What Is Q4? When the Fourth Quarter Starts and Ends

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Q4 is the fourth quarter of the year: the 92 days from October 1 through December 31 on the calendar. Q4 2026, for example, starts Thursday, October 1, 2026, and ends Thursday, December 31, 2026. For a company or organization, Q4 means the last quarter of its fiscal year. That matches October 1 to December 31 only when the fiscal year follows the calendar year. Many businesses use the calendar year, but a business with a different fiscal year has a Q4 that starts and ends in other months.

How Q4 Dates Are Determined

A year divides into four quarters of three months each:

• Q1: January 1 to March 31
• Q2: April 1 to June 30
• Q3: July 1 to September 30
• Q4: October 1 to December 31

On the calendar, September belongs to Q3 and October opens Q4. A fiscal year does not have to begin in January, though. To find any organization’s Q4, start from its fiscal year-end and count back three months. Q4 covers those final three months and begins on the first day of the tenth month of the fiscal year.

Example

Nike’s fiscal year ends on May 31. Counting back three months, its Q4 runs from March 1 to May 31. A Nike announcement of “fourth-quarter results” in summer therefore describes spring sales, not the October to December holiday period.

Meta, by contrast, follows the calendar year. Its Q4 is October 1 to December 31, the same as the calendar quarter.

Exceptions That Change the Answer

Non-calendar fiscal years. Some companies choose a year-end that matches their business cycle, so their Q4 can fall in any part of the calendar.

Nonprofits and governments. Nonprofit organizations often use non-calendar fiscal years so their budgets line up with programming and fundraising cycles. An organization whose fiscal year runs October 1 to September 30 has a Q4 of July 1 to September 30, and it starts the new year in October ahead of year-end giving campaigns. The U.S. federal government uses the same October to September fiscal year, so federal Q4 is July through September. For these organizations, September is in Q4.

52/53-week years. Some companies, especially retailers, end their fiscal year on a particular weekday, such as the last Saturday of a month, instead of a fixed date. Their Q4 boundaries can shift by a few days from year to year, and some years contain an extra week.

When it matters which Q4 a company means, check the period-end date printed on its earnings release or filing.

When Q4 Results Are Reported

The fiscal quarter and the fiscal year are the two main accounting periods for companies. U.S. public companies file Form 10-Q for each of the first three fiscal quarters and Form 10-K for the full year. Fourth-quarter figures usually come out in an earnings release around the same time as the annual results, and the 10-K covers the whole year.

SEC deadlines depend on company size. The 10-K is due 60, 75 or 90 days after fiscal year-end for large accelerated, accelerated and non-accelerated filers. A 10-Q is due 40 or 45 days after the quarter ends. For a calendar-year company, Q4 and annual results therefore arrive in the first months of the following year.

Management typically presents the results and often gives guidance for the coming periods. A conference call usually follows, where analysts and investors ask questions about performance. Q4 releases tend to carry more weight because they come alongside the full-year picture, including annual revenue and profit and the cash flow statement.

Why Q4 Matters to Investors

Research firms publish estimates for revenue, earnings, expenses and cash. Financial publications average these into a consensus estimate. A company that reports above consensus has “beaten the Street.” Results in line with expectations “met estimates,” and results below consensus “missed.” The market’s reaction can be sharp in either direction: shares may rise on a beat or fall on a disappointing report or weak guidance.

FAQs

The Bottom Line

Investors, analysts and anyone reading earnings news need to know which Q4 a company means before comparing results. Many companies follow the calendar year, but nonprofits, governments, retailers and firms like Nike do not. The period-end date on the earnings release or filing settles the question, and for calendar-year companies Q4 and annual results arrive in the first months of the following year.