# Understand Fiscal Reports (/how-to/reporting/understand-fiscal-reports) The 4-4-5 Fiscal Calendar Report divides your year into 12 periods grouped into four quarters, following the 4-4-5 week pattern commonly used in retail and hospitality. Each quarter contains three periods of 4 weeks, 4 weeks, and 5 weeks respectively. This structure ensures every period contains complete weeks, making comparisons between periods and years more accurate than calendar-month comparisons. Before you begin [#before-you-begin] * You need at least one full fiscal year of data for the report to be useful. It works with partial years, but comparison columns will show gaps. * Know when your fiscal year starts. Many businesses use January, but seasonal businesses may use April, October, or another month. You can configure this in the report. Steps [#steps] 1. In the sidebar, expand **Reports** and click **4-4-5 Fiscal**. 2. Configure the report: | Setting | Description | Default | | ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------- | | **Fiscal Year** | The fiscal year to analyze. | Current calendar year | | **Fiscal Year Starts** | The calendar month your fiscal year begins. For example, if your fiscal year runs April through March, select April. | January | | **Compare to prior year** | When checked, the report includes prior-year data alongside each period for direct comparison. | Enabled | 3. Optionally filter by **Activity IDs** to focus on specific activities. 4. Click **Apply**. Understanding the 4-4-5 pattern [#understanding-the-4-4-5-pattern] A 4-4-5 calendar splits 52 weeks into 12 periods across 4 quarters: | Quarter | Period 1 | Period 2 | Period 3 | | ------- | ------------- | ------------- | ------------- | | Q1 | P1 (4 weeks) | P2 (4 weeks) | P3 (5 weeks) | | Q2 | P4 (4 weeks) | P5 (4 weeks) | P6 (5 weeks) | | Q3 | P7 (4 weeks) | P8 (4 weeks) | P9 (5 weeks) | | Q4 | P10 (4 weeks) | P11 (4 weeks) | P12 (5 weeks) | Each period always starts on the same day of the week and contains a whole number of weeks. This eliminates the "extra days" problem of calendar months, making period-to-period comparisons fair. Understanding the metrics [#understanding-the-metrics] Year summary cards [#year-summary-cards] Two cards appear at the top comparing the current and prior fiscal year: | Metric | What it means | | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Total Revenue** | Sum of all booking revenue in the fiscal year. | | **Total Bookings** | Count of bookings in the fiscal year. | | **Avg/Period** | Total revenue divided by number of periods with data. Shows your average period-level revenue run rate. | Quarter summary cards [#quarter-summary-cards] Four cards show each quarter with: | Metric | What it means | | ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Revenue** | Total quarterly revenue. | | **Bookings** | Total quarterly booking count. | | **Growth vs PY** | Percentage change compared to the same quarter in the prior fiscal year. Green for growth, red for decline. | Period chart [#period-chart] A grouped bar chart compares the current fiscal year (blue) to the prior year (gray) across all 12 periods. Instantly spot which periods outperformed or underperformed. Period detail table [#period-detail-table] | Column | What it means | | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Period** | The fiscal period number (P1 through P12). | | **Quarter** | Which quarter the period belongs to (Q1 through Q4). | | **Weeks** | Number of weeks in this period (4 or 5). | | **Date Range** | The calendar dates the period spans. | | **Revenue** | Total revenue in this period. | | **Bookings** | Booking count in this period. | | **PY Revenue** | Revenue in the same period of the prior fiscal year. | | **Revenue Growth** | Percentage change in revenue compared to the same period last year. | Interpreting the data [#interpreting-the-data] **5-week periods naturally have higher absolute numbers** Do not compare P3 (5 weeks) directly to P1 (4 weeks) by raw totals. Instead, divide by the number of weeks to get a weekly rate for fair intra-year comparison. **Consistent quarter-over-quarter growth** Healthy growth pattern. If Q4 always outperforms Q1, that reveals your seasonal cycle within the fiscal year. **Negative growth in early periods but positive later** May indicate a slow start to the season. Compare to your marketing calendar -- did campaigns launch later this year? **Prior year shows zero for some periods** You did not have data for those periods last year (the business may have started mid-year). Growth percentages will show 100% for these periods, which is misleading -- ignore them. Why use 4-4-5 instead of calendar months? [#why-use-4-4-5-instead-of-calendar-months] Calendar months have 28 to 31 days and different numbers of weekends. February has 4 weekends one year and could have 5 the next. For a business where weekends drive most revenue, this makes month-to-month comparison unreliable. The 4-4-5 calendar fixes this by ensuring every period has the same number of weekends. Tips [#tips] * **Align your fiscal start month with your business cycle.** If your busiest season is summer, starting your fiscal year in October means Q1 is your off-season (good for planning and budgeting before the busy season). * **Use this report for budgeting.** The Avg/Period metric from the prior year gives you a baseline for next year's period-level targets. * **Cross-reference with the [Year-over-Year Report](/how-to/reporting/use-year-over-year-reports)** for a calendar-month view of the same multi-year data. The two reports complement each other -- fiscal for precise operational analysis, YoY for high-level trend spotting.