You just started at CVS and the fiscal year already seems simpler than expected
You got hired at CVS Health in March 2026 after working at Target for three years. At Target, you had to mentally translate between the fiscal year (Feb-Jan) and the tax year (Jan-Dec) every time you looked at your benefits enrollment or performance review. At CVS, something is immediately different: the fiscal year runs January 1 through December 31. Same as the calendar year. Same as the tax year. No translation needed.
That small difference matters more than you might think. It means your W-2, your benefits enrollment, your annual review, and your 401(k) contribution limits all follow the same twelve-month window. If you have bounced between retailers with offset fiscal years, CVS Health’s calendar-year approach is a relief.
Are you a current colleague or a former colleague?
How you interact with the CVS fiscal calendar depends on your status. Here is where to start:
If you are a current CVS colleague: Your primary portal is Colleague Zone, which replaced the old MyHR system. Schedules, pay stubs, benefits, and tax documents are all here. The backend runs on Workday. You will also use Enterprise Login for retail and MinuteClinic systems. For a walkthrough, see the CVS login portals page.
If you recently left CVS: Your access shifts to the CVS Alumni Zone. Within 24-48 hours of your separation, CVS sends two auto-emails to your personal email address: one with your username and one with a temporary password. These emails sometimes do not arrive, which is the single biggest complaint from former CVS employees. If that happens, call 1-866-528-7272. For W-2 access specifically, check the CVS W-2 former employees page.
If you are trying to figure out benefits or PTO: Since CVS runs on the calendar year, your benefits enrollment period falls in the fall (typically October-November) for coverage starting January 1. PTO accrual also resets on a calendar-year basis. The CVS employee benefits page has the full breakdown.
CVS Health FY2026 dates
Because CVS uses a standard calendar year, the dates are straightforward:
- Fiscal year start: January 1, 2026
- Fiscal year end: December 31, 2026
- Q1: January through March
- Q2: April through June
- Q3: July through September
- Q4: October through December
- W-2 tax year: January 1 through December 31, 2026 (matches perfectly)
This is different from Walmart, Target, Kroger, Home Depot, and most other large retailers, which all run fiscal years from February through January. CVS is more like a traditional corporate company in this respect, which makes sense given that CVS Health is also a healthcare and insurance company (Aetna, MinuteClinic), not just a pharmacy chain.
How the CVS biweekly pay schedule works
CVS pays colleagues biweekly on Fridays. That produces 26 paychecks per year. Pay periods run two weeks, and your paycheck covers the hours from the prior period.
If a scheduled payday falls on a bank holiday, CVS generally processes pay on the previous business day. In 2026, the federal holidays that could affect Friday paydays include the July 4th observed holiday (July 3, a Friday) and Christmas Day (December 25, a Friday). Watch for adjusted deposit dates around those weeks.
You can check pay stubs and direct deposit settings through Colleague Zone, which connects to Workday on the backend. Your 7-digit Employee ID is your login credential. If you are locked out or having portal issues, the CVS login portals guide walks through the steps.
Two months during the year will have three paychecks instead of two. The exact months depend on your pay cycle start date. These three-paycheck months are worth flagging in your budget because they give you an extra paycheck on top of your normal two.
What makes CVS different from other retailers on the fiscal calendar
Most large retailers (Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Kroger, Lowe’s, Dollar General) use a retail fiscal year ending in late January or early February. They do this so their fiscal year-end falls after the holiday season, giving them clean post-holiday financials.
CVS does not need to do this because its business model is different. While CVS has retail stores, the bulk of its revenue comes from pharmacy services, Aetna insurance, and MinuteClinic. These healthcare businesses run on calendar-year cycles already, so it makes more sense for the whole company to use the same January-to-December fiscal year.
For colleagues who previously worked at Walmart, Target, or Kroger, the biggest practical difference is benefits enrollment timing. At those retailers, you typically enroll in the fall for a February start. At CVS, you enroll in the fall for a January 1 start. That one-month difference means your new coverage kicks in sooner and aligns with the calendar year.
Key employee deadlines on the CVS fiscal calendar
Open enrollment (October-November): Choose your health, dental, vision, and other benefits for the upcoming calendar year. Coverage starts January 1. CVS offers 7 paid holidays for full-time colleagues: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and one floating holiday. Details on all benefits are on the CVS employee benefits page.
PTO accrual: CVS provides 20-30 days per year depending on role and tenure, but there is no PTO until you hit the 6-month mark. Accrual follows the calendar year. Unused PTO policies vary by state. Check the CVS PTO policies page for the full rundown.
401(k) contributions: The IRS sets annual 401(k) limits on a calendar-year basis. For 2026, those limits apply from January 1 through December 31. CVS matches dollar-for-dollar up to 5% of your pay, which is one of the stronger matches in retail. Contributions and matches reset with the calendar year.
W-2 delivery: W-2s must arrive by January 31, 2027 for the 2026 tax year. Since CVS uses a calendar fiscal year, there is no disconnect between the fiscal year and the W-2 period. Current colleagues access W-2s through Colleague Zone (or Workday) under Pay, then Tax Documents. Former colleagues go through CVS Alumni Zone at myhr.cvs.com. The CVS W-2 page has both paths.
Annual performance reviews: Reviews at CVS follow the calendar year. Your manager evaluates your performance from January through December, and merit increases typically process in the spring.
The portal transition problem
CVS has gone through multiple portal changes in recent years: MyHR became Colleague Zone, which now sits on top of Workday. For colleagues who have been at CVS for several years, this has been confusing. PTO balances did not always transfer correctly during the transition, and some colleagues report that they no longer know which portal is current.
The short answer: Colleague Zone is the current portal for active colleagues. MyHR (myhr.cvs.com) now redirects to the Alumni Zone for former employees only. If you hear coworkers reference MyHR, they are using outdated information.
For any payroll or HR questions, call 1-866-528-7272. The CVS HR contact guide has numbers broken out by issue type. And for the full set of CVS employee resources, visit the CVS Health employee resource hub.