Global – October 21, 2026 -- The NRF 4-5-4 Calendar adds a 53rd week to the retail reporting year roughly every five to six years, most recently in 2023, to keep sales comparisons aligned between years.

Calendar splits the year into 4-5-4 week months to match weekends and holidays

The voluntary industry guide divides the year into months of 4, 5 and 4 weeks. Comparable months contain the same number of Saturdays and Sundays, so like days are compared with like days in sales reporting. The layout also lines up holidays.