# The US federal government's fiscal year
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-federal-governments-fiscal-year/614034
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 26, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-federal-governments-fiscal-year/614034 "2012-02-26T04:22:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-federal-governments-fiscal-year/614034/1 "2012-02-26T04:22:01Z")
When I was in the US military some 40+ years ago, I remember the government’s fiscal year ran from July 1st to June 30th. Today, the federal fiscal year runs from October 1st to September 30th. When and why did they change?
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-federal-governments-fiscal-year/614034/2 "2012-02-26T05:02:33Z")
In the Bicentennial year, apparently: [Fiscal year - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiscal_year#United_States)
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-federal-governments-fiscal-year/614034/3 "2012-02-26T05:03:03Z")
Apparently it was changed by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, and went into effect in 1977.
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### Author:  [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2012, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-federal-governments-fiscal-year/614034/4 "2012-02-27T04:43:06Z")
Could you imagine all the “fun” Congress could have if we’d switched now by arguing that the new budget was 25% bigger than the previous years’.