How GA4 carries user classification across financial years
This article explains how user classification carries over across financial years in GA4 reporting.
A user identified as "new" in one period will be counted as "returning" in a later period if they visit again.
How user classification works across years
- If a user is recorded as "new" during one financial year (for example, 2023/24) and then visits the site again during the next financial year (for example, 2024/25), GA4 will classify that user as "returning" when they revisit in the later period.
- Yearly data sets are not treated as completely separate for user-level classification; prior visits affect whether a user is labeled new or returning in subsequent reporting periods.
Example
- A user first visits during the 2023/24 financial year and is counted as a "new" user.
- If that same user visits again during 2024/25, GA4 will classify them as a "returning" user for the 2024/25 period.
Conclusion
User visit history is carried forward across reporting periods for classification purposes: users who were new in one year and return in a later year are classified as returning in that later year.