Examples of fiscal year in a Sentence

Sales were up in the last fiscal year.
Our fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.

Recent Examples of fiscal year from the Web

That’s a 4% increase, or $302 million, over fiscal year 2018, and nearly $600 more than the president’s request.

— eric hand, Science | AAAS, "NASA science and NSF do well in Senate spending bill," 13 June 2018
In the Big 12, the league recently announced an average distribution of $36.5 million for fiscal year 2018.

— brent schrotenboer, azcentral, "Panic in the Pac-12 as conference quickly falls behind rivals," 13 June 2018
The board discussed the plan and also its proposed budget for fiscal year 2018-19.

— laura groch, sandiegouniontribune.com, "How they voted, June 10," 10 June 2018
Wednesday’s election and annual meeting was not without controversy either, as residents expected to also vote on the fire district’s proposed $1.7 million budget for fiscal year 2018-19.

— steven goode, Courant Community, "Mark Manson Elected To Bloomfield's Blue Hills Fire Commission," 17 May 2018
An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018.

— theo francis, WSJ, "Taxes Are Hard—So Is Pronouncing New Tax Law Acronyms Like FDII," 12 Apr. 2018
While that’s above the 4.10 percent median estimate of 39 economists surveyed by Bloomberg, the level is the lowest in five months and below the central bank’s projected 4.5 percent pace for the fourth-quarter of fiscal year 2018.

— Bloomberg.com, "India Inflation Eases, But Modi's Farm Pledges May Fan Prices," 11 Apr. 2018
Efrain De La Rosa, 40, was the eighth person to die in ICE custody in fiscal year 2018, the agency said.

— phil helsel /, NBC News, "Mexican man dies in suspected suicide while held in ICE custody," 13 July 2018
De La Rosa is the eighth person to die in ICE custody in fiscal year 2018, according to the news release.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "ICE: Immigration detainee dead in apparent suicide," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fiscal year.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of fiscal year

1843

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Financial Definition of FISCAL YEAR

fiscal year

noun

What It Is

A fiscal year is an accounting period of 365(6) days that does not necessarily correspond to the calendar year beginning on January 1st. The fiscal year is the established period of time when an organization's annual financial records commence and conclude.

How It Works

A company's fiscal year will always reflect the date of the calendar year in which it ends. For example: The financial operations of the federal government are carried out in a fiscal year that begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. Therefore the government's fiscal year for 2008 would begin on October 1, 2007 and end on September 30, 2008.

Why It Matters

The key thing to remember is that a fiscal year doesn't necessarily correspond with the calendar year. Although it may not seem like very important, when a company starts its fiscal year can have an impact on its fundamental analysis. This is especially true of cyclical companies.

Consider a retailer that has an incredible first quarter. An investor may look at that company and think it will probably post even higher earnings during the end of the year, during the holiday season. However, if that company started its fiscal year in September, then its first quarter earnings will have already encompassed the higher sales that accompany the holiday shopping season, and the remaining three quarters will most likely be a little lower.

Source: Investing Answers