You're filling out an expense report and it asks which quarter the cost lands in. Or your manager just said the deal has to close "by end of Q2." Either way, you need to know exactly which quarter we're in and when it ends.
Most years split into four quarters of about three months each. Simple enough. The confusion starts when your company runs on a fiscal calendar that doesn't match the regular one.
Here's every quarter date for 2026, a quick way to work out what quarter it is on any date, and how fiscal quarters change the math.
The short answer
Right now, as of June 2026, we're in Q2 2026. It runs from April 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026, so the quarter ends on June 30.
In the standard calendar, the four quarters of 2026 are:
- Q1: January 1 to March 31, 2026
- Q2: April 1 to June 30, 2026
- Q3: July 1 to September 30, 2026
- Q4: October 1 to December 31, 2026
Each quarter is three calendar months. That holds every year, because calendar quarters don't shift with leap years or week numbers.
Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 dates for 2026
Here's the full breakdown with start dates, end dates, and the number of days in each quarter.
| Quarter | Months | Start date | End date | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | January to March | January 1, 2026 | March 31, 2026 | 90 |
| Q2 | April to June | April 1, 2026 | June 30, 2026 | 91 |
| Q3 | July to September | July 1, 2026 | September 30, 2026 | 92 |
| Q4 | October to December | October 1, 2026 | December 31, 2026 | 92 |
The quarters aren't equal in length. Q1 is the shortest at 90 days, because 2026 isn't a leap year and February only has 28 days. Add the four together and you get 365, the full year.
In a leap year like 2028, Q1 stretches to 91 days because February gains a day. The other three quarters never change.
What quarter are we in right now?
As I write this in June 2026, we're in Q2. June is the last month of the second quarter, so Q2 closes on June 30 and Q3 opens July 1.
Working it out for any date is easy. Take the month number, divide by 3, and round up:
- January, February, March (months 1 to 3) = Q1
- April, May, June (months 4 to 6) = Q2
- July, August, September (months 7 to 9) = Q3
- October, November, December (months 10 to 12) = Q4
So a date in May is Q2. A date in November is Q4. If you'd rather not count, the week calculator turns any date into its ISO week number, which pins down where you sit in the year.
What "end of quarter" actually means at work
Quarters matter because money and reporting run on them. Public companies report earnings every quarter. Sales teams chase quarterly targets. Budgets get reviewed every three months.
So "close it by end of Q2" means close it by June 30, 2026 in the calendar system. "Quarter to date" means from the start of the current quarter (April 1) up to today.
One thing to watch: some deadlines keep their own schedule and don't land on the quarter's last day. US estimated tax payments, for example, follow IRS due dates that fall mid-month, not on March 31 or June 30. Check the official date for any tax or filing deadline rather than assuming it matches the quarter end.
Why quarters start in January (and when they don't)
The calendar year runs January 1 to December 31, so the default quarters cut it into four near-equal blocks. Q1 starts the year, Q4 ends it. This is the version most people mean by "quarter," and it's what calendars, schools, and a lot of businesses use.
But plenty of organizations run on a fiscal year that begins in a different month. Their Q1 starts whenever their financial year does, which might be April, July, or October.
That one difference causes most of the "wait, which Q2 do you mean?" confusion in business.
Fiscal quarters: why your company's Q1 might be different
A fiscal year (or financial year) is the 12-month period an organization uses for accounting and budgeting. Some match the calendar exactly. Others start in a different month.
A few real examples:
- The US federal government runs its fiscal year from October 1 to September 30. Federal fiscal year 2026 started on October 1, 2025, so its Q1 covers October to December.
- Apple ends its fiscal year in late September. Its big holiday quarter (October to December) counts as fiscal Q1.
- Microsoft uses a fiscal year from July 1 to June 30, so its Q1 covers July to September.
- The UK government financial year runs April 1 to March 31, while the personal tax year runs April 6 to April 5.
Here's how the US federal fiscal year lines up against the calendar for 2026:
| Quarter | Calendar year 2026 | US federal fiscal year (FY2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | January 1 to March 31, 2026 | October 1 to December 31, 2025 |
| Q2 | April 1 to June 30, 2026 | January 1 to March 31, 2026 |
| Q3 | July 1 to September 30, 2026 | April 1 to June 30, 2026 |
| Q4 | October 1 to December 31, 2026 | July 1 to September 30, 2026 |
If you work somewhere with an off-calendar fiscal year, check which system a deadline refers to before you assume. Our fiscal calendar page lays out the common start months (US October, UK April) and the week numbers that go with them.
How quarters line up with week numbers
Quarters split the year by month. ISO week numbers split it by full weeks running Monday to Sunday. The two don't line up cleanly, because 13 weeks is 91 days and a quarter can be 90, 91, or 92.
Roughly, though, here's how they map:
- Q1 covers about weeks 1 to 13
- Q2 covers about weeks 14 to 26
- Q3 covers about weeks 27 to 39
- Q4 covers about weeks 40 to 52 (or 53)
2026 is a 53-week ISO year, so the back end of Q4 runs a week longer in week-number terms. If you plan in weeks rather than months, see the week numbers for 2026 for the full list, the ISO week number guide for how the standard works, and why some years have 53 weeks.
A one-line formula to find the quarter for any date
If you handle dates in a spreadsheet, you can compute the calendar quarter without a lookup table. Put a date in cell A1 and use:
CODE0
That returns Q1, Q2, Q3, or Q4 based on the month. In JavaScript, the same logic for today's date is:
CODE1
For a fiscal year that starts in a different month, shift the month number before you divide by 3.
FAQ
What quarter is it right now in 2026?
As of June 2026, it's Q2. The second quarter runs from April 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026.
When does Q2 2026 start and end?
Q2 2026 starts on April 1, 2026 and ends on June 30, 2026. It's 91 days long.
When does Q3 2026 begin?
Q3 2026 begins on July 1, 2026 and ends on September 30, 2026.
Are fiscal quarters the same as calendar quarters?
Not always. Calendar quarters always start in January. A fiscal quarter follows an organization's financial year, which can start in April, July, October, or another month.
How many days are in each quarter of 2026?
Q1 has 90 days, Q2 has 91, Q3 has 92, and Q4 has 92. They add up to 365 because 2026 isn't a leap year.
Which months are in each quarter?
Q1 is January to March, Q2 is April to June, Q3 is July to September, and Q4 is October to December.
Summary: Right now it's Q2 2026, running April 1 to June 30. The four calendar quarters of 2026 are Q1 (January to March), Q2 (April to June), Q3 (July to September), and Q4 (October to December). Fiscal quarters can differ, so confirm which calendar a deadline uses before you commit.
Handy next steps:
- Planning in weeks? Check the week numbers for 2026.
- On an off-calendar fiscal year? See the fiscal calendar.
Further reading: