|
CLOSE CALENDAR |
CLOSE CALENDAR
October 2026 close calendar: 21 business days, one holiday, two filing dates
October 2026 opens on a quarter-end close, hits a banking holiday and two October 15 deadlines mid-month, and hands off to November on Monday.
September was a quarter end, so October starts in close mode before the month has a chance to breathe. Day one of the September close is Thursday October 1, and the fifth business day - the outer edge of most standard close windows - lands on Wednesday October 7. Teams that push to that limit have about six days to get clear before the mid-month crunch.
BY THE NUMBERS
|
21 BUSINESS DAYS IN OCTOBER |
1 FEDERAL HOLIDAY |
|
2 FILING AND DEPOSIT DATES |
Nov 2 DAY ONE OF THE OCTOBER CLOSE |
THE MONTH
October 2026 for the close team
Both close windows, the holidays and the dated filings, in order.
| Thu Oct 1 | Day one of the September close (quarter end) Five business days run to Wed Oct 7. | CLOSE |
| Mon Oct 12 | Columbus Day Federal holiday; the Fed and most banks closed, markets open. | HOLIDAY |
| Thu Oct 15 | Extended individual and C corporation returns Calendar-year Forms 1040 and 1120 on extension are due. | IRS |
| Thu Oct 15 | Monthly payroll tax deposit September liabilities for monthly schedule depositors. | PAYROLL |
| Sat Oct 31 | October month end Day one of the close is Mon Nov 2; five business days run to Fri Nov 6. | CLOSE |
Federal holidays per OPM; filing and deposit dates per IRS Publication 509 and the SEC's Form 10-Q and 10-K instructions; weekend due dates shown on the rolled business day. Confirm your own filer status and deposit schedule.
Columbus Day falls on Monday October 12. It is a federal holiday, so the Fed and most banks are closed, but equity markets are open. Wire transfers and ACH settlements will be delayed; plan any cash movements that would otherwise route through October 13 accordingly. It is also worth noting that the holiday shortens the effective runway between the close window and the October 15 deadline.
October 15 carries two deadlines at once: extended calendar-year Forms 1040 and 1120 are both due, and monthly schedule depositors must also remit September payroll tax liabilities. If your entity or any related parties filed for extension in April, confirmations that returns are complete and filed should be on the tracker well before the 15th - not on it.
October 31 is a Saturday, which means the October close does not start until Monday November 2. The fifth business day of that close falls on Friday November 6. That is a clean five-day window with no holidays in the way, but the Saturday month-end offers no buffer if anything spills into the weekend - cutoffs and sub-ledger locks should reflect that.
PUT THESE ON THE TEAM CALENDAR
| Target September quarter-end close by Wednesday October 7. | |
| Move cash and ACH settlements away from Columbus Day, October 12. | |
| Confirm extended 1040 and 1120 returns are filed by October 15. |
SPONSORED
QUESTIONS THIS ANSWERS
How many business days does October 2026 have?
October 2026 has 21 business days. The count excludes weekends and Columbus Day on Monday October 12, which is a federal holiday.
When does the October 2026 month-end close start?
October 31 falls on a Saturday, so day one of the October close is Monday November 2. The fifth business day of that close is Friday November 6.
What filing deadlines fall in October 2026 for close teams to track?
Thursday October 15 is the deadline for extended calendar-year Forms 1040 and 1120, and also the monthly payroll tax deposit date for September liabilities for monthly schedule depositors. Both land on the same day.
Every posting on the board is verified live.
GO DEEPER
Go deeper
IN THIS SERIES
Next: November 2026 close calendar (coming)
Business days are weekdays that are not federal holidays. Deadlines are the general rules for calendar-year filers; confirm your own filer status, deposit schedule and state dates.
Audit Friendly's flagship weekly for the people who run the close: the tools, the workflows, what the roles pay and who is hiring.
Accounting Stack · Audit Friendly Data · Remote A&F Jobs
Audit Friendly · members.auditfriendly.co
