Case 1
- Which date?
- 20621
2
Open with these valuesQuarter of the Year Calculator
2
Result: 2Enter a date and the calculator names its calendar quarter. Q1 runs January to March, Q2 April to June, Q3 July to September and Q4 October to December, so 17 June 2026 falls in Q2. Fiscal quarters can start in any month — this one always follows the calendar year.
Worked examples
Case 2
- Which date?
- 19782
1
Open with these valuesCase 3
- Which date?
- 20818
4
Open with these valuesHow it's calculated
quarter = floor((month − 1) ÷ 3) + 1
- StepRead the month out of the date — the day of the month never changes the answer.
- StepSubtract 1, divide by 3 and round down: January to March give 0, April to June give 1.
- ResultAdd 1. The result is 1, 2, 3 or 4 — the calendar quarter.
What this number means
The page sorts a date into a calendar quarter. The convention is rigid: Q1 is January to March, Q2 April to June, Q3 July to September, Q4 October to December, and every boundary sits on the first of a month. The preset is 17 June 2026. Only the month goes into the sum, here the 6: 6 minus 1 is 5, divided by 3 and rounded down that is 1, plus 1 makes Q2. The day of the month changes nothing — 1 June and 30 June 2026 both come back as 2. What the page does not do: it will not say which day of the quarter a date is or how many are left in it, and it names no quarter end as a date. The limit that matters most is the missing year in the answer. Out comes a bare 1, 2, 3 or 4; only together with a year — Q2 2026 — does the figure name a period at all.
Calendar quarters, not fiscal quarters
Q1 always starts in January here. An organisation whose financial year begins in April calls April to June its fiscal Q1, so read off the calendar quarter and shift it yourself.
Only the month decides
The day of the month never changes the answer. Subtract 1 from the month, divide by 3, round down and add 1.
The four quarters are not equally long
Q1 has 90 days, or 91 in a leap year, Q2 has 91, and Q3 and Q4 have 92 each. Together they make the 365 or 366 days of the year.
The boundaries sit on the first of the month
1 October already belongs to Q4, while 30 September is still Q3. The same break sits at 1 April and 1 July.
Commonly misread
Q1 means January to March for everyone.
That is the calendar quarter, which is what this calculator reports. A financial year beginning in April makes April to June its fiscal Q1.
Every quarter has the same length, a quarter of the year.
Q1 has 90 days, 91 in a leap year, Q2 has 91, and Q3 and Q4 have 92 each. Only together do they make 365 or 366 days.
30 September is the first day of Q4.
It is the last day of Q3. Q4 starts on 1 October and runs to the end of December.
A leap day shifts the quarter boundaries.
It does not — a leap day still falls in Q1. It only makes Q1 91 days long instead of 90.
Reference table
| Date | Quarter runs | Quarter |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-01 | January to March, 90 days | 1 |
| 2026-03-31 | last day of Q1 | 1 |
| 2024-02-29 | leap day, Q1 has 91 days | 1 |
| 2026-06-17 | April to June, 91 days | 2 |
| 2026-07-01 | first day of Q3 | 3 |
| 2026-09-30 | July to September, 92 days | 3 |
| 2026-12-31 | October to December, 92 days | 4 |
Questions
What is a calendar quarter?
A calendar quarter is one of the four three-month blocks a Gregorian year is divided into: Q1 January to March, Q2 April to June, Q3 July to September, Q4 October to December. Each block runs 90 to 92 days. Quarters are the usual unit for earnings reports, tax periods and project milestones.
How many days are in each quarter?
Q1 has 90 days, or 91 in a leap year. Q2 has 91 days, and Q3 and Q4 have 92 days each. The four together make the 365 or 366 days of the year.
What is the difference between a calendar quarter and a fiscal quarter?
A calendar quarter is anchored to the Gregorian year, so Q1 always starts in January. A fiscal quarter follows an organisation's own financial year, which may begin in any month — a company starting in April calls April to June its fiscal Q1. This calculator always reports calendar quarters.
Which quarter does December belong to?
December belongs to Q4, together with October and November. Q4 has 92 days and is the last quarter of the calendar year, which makes its final day the usual deadline for annual reporting and budget closeout.
What does Quartal mean in German business?
Quartal is simply the German word for calendar quarter, and Q1 to Q4 mean the same thing as in English. German companies report earnings, file quarterly VAT returns and plan budgets by Quartal, so the last day of each quarter is a fixed deadline in the corporate and tax calendar.
Sources and last check
Information, not professional advice.