Becker - Module 8 Flashcards
Name the primary authoritative body for GAAP for governmental entities
Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB)
What are the three accounting themes addressed by governmental accounting?
- Fund structure
- Fund accounting
- External reporting
Identify the major categories of funds used by state and local governmental units
- Governmental
- Proprietary
- Fiduciary
What terms define the manner and timing of transaction recognition in governmental fund accounting?
Fund accounting principles are defined by:
- Measurement Focus (how transactions are recognized)
- Basis of Accounting (when transactions are recognized)
What are the objectives of external reporting?
- Operational accountability
- Fiscal accountability
What types of external reports meet the accountability objectives of government?
- Operational accountability: government-wide financial statements
- Fiscal accountability: fund financial statements
Name each governmental fund type
General Fund Special Revenue Funds Debt Service Funds Capital Projects Funds Permanent Funds
What are the fund accounting principles applicable to governmental funds?
Measurement Focus: Current financial resources
Basis of Accounting: Modified accrual
What specialized accounting practices are followed by the governmental funds?
Budgetary Accounting
Activity (Actual) Accounting
Encumbrance Accounting
Name and define the five classifications of fund balances used by governmental fund types
1) Non-spendable: resources that are not available to be spent (e.g. inventories)
2) Restricted: resources that are constitutionally, legislatively, or otherwise externally limited as to use
3) Committed: resources that are internally limited as to use by the governments highest level of decision-making authority
4) Assigned: resources intended to be used by the government for specific purposes whose constraints do not rise to the level of restricted or committed
5) Unassigned: residual classification of equity that represents resources that are the least limited as to use.
Name each proprietary fund type
Internal Service Funds
Enterprise Funds
What are the fund accounting principles applicable to proprietary funds?
Measurement Focus: Economic resources
Basis of Accounting: Full accrual
Name each fiduciary fund type
- Pension (and other employee benefit) Trust Funds
- Agency Funds
- Private-Purpose Trust Funds
- Investment Trust Funds
What are the fund accounting principles applicable to fiduciary funds?
Measurement Focus: Economic resources
Basis of Accounting: Full accrual
Distinguish between alternative measurement focuses
Current Financial Resources (GRSPP)
- no fixed assets are recorded; capital outlays displayed as expenditures
- no depreciation
- no noncurrent liabilities are recorded; debt proceeds displayed as resource inflows
- principle payments displayed as an expenditure
- premiums and discounts on debt are not amortized; they are included as an increase or decrease of debt proceeds
Economic Resouces (SE PAPI)
- fixed assets are recorded
- noncurrent liabilities are recorded
Define modified accrual and list the funds that use it as a basis of accounting.
Modified accrual:
Revenues should be recognized when measurable and available; expenditures are generally (with the exception of interest expenditures) recognized when fund liability is incurred.
Funds using modified accrual basis:
- General Fund
- Special Revenue Funds
- Debt Service Funds
- Capital Project Funds
- Permanent Funds
What do the terms “measurable” and “available” mean in the context of the modified accrual basis of revenue accounting?
- Measurable means reasonably estimable or of a known determined amount.
- Available means collectible within (generally) 60 days of year-end.
When are revenues recorded in governmental funds?
Governmental funds record revenues when measurable and available. This concept applies to accrual of different types of revenues depending on their character.
Accrue when:
Billed/Recorded (imposed non-exchange transactions)
- Real estate taxes (due)
Received (derived non-exchange transactions)
- Income taxes
- Sales taxes
Earned (government mandated and voluntary non-exchange transactions)
- Real estate taxes paid in advance
- Restricted grants
Define the different classifications of expenditures
Expenditure classifications include:
- Function (e.g. public safety)
- Organizational unit (e.g. police dept, fire dpt, etc)
- Activity (e.g. drug enforcement, highway safety patrol)
- Character (e.g. current, capital outlay, debt service, intergovernmental)
- Object (e.g. personal services, building occupancy, insurance)
What is the journal entry to record the annual budget?
Dr. Estimated revenues
Cr. Appropriations
Cr. Budgetary control
Actual expenditures have a natural debit balance. Appropriations to which those expenditures are compared have a natural credit balance. Computation of unexpected appropriations is a pure arithmetic sum of these two accoutns.
Define encumbrance and give the journal entry to recognize a purchase order on supplies
Encumbrance: A commitment related to an unperformed contract for goods or services (generally an open purchase order)
Dr. Encumbrance
Cr. Budgetary control
Encumbrances have a natural debit balance. Appropriations, to which those encumbrances are compared, have a natural credit balance. Computation of unemcumbered appropriations is a pure arithmetic sum of these two accounts. Computation of unexpended and unencumbered appropriations is the sum of the three accounts: Appropriations (credit), Expenditures (debit), and Encumbrances (debit)
What journal entries are made to record the liabilities incurred associated with previously encumbered funds?
Expenditure of previously encumbered funds results in the following entries:
Dr. Expenditure
Cr. Accounts payable
Dr. Budgetary control
Cr. Encumbrance
The entries serve to reverse the full effect of the encumbrance entry and record the full amount of the expenditure (BAE - BAE)