What does an HOA board need to do each month of the year?
By OurHOA · General information · Revised
A month-by-month HOA board annual calendar covering the budget cycle, annual meeting, insurance renewal, tax filings, reserve study, and seasonal tasks.
Part of the HOA board handbook: running the board.
Build the calendar around your fiscal year
Most recurring board work hangs off two dates, the start of the fiscal year and the annual meeting. The budget has to be adopted and sent to owners before the fiscal year starts. The annual meeting and election happen when the bylaws say. Tax filings are due a set number of months after the fiscal year ends. Everything else, like insurance renewal and seasonal maintenance, has its own fixed date. The schedule below assumes a calendar fiscal year and an annual meeting in the fall. If your fiscal year starts July 1, shift the budget and tax items by six months and leave the seasonal items where they are. Put every item in a shared calendar with a named owner, and review the next 90 days at each board meeting.
January through March
January. Issue Form 1099-NEC to independent contractors and file with the IRS by January 31. For payments made in 2026, the IRS threshold for nonemployee compensation is $2,000. Confirm the new year's assessment amounts are loaded correctly and that owners received payment instructions. If your state requires a corporate annual report, check the window. Florida corporations, including nonprofits, file between January 1 and May 1. February. Close the prior year's books. Engage the accountant for the year-end financial review or audit if your governing documents or state law require one. Hold the board's organizational meeting if the election was recent, and update bank signers and account access. March. Review the prior year's actual results against the budget. Walk the property after winter and list repairs for spring. Confirm that seasonal contracts, like pool service and landscaping, are signed.
April through June
April. Many associations file Form 1120-H, the federal return for homeowners associations. It is generally due by the 15th day of the fourth month after the tax year ends, which is April 15 for a calendar-year association, and the election is made separately each year. Your accountant may recommend Form 1120 instead, so ask. May. Prepare for pool opening if you have one. Check the pool permit, safety equipment, gate hardware, and posted rules, and confirm lifeguard or monitor arrangements if used. Schedule any spring architectural reminders to owners. June. Midyear financial review. Compare actual spending to budget and flag categories running over. Check the reserve study for projects due next year so they can be bid in the fall. Start the insurance renewal conversation if your policy renews in late summer or fall.
July through September
July. Update the reserve study or its annual review. California Civil Code section 5550 requires associations there to have a visual inspection of major components at least every three years and to review the reserve study annually. Other states have their own rules, and many have none, but an annual review is a good habit everywhere. August. Draft next year's budget with the treasurer and manager. Collect vendor price changes, insurance estimates, utility trends, and the reserve contribution from the updated study. September. Board approves the draft budget for distribution. Get renewal quotes from the insurance agent at least 60 days before the policy expires and review coverage limits, deductibles, and directors and officers coverage. Send the annual meeting notice and election materials on the schedule your bylaws and state law require.
October through December
October. Distribute the budget and any required annual disclosures. California Civil Code section 5300 requires an annual budget report 30 to 90 days before the end of the fiscal year, and section 5310 requires an annual policy statement in the same window. Hold the annual meeting if it falls in the fall. November. Close the pool and winterize irrigation. Confirm snow removal contracts and the list of areas to clear. Remind owners about holiday decoration rules or parking limits for guests, if your rules cover them, before the complaints start. December. Board adopts or confirms the final budget if the governing documents give it that authority. Mail coupons or set up automatic payments for the new year. Collect W-9 forms from any vendor you paid this year and do not already have one on file, so the January 1099s are easy.
Every month
Some work belongs on every meeting agenda regardless of season. Review bank reconciliations for operating and reserve accounts, the income and expense statement against budget, and the delinquency report. California Civil Code section 5500 makes these monthly reviews mandatory for associations there. Everywhere else they are simply the minimum a treasurer should present. Review open action items and upcoming contract renewals. Approve minutes from the prior meeting. Check that required notices for the next meeting went out on time. A short standing checklist keeps these from slipping when the agenda is busy with a pool fight or a roof leak. A few items fit better on a quarterly rhythm. Walk the common areas with the manager or a committee member and update the repair list. Check that vendor insurance certificates on file have not expired. Look at the reserve account balance against the funding plan, and move money into reserves if the budget calls for monthly or quarterly transfers that have not happened. Review the architectural request log to confirm every application got a decision within the deadline in your documents.
Adapting the calendar to your association
Start from your governing documents. Write down every date they fix, like the annual meeting month, the budget adoption deadline, the notice periods for meetings and elections, and any audit or review requirement. Then add state deadlines. Common ones include corporate annual reports, association registration with a state agency where required, budget and disclosure mailings, and reserve study timing. Add contract end dates and the notice period for canceling or renegotiating each one. Finally, add seasonal work specific to your property, such as gutter cleaning, pond treatment, or sprinkler startup. The finished calendar should fit on one page. Hand it to every new director at orientation and update it after each annual meeting. Check your governing documents and state law, because deadlines and required disclosures vary widely.
Sources
These guides are general education for HOA boards and residents, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules vary by state and by your community's governing documents - check with a professional for your situation.
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