FAR CPA Lessons 237-247 Flashcards
Governmental Accounting Concepts
- Measurement focus and basis of accounting
- Fund accounting concepts and application
- Budgetary process
Governmental financial statements have 3 categories for net position:
- Net investment in capital assets
- Restricted
- Unrestricted
Governmental financial statements have 5 types of Fund balance
- Nonspendable
- Restricted
- Committed
- Assigned
- Unassigned
Types of State and Local Governments (SLGs)
General-purpose governments (cities, states, and counties)
limited or special-purpose governments (school districts, transit authorities, and municipal utility districts)
various agencies and commissions (e.g., employment commission, economic development commission, etc.).
The governmental GAAP hierarchy is established by
GASB Statement No. 76 for fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2015. Statement No. 76 superseded GASB Statement No. 55.
Primary authority for state and local governments
GASB
Two categroies in GASB Statement No. 76 for sources of accounting principles
Category A: Officially established accounting principles; that is, GASB Statements and Interpretations.
Category B: GASB Technical Bulletins, GASB Implementation Guides, and literature of the AICPA cleared by the GASB.
GAAP Hierarchy for state and local governments
- GASB Statements and Interpretations
- GASB Technical Bulletins
- GASB Implementation Guides
- literature of the AICPA cleared by the GASB (GASB Concept Statements)
highest level of authority for setting GAAP for nongovernmental not-for-profit organizations
FASB
financial resources unique to governmental entitie
proceeds from taxation
GASB Concepts Statements
The concepts statement does not establish financial reporting standards—it establishes the conceptual framework to be used by GASB in evaluating existing standards and establishing future standards.
The citizenry
Those to whom government is primarily accountable (e.g., taxpayers, voters, service recipients, the media, advocate groups, public finance researchers)
Legislative and oversight bodies
Those who directly represent the citizens (e.g., state legislatures, county commissions, city councils, board of trustees, school boards)
Investors and creditors
Those who lend or participate in the lending process (e.g., institutional investors, underwriters, bond rating agencies, bond insurers, financial institutions)
Governmental Entities uses of financial reports
- Comparing actual financial reports with the legally adopted budget
- Assessing financial condition and results of operations
- Assisting in determining compliance with finance-related laws, rules, and regulators
- Assisting in evaluating efficiency and effectiveness
important in establishing authoritative guidance by GASB
Accountability and Interperiod equity
Accountability GASB
This is based on the belief that the taxpayer has a “right to know” and is accomplished by providing information to assist users in determining whether the government was operated within the legal constraints imposed by the citizenry.
Interperiod equity GASB
This is a significant part of accountability by showing whether current-year revenues are sufficient to pay for current-year services or whether future taxpayers will be required to assume burdens for services previously provided.
Characteristics of information in financial reporting
TRUCCR
- Timeliness
- Relevance
- Understandability
- Comparability
- Consistency
- Reliability
Service Efforts and Accomplishments Reporting
assists users in assessing accountability and making better informed decisions. However, SEA is voluntary.
Elements of SEA Performance
- Measures of service efforts (inputs)
- Measures of service accomplishments (outputs and outcomes)
- Measures that relate service efforts to service accomplishments (efficiency)
- GASB states that SEA performance information should focus on measures of service accomplishments (outputs and outcomes) and measures that relate service efforts and service accomplishments (efficiency).
Five Elements of the Statement of Financial Position (GASB)
- Assets
- Liabilities
- Deferred outflow of resources
- Deferred inflow of resources
- Net position
Outflow of resources
Consumption of net assets by the government that is applicable to the reporting period
Inflow of resources
Acquisition of net assets by the government that is applicable to the reporting period
Resource
An item that can be drawn on to provide services to the citizenry.
Accounting for changes in fair values of hedging derivative instruments
GASB requires that changes in fair values of hedging derivative instruments be reported as either deferred inflows or deferred outflows of resources
11 types of funds used by governmental entities
C-PIPP DRIP the CEG
- Debt service funds
- special Revenue funds
- Internal service funds
- Permanent funds
- Capital projects funds
- Enterprise funds
- General fund
- Custodial funds
- Pension trust funds
- Investment trust funds
- Private Purpose trust funds
Governmental funds are the consonants; D, R, P, C, and G, in DRIP-CEG, Proprietary funds are the vowels; I and E, in DRIP-CEG.
Accounting equation for government entities
Assets + Deferred Outflows of Resources = Liabilities + Deferred Inflows of Resources + Fund Balance
Purpose of a fund
- To improve management accountability and control
2. To meet legal requirements.
Governmental funds
Nonexchange revenues such as taxes, intergovernmental revenues, and grants provide resources for the majority of general government expenditures
Proprietary funds
Governmental entities sometimes engage in activities in which they operate much like for-profit organizations. Public utilities, convention centers, motor pools, and airports are common examples of these activities.
