The femtosecond transient absorption spectra of TCNQ neutral molecule, as well as its radical anion TCNQ(center dot-) have been reported for the first time. The excited electronic states of both species show ultrafast relaxation lifetimes due to the internal conversion. Our study offers a possibility for a clear assignment of the contribution from the TCNQ in spectroscopic studies of TCNQ based charge transfer complexes and other adducts. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.