Tax extension deadlines for fiscal-year filers

Which businesses use a fiscal year?

C corporations and nonprofits, mostly. A C corporation can generally adopt any fiscal year on its first return, subject to tax-law restrictions that apply to particular entities, and many choose a year-end that matches their business cycle — a retailer closing its books on January 31, after the holiday season. Tax-exempt organizations choose just as freely, and a June 30 year-end is by far the most common non-calendar choice among schools, universities, and grant-funded organizations. Changes to an established accounting period are subject to specific IRS procedures. Estates may also pick a fiscal year (see the Form 1041 extension guide).

Partnerships and S corporations are the opposite case: they must generally use a required year — the calendar year for most S corporations, and for a partnership the tax year of the partners owning a majority interest (if there is none, the tax year common to all its principal partners; and otherwise the year producing the least aggregate deferral). The exceptions are showing a business purpose for a different year or making a Section 444 election, which can require a section 7519 payment. Personal service corporations must also generally use a calendar year. Individuals almost never use one, so this guide is about Form 7004 and Form 8868, not Form 4868.

How is the deadline calculated?

Count from the last day of your tax year to the 15th day of the Nth month after it. N depends on the return:

The table below applies those rules to the four most common non-calendar year-ends, for fiscal years that begin in 2026 and end in 2027; if your year ended in 2026, the same month and day apply one year earlier.

Each date is already moved to the next business day where the 15th falls on a weekend or legal holiday. The June 30 C-corporation row reflects the 4th-month rule for tax years beginning after 2025 — see below.

The IRS labels a fiscal year by the year it begins: a year running February 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027 is a tax-year 2026 return, filed on 2026 forms, even though every deadline for it falls in 2027.

Your form and dates for any year-end →·Calendar-year deadlines for 2027 →

What about short tax years?

A short tax year keeps the same rule, counted from the end of the short period. The three common causes: a new entity's first year, which runs from the date it was formed to its year-end; a change in accounting period, which may require Form 1128 or compliance with an applicable automatic-approval procedure, depending on the entity and circumstances, and leaves a short period between the old year-end and the new one; and a final year, when an entity dissolves partway through. In each case the return is due the 15th day of the same Nth month after the short period ends, and the extension runs from that date. Special rules apply to some short tax years. Both Form 7004 and Form 8868 ask for the reason for a short year.

Does a fiscal year change how long the extension is?

No. The extension is the same length whether your year ends December 31 or March 31 — six months for Forms 1120, 1065 and 1120-S, for Forms 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF and most other returns extended on Form 8868, and 5½ months for most Forms 1041 — and it runs from the fiscal-year original due date. A partnership with a September 30 year-end is due December 15, 2027 and extended to June 15, 2028; a C corporation with the same year-end is due January 18, 2028 and extended to July 17, 2028.

The one exception is a C corporation with a June 30 year-end. For tax years beginning before January 1, 2026, its return was due the 15th day of the 3rd month after year-end with a seven-month extension; for tax years beginning after December 31, 2025, the general 4th-month rule and six-month extension apply, which is what the table above shows.

What do Form 7004 and Form 8868 ask for a fiscal year?

Both forms ask for the tax year's beginning and ending dates instead of a calendar year. Form 7004 also asks for the form code identifying the return, the tentative total tax (an estimate of the year's tax), payments and credits, and the balance due. For a year shorter than 12 months it asks the reason: initial return, final return, change in accounting period, consolidated return to be filed, or other with an explanation attached. For Part II filers, Form 8868 asks for the tax-year dates, return code, tentative tax, payments and credits, and balance due; the current instructions require all Part II filers to complete those tax lines even when the amounts are zero. For a short tax year, the listed reasons are initial return, final return, or change in accounting period. Enter the actual year-end, not December 31: it determines the due date the IRS measures your extension against. Our Form 7004 and Form 8868 wizards accept fiscal-year dates and the short-year reason.

Form 7004 instructions →·Form 8868 instructions →

When is Form 990 due for a nonprofit with a June 30 year-end?

November 15, 2027 — the 15th day of the 5th month after June 30 — and Form 8868 extends it six months, to May 15, 2028. It is one of the most common fiscal-year extensions, because so many schools, universities, and grant-funded organizations close their books on June 30. Everything else works as it does for calendar-year nonprofits. Each return needs its own Form 8868, so extending Form 990 does not extend a Form 990-T. Most organizations owe no tax with the extension, but a 990-T or 990-PF balance is due by the original date. Form 990-N has no extension, and an exempt organization that is required to file Form 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, or submit Form 990-N and fails to do so for three consecutive years generally has its tax-exempt status automatically revoked.

Fiscal-year extension FAQ

Sources

• Publication 509, Tax Calendars: fiscal-year due dates for Forms 1065, 1120-S and 1120, their six-month extensions, the June 30 exception, and the weekend and holiday rule
• Instructions for Form 7004: the June 30 rule by tax year, 5½ months for Form 1041, and that an extension runs from the due date
• Instructions for Form 1120: the 4th month for corporations, short first and final years, and fiscal years labelled by the year they begin
• Instructions for Form 1041: Form 1041 fiscal years and an estate's choice of year
• Instructions for Form 990: the 5th month for nonprofits, final returns, and fiscal years labelled by the year they begin
• Instructions for Form 990-T: the 4th-month due date for section 401(a) trusts and IRAs filing Form 990-T
• IRS: Return due dates for exempt organizations: Annual return: the June 30 nonprofit example
• Publication 538, Accounting Periods and Methods: required and permitted tax years, the section 444 election and its required payment, personal service corporations, Form 1128, and short tax years
• Form 7004 (PDF): Form 7004 short-year reasons and tax lines
• Form 8868 (PDF): Form 8868 short-year reasons
• Instructions for Form 8868: one Form 8868 per return, the Part II tax lines, no extension for Form 990-N, and the separate Form 5330 procedure
• IRS: Automatic revocation of exemption: automatic revocation after three years without filing