Fiduciary funds
Governmental entities frequently manage and/or process resources on behalf of other entities or individuals. Since these resources do not truly belong to the governmental entity, they are recorded separately in a group of funds called fiduciary funds.
Encumbrance Accounting
To ensure that the entity does not order more goods than it has the authority to purchase, an estimate of expenditures is recorded at the time an order is placed rather than waiting until the goods are received.
Governmental entities produce two distinct sets of financial statements
- the fund statements
2. the government-wide (or entity-wide) statements
The fund statements include three separate sets of financial statements
- Governmental funds—Modified accrual basis
- Proprietary funds—Full accrual basis
- Fiduciary funds—Full accrual basis
Objective of Governmental Accounting
- Assess the availability of current-period resources to finance current-period expenditures (interperiod equity);
- Assess the service efforts and accomplishments of the governmental entity; and
- Demonstrate compliance with the legal authorization to expend.
Explain General Funds
The general fund accounts for ordinary operations of the government
This is the only required fund of a governmental unit
Revenues typically come from taxes, licenses, fines, fees, etc.
Explain special revenue funds
Account for the proceeds of specific revenues from taxes, grants, entitlements, or other earmarked sources that are restricted or committed to expenditures for specified purposes other than debt service or major capital projects
(e.g., a gasoline tax that must be spent on road maintenance, private foundation grants that must be used to provide training opportunities for disadvantaged workers).
Explain capital project funds
Account for monies designated for acquisition or construction of significant capital items (land, buildings, and equipment).
Capital project funds are short-lived and are closed after acquisition or construction.
Explain debt service funds
Account for monies set aside to pay interest and principal on the governmental unit’s long-term general obligation debt.
Explain permanent funds
Account for resources received by the governmental entity with the stipulation that the principal amount remain “intact” but that earnings must be spent, for purposes that benefit the governmental entity (endowments)
(i.e., purchase of library books, park improvements, and cemetery maintenance).
Explain when an activity must be reported as a proprietary fund
Activities that are self-supporting—that is, in which 50% or more of costs are covered by fees—must be accounted for as proprietary funds.
If the intent is to cover 50% or more than they may be proprietary as well
Explain Enterprise funds
Account for activities that provide goods and services to the general public as well as to the governmental entity itself
(i.e., utilities, transit services, golf courses, etc.).
Explain Internal service funds
Account for activities that provide goods and services only to other government agencies and departments
(i.e. depreciation, motor pools, printing services, data processing services, central supplies, etc.).
Explain the Fiduciary fund category
These funds account for monies and other resources held by the governmental unit in a trustee or agent capacity.
Explain Pension trust funds
account for contributions made by or on behalf of government employees to provide them with retirement income and postretirement benefits and for the actual expenditures made to retirees and terminated employees.
Explain Custodial funds
Account for monies for which the governmental unit serves as merely an agent in the process of distributing/delivering the monies to their rightful recipient; that is, when the governmental unit acts as a clearing house, collecting monies for other units and then remitting them as appropriate, usually for a small fee.
Explain Private purpose trust funds
Account for trust arrangements for which other entities (i.e., external organizations or individuals and other governmental entities) are the beneficiaries rather than the governmental unit itself
Explain Investment trust funds
Account for monies received into an investment pool created through a formal legal trust or similar arrangement from other governmental agencies to be included in the governmental entity’s investment pool
General fixed asset account group (GFAAG)
Used to record fixed (long-term) assets purchased by any of the governmental funds (principally the general fund, special revenue fund, and the capital projects fund), as well as items donated to the governmental unit.
General long-term debt account group (GLTDAG)
Used to record general obligation long-term debt of the governmental unit, including bonds, notes, and capital leases. As the debt matures (becomes current) the liability is removed from the GLTDAG and placed in a debt service fund for repayment.
List the Governmental funds
General fund Special Revenue funds Debt service funds Capital project funds Permanent funds
List the Proprietary funds
Enterprise funds
Internal service funds
List the Fiduciary funds
Custodial funds
Pension trust funds
Investment trust funds
Private Purpose trust funds
major concern for governmental entities
that they have received sufficient financial resources to cover their financial expenses
measurement focus for changes in resources for modified accrual accounting
the flow of financial resources: that is, on cash inflows and outflows.
major concern of proprietary entities
over the long run, they earn a sufficient return to cover the full cost of providing goods and/or services
The measurement focus of changes for full-accrual basis accounting
the flow of economic resources, income determination, or capital maintenance.
60-day rule
A governmental entity may recognize monies received during the first 60 days of a new fiscal period as revenue of the old fiscal period.
Revenues that are subject to accrual include:
- Property taxes
- Interest and penalties on delinquent taxes
- Investment revenue
- Regularly billed charges for services
- Taxes collected by other government units but not yet remitted