Calendars and Periods
Calendars define the time dimension of accounting in the General Ledger. Every ledger references a calendar, and every journal entry is posted into one of that calendar's periods. Period statuses control when each period is open or closed for a given application, allowing different modules to close at different times.
Period types
A Period Type classifies how a calendar divides time. Period types are defined at the tenant level and referenced by calendars:
| Attribute | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Period type code | Unique identifier within the tenant (e.g. MONTH, QUARTER, YEAR) |
| Name | Human-readable name with i18n support |
| Year type | How years are counted (e.g. CALENDAR, FISCAL) |
| Periods per year | Number of standard periods in a year (e.g. 12 for monthly) |
Common period types:
| Code | Periods per year | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
MONTH | 12 | Standard monthly accounting |
QUARTER | 4 | Quarterly reporting |
YEAR | 1 | Annual reporting |
Calendars
A Calendar is a named container for periods, associated with a period type:
| Attribute | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Calendar code | Unique identifier within the tenant (e.g. FY2026) |
| Name | Human-readable name with i18n support |
| Period type | The period type this calendar uses |
| Description | Optional longer description |
| Status | Active/inactive lifecycle state |
A single calendar can span multiple fiscal years. Each ledger references exactly one calendar.
Periods
A Period is a date range within a calendar during which transactions can be posted:
| Attribute | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Period name | Human-readable label (e.g. Jan-26, Q1-26, Adj-Dec-26) |
| Period number | Sequence number within the year (1–12 for monthly, plus adjustments) |
| Period year | The fiscal or calendar year this period belongs to |
| Quarter number | The quarter this period falls within (1–4) |
| Start date | First day of the period |
| End date | Last day of the period |
| Adjustment flag | Whether this is an adjustment period (see below) |
| Status | Active/inactive lifecycle state |
Adjustment periods
An adjustment period is a special period that shares the same date range as a regular period but is reserved for year-end adjustments, audit entries, or other corrections that should be recorded separately from normal operations.
Adjustment periods are identified by the adjustment flag and typically use period numbers beyond the regular range (e.g. period 13 in a 12-period calendar). They allow closing entries to be posted without reopening the standard period.
Period statuses
Period statuses track whether a period is open or closed per application. This means the General Ledger can close a period while Accounts Payable keeps it open for late entries, or vice versa.
| Attribute | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Period | The period this status applies to |
| Application code | The application this status is for (e.g. GL, AP, AR, FA) |
| Status code | The current status of the period for this application |
| Closing status | Tracks whether a close process is in progress |
Status values
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| NOT_OPENED | The period has never been opened for this application |
| OPEN | The period is open and accepting new entries |
| CLOSED | The period is closed; no new entries can be posted |
| PERMANENTLY_CLOSED | The period is permanently closed and cannot be reopened |
| FUTURE_ENTRY | The period is not yet current but can accept entries dated into it |
Status transitions
Period statuses follow a controlled transition path:
Key rules:
- A period must be OPEN (or FUTURE_ENTRY where supported) to accept new entries for that application
- CLOSED periods can be reopened if corrections are needed — this returns them to OPEN
- PERMANENTLY_CLOSED is a terminal state — once set, the period cannot be reopened
- Each application manages its own transitions independently
How it fits together
Further reading
- Ledgers — how ledgers reference a calendar
- Data Model Overview — the full FGL entity landscape
- GL Setup Walkthrough — step-by-step guide to creating calendars and periods