For anyone on the standard calendar year, H1 ends on June 30. That is the last day of the sixth month, the close of the first half. If your organization runs on a fiscal year that starts in a different month, H1 ends on the last day of your sixth month instead. The question of when H1 ends has one rule and two answers, depending on which calendar you keep.
The Calendar-Year Answer: June 30
Under the standard Gregorian calendar, H1 covers January, February, March, April, May, and June. The period starts at midnight on January 1 and runs through the final moment of June 30. Once the clock rolls past midnight into July 1, you are in H2. Most individuals, consumer-facing businesses, and economic forecasters use this convention because it lines up with the civil calendar everyone already shares.
June 30 is a bright line. Revenue earned on July 1 belongs to H2, not H1, even if it was invoiced or contracted during June. If you are tracking results “for the first half,” June 30 is your closing date, and everything measured against the half is measured as of that day.
The Fiscal-Year Answer: Six Months In
Many organizations set their own fiscal year rather than following the calendar. The U.S. federal government is the most prominent example: its fiscal year runs from October 1 through September 30 of the following calendar year, so federal H1 ends on March 31.1USAGov. The Federal Budget Process
Private companies choose fiscal years that fit their business cycles. A retailer might start its year on February 1 to avoid closing the books during the post-holiday return rush, which would push H1’s end to July 31. A ski resort operating on a May 1 start date would see H1 close on October 31. The rule never changes: count six months from the fiscal year’s start date, and the last day of that sixth month is when H1 ends.
How H1 Lines Up With Q1 and Q2
H1 is made up of two quarters. Q1 covers the first three months, Q2 covers the next three, and the last day of Q2 is, by definition, the last day of H1. On the standard calendar, Q1 runs January through March and Q2 runs April through June.
For investors reading earnings releases, the Q2 report is effectively the H1 scorecard because it includes cumulative year-to-date figures alongside the standalone quarter.
What the End of H1 Triggers
The date matters because reporting clocks start the day after it passes.
Publicly traded companies file a quarterly report on Form 10-Q for each of the first three fiscal quarters, and the Q2 filing carries cumulative year-to-date financial statements for the full first half.2eCFR. 17 CFR 240.13a-13 – Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q Large accelerated and accelerated filers get 40 days after the quarter ends; all other filers get 45 days.3Securities and Exchange Commission. Form 10-Q General Instructions For a calendar-year large accelerated filer, that puts the Q2 10-Q on August 9. A non-accelerated filer has until August 14.
Estimated-tax filers on a calendar year owe the second installment on June 15, which covers income earned from April 1 through May 31.4Internal Revenue Service. Estimated Tax The third installment is not due until September 15, well into H2. If June 15 falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the deadline shifts to the next business day.5Internal Revenue Service. When to File
Lenders often require borrowers to deliver financial statements as of the end of H1 to verify compliance with loan covenants. Those covenants typically set minimum thresholds for ratios such as debt-to-equity or current assets to current liabilities, measured as of June 30 or the equivalent date in a non-calendar fiscal year. Slipping below the required level can put a borrower in technical default, even without a missed payment.