The fiscal calendar is changing along with everything else at Walgreens
With 1,200 store closures underway, 628 layoffs announced in February 2026, and six paid holidays eliminated in November 2025, Walgreens employees have plenty to worry about. The fiscal calendar might seem like a minor detail by comparison. But the timing of Walgreens’ fiscal year drives when your benefits enrollment happens, when bonuses are calculated, and when company-wide changes take effect. And right now, that timing matters because the Sycamore Partners acquisition in August 2025 has put everything on an accelerated schedule.
Here is what you need to know about how the Walgreens fiscal calendar works and what employee deadlines sit inside it.
Walgreens uses a September-to-August fiscal year
This is the first thing that catches people off guard. Most large retailers (Walmart, Target, Kroger, Home Depot) run fiscal years from February through January. Walgreens Boots Alliance does it differently. The WBA fiscal year runs from September 1 through August 31.
Watch out: Walgreens’ fiscal year is 3 to 4 months ahead of most retail competitors. When Walmart is wrapping up its fiscal year in January, Walgreens is already deep into Q2 of its own fiscal year. This matters when you are comparing benefits timelines, bonus windows, or trying to make sense of earnings reports.
FY2025 for Walgreens ran from September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2025. FY2026 started September 1, 2025 and will end August 31, 2026. Any earnings reports, cost-cutting announcements, or store closure numbers you see in headlines from early 2026 are referencing Q1 or Q2 of WBA’s FY2026.
Walgreens FY2026 quarterly breakdown
Q1 (September – November 2025): Fiscal year opens. Benefits enrollment for the new plan year. The elimination of six paid holidays was announced during this quarter.
Q2 (December 2025 – February 2026): Holiday season and post-holiday adjustments. February 2026 brought the announcement of 628 layoffs across Illinois and Texas.
Q3 (March – May 2026): Mid-year review period. Additional store closures expected (350+ planned for 2026). Annual performance evaluations happen for many employees during this window.
Q4 (June – August 2026): Fiscal year closes. Year-end bonuses (for eligible roles) are calculated. This quarter is also when the next fiscal year’s budgets and labor plans are finalized, so staffing levels for the fall are set during Q4.
How Walgreens’ biweekly pay works
Walgreens pays associates on a biweekly schedule, producing 26 paychecks per year. You can check your pay stubs and tax documents through People Central, accessed via WBA Worldwide at wbaworldwide.wba.com. People Central runs on SAP SuccessFactors.
To log in, you need your OneID credential. If your account is deactivated (which happens quickly after you leave the company), former employees need to contact HR directly at 1-800-825-5467 or email askhr@walgreens.com. The Walgreens login portals page covers the full login process and common fixes.
Heads up about direct deposit timing: If your payday falls on a federal holiday, Walgreens usually processes the deposit on the preceding business day. But with the elimination of paid holidays in November 2025, the six holidays that used to come with a day off (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day) are no longer paid holidays for most employees. You still get your regular biweekly paycheck on schedule, but those days no longer come with holiday premium pay.
How the September fiscal year affects your benefits
Because Walgreens starts its fiscal year in September, the benefits enrollment timeline runs differently than at most retailers:
Open enrollment typically happens in late summer (July-August), with changes taking effect on September 1, the start of the new fiscal year. This is months earlier than the fall enrollment windows at Walmart, Target, or Kroger.
If you joined Walgreens from another retailer, this timing difference can catch you off guard. At Target, you enroll in the fall for a February start. At Walgreens, you enroll in the summer for a September start. Miss the window, and you wait a full year unless you have a qualifying life event.
Walgreens employee benefits page covers what is currently available, though benefits have been in flux since the Sycamore Partners acquisition. Several benefits that existed in 2024 have been reduced or eliminated as part of the private equity cost-cutting push.
Key dates on the Walgreens fiscal calendar for employees
September 1: Fiscal year begins. New benefits elections take effect. Annual labor budgets reset.
October-November: W-2 preparation begins for the prior calendar year (not the fiscal year). Store closure announcements typically come during this period.
January 31: W-2 forms must be delivered for the prior calendar tax year. Current employees can access them through People Central under Payroll, then Online W2. Former employees will need to call HR because portal access is deactivated after separation. The Walgreens W-2 page and former employee W-2 page have the steps.
Spring (March-May): Annual performance reviews. Raises, if any, are processed during this window.
July-August: Benefits open enrollment for the next fiscal year. Also the window when Q4 planning sets next year’s staffing levels. Associates who notice schedule reductions in the fall should pay attention to Q4 planning decisions made during summer.
August 31: Fiscal year ends. Year-end calculations close out. Salaried bonus payouts are finalized.
Fiscal calendar vs. tax calendar at Walgreens
Like every other employer, Walgreens issues W-2s on a January-to-December calendar year cycle, regardless of the September-to-August fiscal year. This disconnect is more pronounced at Walgreens than at most retailers because the fiscal and calendar years are offset by about 4 months instead of just 1 month.
If you left Walgreens in July 2026, your wages from January through July 2026 will appear on your 2026 W-2, delivered by January 31, 2027. But from Walgreens’ internal accounting, those wages span two fiscal years (the tail end of FY2025 in August and the first 11 months of FY2026 from September through July). Confusing? Yes. But it only matters for tax purposes if you are tracking bonus payouts or benefits deductions across fiscal periods.
What is changing under Sycamore Partners
Sycamore Partners completed its roughly $10 billion acquisition of Walgreens in August 2025. As a private equity firm, Sycamore’s typical playbook involves aggressive cost reduction, and the early moves confirm that pattern. The company has been split into five standalone businesses, and 25% of remaining stores are reportedly unprofitable.
For employees, the fiscal calendar is the framework on which all of these changes land. Layoffs, store closures, and benefits cuts are announced in fiscal quarters. Staffing reductions are budgeted at fiscal-year boundaries. If you are trying to plan around potential job loss or benefits changes, watching for news tied to fiscal quarter earnings reports gives you the earliest signal of what is coming next.
For more on how these changes affect you after a separation, check the Walgreens benefits after termination page. And if you need to reach HR directly, the Walgreens HR contact guide has the numbers and email addresses. The full Walgreens employee resource hub is the starting point for all 12 topics.