You must figure your taxable income and file an income tax return based on an annual accounting period called a tax year. A tax year is usually 12 consecutive months. There are two kinds of tax years.
1) Calendar Tax Year. A calendar tax year is a period of 12 consecutive months beginning January 1 and ending December 31.
2) Fiscal Tax Year. A fiscal tax year is a period of 12 consecutive months ending on the last day of any month except December. A 52-53-week tax year is a fiscal tax year that varies from 52 to 53 weeks but does not have to end on the last day of a month.
If you file your first tax return using the calendar tax year and later begin business as a sole proprietor, become a partner in a partnership, or become a shareholder in an S corporation, you must continue to use the calendar year unless you get IRS approval to change it or are otherwise allowed to change it without IRS approval.
You must use a calendar tax year it:
You keep no books.
You have no annual accounting period.
Your present tax year does not qualify as a fiscal year.
You are required to use a calendar year by a provision of the Internal Revenue Code or the Income Tax Regulations.
For more information, see Publication 538, Accounting Periods and Methods.
First-time Filer
If you have never filed an income tax return, you adopt a either a calendar tax year or a
fiscal tax year. You adopt a tax year by filing your first income tax return using that
tax year. You have not adopted a tax year if you merely did any of the following:
Filed an application for an extension of time to file an income tax return.
Filed an application for an employer identification number.
Paid estimated taxes for that tax year.
Changing Your Tax Year
Once you have chosen your tax year, you may have to get IRS approval to change it.
To get approval, you must file Form 1128,
Application To Adopt, Change, or Retain a Tax
Year (pdf). You may have to pay a fee. For more information, see Publication 538.
Information courtesy of the Internal Revenue Service.
Starting a Business and Keeping Records:
Introduction
What New Business Owners Need To Know
Forms of Business
Identification Numbers
Tax Year
Accounting Method
Business Taxes
Information Returns
Penalties
Business Expenses
Recordkeeping
How To Get More Information
