Fiscal year
The fiscal year is the government’s accounting year, which is not the same as the calendar year. Similar to many publicly listed corporations, the federal government keeps its fiscal books on a schedule that does not coincide with the calendar year. Specifically, the government’s fiscal year begins on October 1st and ends on September 30th every year.
An example from C-SPAN: “The fiscal year for the federal government begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. For example, fiscal year 1999, or ‘fy ’99’ began on Oct. 1, 1998 and ended on Sept. 30, 1999.”
