How to configure Fiscal Year in Zoho CRM
Introduction
Setting up your fiscal year in Zoho CRM helps you align your sales, reporting, and forecasting with your business operations. Unlike the traditional calendar year (January–December), many UK businesses operate on different financial timelines based on industry trends, seasonal cycles, or accounting requirements.
Zoho CRM allows you to define your fiscal year format and display options — whether you’re using a standard 12-month setup or a custom retail-friendly format like 4-4-5 or 3-3-4-3.
This guide walks you through how to configure fiscal year settings in Zoho CRM, so your reports and dashboards reflect your actual business cycle.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Set Up a Standard Fiscal Year
The standard fiscal year is based on calendar months. You can customise the start month to match your financial planning cycle.
To configure a standard fiscal year:
- Log in to Zoho CRM with Administrator privileges.
- Navigate to Setup > General > Company Settings > Fiscal Year.
- If a fiscal year is already set, click Manage Fiscal Year.
- Strengthen customer satisfaction and loyalty
- On the next screen:
- Set Fiscal Year Type to Standard Fiscal Year.
- Choose the starting month from the dropdown.
- For display format, choose whether the fiscal year is shown using the starting year or ending year (e.g. Q3 2023 or Q3 2024).
- Click Save.
Set Up a Custom Fiscal Year
Custom fiscal year formats are ideal for businesses in sectors like retail, where sales patterns follow a weekly cycle. These formats divide the year into periods with consistent week structures, improving data comparison.
Supported custom formats include:
- Quarter-based: 4-4-5, 4-5-4, 5-4-4
- Year-based: 3-3-3-4, 3-3-4-3, 3-4-3-3, 4-3-3-3
To configure a custom fiscal year:
1) Log in to Zoho CRM with Administrator privileges.
2) Go to Setup > General > Company Settings > Fiscal Year.
3)If a fiscal year is already set, click Manage Fiscal Year.
4)On the next screen:
- Choose Custom Fiscal Year as the type.
- Select the desired format (e.g. 4-5-4, 3-3-3-4).
- Set the Start Date (day and month).
- Choose whether the fiscal year is displayed using the starting year or ending year.
- Select Number by Year or Number by Quarter for period labels.
- Click Save.
View Fiscal Year History
Zoho CRM keeps a record of past fiscal year configurations.
To view your fiscal year history:
- Go to Setup > General > Company Settings > Fiscal Year.
- Scroll to the Earlier Years section.
- Hover over any custom entry to preview it using the Preview in Calendar button.
Tips for Getting Started
- Retail or seasonal businesses may benefit from 4-5-4 or 3-3-4-3 formats.
- Always double-check your start month and week structure to align with payroll and accounting.
- Use the Preview in Calendar tool to see how your fiscal periods align across months.
- Changing your fiscal year affects reports, forecasts, and dashboards, so coordinate this with your finance team.
