Also included in the 2016 calendar is the Summer Olympic Games and Hopman Cup, which were organized by the ITF and did not distribute ranking points.

[1] This is the complete schedule of events on the 2016 calendar, with player progression documented from the quarterfinals stage.

Note: In the Champions and Runners-up columns, a tournament's results in doubles are also included.

Angelique Kerber topped the 2016 money list and joined Serena Williams as the only two women to ever win over $10,000,000 in a single season.

Following is a list of notable players (winners of a main tour title, and/or part of the WTA rankings top 100 (singles) or (doubles) for at least one week) who announced their retirement from professional tennis, became inactive (after not playing for more than 52 weeks), or were permanently banned from playing, during the 2016 season: Women's World Tennis circuit|1923]]