A part of the current accounting year that has passed away or is reportable for the time being. In many cases, this period starts on the transaction closing date and the date of the next accounting year end. However, it may also span a quarter at a time (Q1, Q2, etc.) or more.

During the stub period, financial results for this specific part of the year are prepared and reported. Stub period financial statements, commonly referred to as interim financial statements, are mainly unaudited, but in many cases are still subject to a review by the entity’s auditors using applicable auditing standards as basis or reference.

A stub period is also known as an interim period.