4 FAM 270
FISCAL YEAR CLOSING and other financial reporting
(CT:FIN-441; 09-22-2016)
(Office of Origin: CGFS/FPRA/FP)
4 FAM 271 AUTHORITY
(CT:FIN-407; 08-23-2010)
a. In accordance with permanent legislation (31 U.S.C.
1551 - 1558) and annual instructions from the Department of Treasury, and prior
to the end of the fiscal year, the Department will issue fiscal year-end
closing instructions to domestic organizations and overseas locations
maintaining official U.S. Government accounting records.
b. The Department is required to close appropriations
under 31 U.S.C. 1551 - 1557 and to report the status of its appropriations and
financial operations to Treasury on a fiscal-year basis. The fiscal year for
the Department of State and all Federal agencies begins on October 1 and ends
on September 30 of each year.
4 FAM 272 Year-End NOTIFICATION
INSTRUCTIONS
(CT:FIN-420; 04-19-2013)
a. Closing instructions for overseas and domestic
financial operations must be in accordance with:
(1) Permanent legislation;
(2) Annual year-end closing instructions published by
Treasury; and
(3) Significant events that may be Department-specific
(e.g., cancellation of an indefinite appropriation under 31 U.S.C. 1555).
b. At a minimum, the instructions cover the treatment
of single-year (expired), multiple-year, no-year, and canceled appropriations.
The instructions must be compliant with the Treasury requirements and include
information on transaction adjustments needed to validate obligation balances
and accruals covered in 4 FAM 220 and 4 FAM 230,
respectively.
c. The Managing Director, Global Financial Operations
Directorate (CGFS/F) prepares and distributes the year-end closing instructions
to overseas locations. The Office of Global Financial Systems Support
(CGFS/GFMS/GFSS) prepares and distributes closing instructions for domestic
locations using the Global Financial Management System (GFMS). The Deputy
Chief Financial Officer (DCFO) will coordinate year-end matters related to the
annual financial statement reporting requirement.
d. CGFS staffs in the Global Financial Management
Systems Directorate (CGFS/GFMS), the Office of Financial Policy (CGFS/FPRA/FP),
and the Global Financial Operations Directorate (CGFS/F) will provide
supplemental instructions as needed and will support bureau and post operations
during the year-end closing process.
4 FAM 273 Applicability of Year-End
Notification Instructions
(CT:FIN-420; 04-19-2013)
a. Year-end closing instructions apply to all
Department organizations, CGFS, and posts with U.S. Government funds under
Department control. The instructions must be consistently followed and
implemented in a manner that complies with year-end closing deadlines. Certifications
required by 4 FAM
278 and other reporting requirements must be completed in accordance with
the year-end instructions.
b. The domestic and post financial management officers
(FMOs) are responsible for implementing the supplemental instructions for
closing bureau/post books and reporting on managed account balances within the
Department-specified reporting timeframes.
4 FAM 274 REQUIREMENTS TO SUPPORT OTHER
AGENCIES IN CLOSING POST-HELD ALLOTMENTS
(CT:FIN-420; 04-19-2013)
At overseas locations where the Bureau of the Comptroller
and Global Financial Services (CGFS) and posts support U.S. Government
allotments or operating allowances for other agencies and authorized
organizations, the Departments year-end closing instructions must apply unless:
(1) Other arrangements are made before the close of
the fiscal year; and
(2) Alternative arrangements are agreed to and funded
through the International Cooperative Administrative Support Services (ICASS)
agreements.
4 FAM 275 Obligations and Unliquidated
Obligations At year end
(CT:FIN-420; 04-19-2013)
All allotment holders must comply with 4 FAM 225 at
year end. Unresolved questions regarding the validity of an obligation prior
to year-end closing must be forwarded to the Managing Director, Financial
Policy, Reporting, and Analysis Directorate (CGFS/FPRA).
4 FAM 276 REQUIRED RECORDS AT YEAR END
FOR CANCELED APPROPRIATIONS
(CT:FIN-420; 04-19-2013)
a. In order for the Department to pay a legal
obligation from a canceled account, the allotment holder in a Department
bureau, financial staff in CGFS, or the financial management staff at a post
must confirm that:
(1) There was an unliquidated balance for the specific
obligation in existence prior to the cancellation of the appropriation; and
(2) Whether an unobligated amount existed on the date
the appropriation was canceled.
b. To make the required payment from current funds, the
Department must maintain sufficient records at the Department, CGFS, or post
level to verify unliquidated balances for canceled appropriations on the last
day of the fiscal year in which the appropriation expired. Because these
records are permanent, the holder of these records must retain them for an
indefinite period of time.
4 FAM 277 REPORTING ADVANCE ACCOUNTS AT
YEAR END
(CT:FIN-420; 04-19-2013)
a. Each allotment holder must review all advance
accounts (see 4
FAH-1 H-321) at year end and adjust these accounts as needed. Generally,
the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services (CGFS) issues
specific instructions for the required review in the annual closing
instructions. However, should the annual closing instructions not include
detailed instructions for advances, or these instructions are delayed, CGFS,
posts, and Department organizations, at a minimum, should review the subsidiary
ledgers independently to determine whether the outstanding advance amounts are
valid and collectable.
b. The allotment holder must conduct reviews no later
than 30 days before year-end closing, and record adjustments to the records in
accordance with financial management system user documentation before the start
of the year-end closing process. If the advances are to be converted to an
accounts receivable, the amount must be done in accordance with instructions in
this subchapter, financial system user documentation, and 4 FAM 030.
4 FAM 278 YEAR-END REPORTS AND
CERTIFICATIONS
(CT:FIN-441; 09-22-2016)
a. For the year-end certification, each unliquidated
obligation (ULO) balance must be valid and must be supported as specified in 31
U.S.C. 1501 and the Department requirements set forth in 4 FAM 082.6.
The deputy chief of mission (DCM) must
certify ULO balances for post allotments annually.
The bureau executive director must certify ULO
balances for bureau allotments annually. Posts and bureaus must retain
the lists of ULOs for 6 years and 3 months.
b. The language of the ULO certification is as follows:
I, _______________, hereby certify that the
amounts shown on the Report Status of Obligations as of September 30, ____, are
correct. All known transactions meeting the criteria of 31 U.S.C. 1501 and the Department requirements set forth in 4 FAM 082.6 have been obligated, confirmed as valid, and
are so reported. I certify that this statement has been affixed to the appropriate
report on file. This report covers the following appropriations and allotments
for all open obligations and all obligation discrepancies have been clearly
annotated.
_________________________
(Signature)
_________________________
(Title of Officer)
_________________________
(Post/Bureau)
4 FAM 279 UNASSIGNED