Calendar Quarters
Explanation of standard Bikram Sambat calendar quarters compared to government fiscal trimesters.
Standard calendar quarters divide the Bikram Sambat calendar year into four equal three month periods starting from 1 Baisakh. This guide clarifies the structural difference between standard calendar quarters and Nepal government fiscal year trimesters, which commence three months later on 1 Shrawan.
Calendar Quarters Breakdown
Unlike the government fiscal calendar which begins in Shrawan, standard calendar quarters follow the natural calendar year starting from Baisakh:
| Quarter | Months Included | Month Indices | Approximate Gregorian Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Baisakh, Jestha, Asar | 0, 1, 2 | Mid April to Mid July |
| Q2 | Shrawan, Bhadra, Aswin | 3, 4, 5 | Mid July to Mid October |
| Q3 | Kartik, Mangsir, Poush | 6, 7, 8 | Mid October to Mid January |
| Q4 | Magh, Falgun, Chaitra | 9, 10, 11 | Mid January to Mid April |
Related Methods in PHP
The library provides dedicated methods for working with standard calendar quarters:
use NepaliDateLibrary\NepaliDate;
$date = new NepaliDate('2081-01-15');
// Calendar quarter number (1 to 4)
echo $date->getCurrentQuarter(); // 1
// Static lookup for a specific year and quarter
$q2Dates = NepaliDate::getQuarter(2, 2081);
echo "Q2 starts: " . $q2Dates['start']->format('YYYY-MM-DD');
// All four calendar quarters for year 2081
$allQuarters = NepaliDate::getQuarters(2081);Calendar vs Fiscal Quarters Comparison
| Feature | Standard Calendar Quarter | Government Fiscal Trimester |
|---|---|---|
| Year Start | 1 Baisakh (Mid April) | 1 Shrawan (Mid July) |
| Q1 Months | Baisakh, Jestha, Asar | Shrawan, Bhadra, Aswin |
| Methods | getCurrentQuarter(), getQuarter() | getCurrentFiscalYearQuarter(), getFiscalYearQuarter() |
| Use Cases | Public calendars, UI views, general scheduling | Taxes, government accounting, corporate audits |
NepaliDate::getFiscalYearQuarters()
Static utility returning all four fiscal trimesters with their constituent months and date ranges for a given year.
Date Converter Guide
Comprehensive guide to converting dates between Gregorian and Bikram Sambat calendar systems using standalone helper functions.