Technical Inquiries

What is a technical inquiry (TI)?

Submitting a TI begins the process for FASAB staff to research and analyze federal technical questions about generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Receiving a TI helps staff to determine if GAAP exists to address the technical issue or if the issue requires Board deliberation.

How can we help you?

For GENERAL INQUIRIES, such as the status of a current FASAB project, please see the Active Projects page.
For federal accounting TECHNICAL INQUIRIES, including any COVID-19 federal accounting and reporting questions, please see the below information & instructions.

As resources allow, FASAB staff responds to technical inquiries about federal financial accounting and reporting to promote the uniform application of federal generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and to foster relations with FASAB’s constituents.

Responses to technical inquiries reflect staff’s opinion in light of the particular circumstances described by the inquirer and should not be viewed as a general position of the Board. FASAB’s official positions are established only after extensive deliberation and due process.

Based on the particular circumstances surrounding the technical issue, staff may need to recommend the issue for Board deliberation. During deliberations, the Board will assess how to proceed on the issue. For example, the Board may decide to amend a Statement or issue an Interpretation or implementation guidance.

Please complete the below form to submit your technical inquiry. The staff member assigned to your technical inquiry will contact you in approximately 3-5 business days to begin the process and determine if any additional information or meetings are necessary. Responses could take up to 3-4 weeks to complete depending on FASAB staff availability and the level of research staff needs to conduct.

Who do we help?

FASAB staff addresses federal government-related inquiries from preparers, auditors, consultants, and individuals. Please submit the below form to assist FASAB staff in addressing your technical inquiry. Information should be precise and thorough.

For inquiries about state and local governmental accounting issues, please contact the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).
For inquiries about for-profit or not-for-profit accounting issues, please contact the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).

What can you expect?

FASAB staff does extensive research to address your TI using federal GAAP and the information you provide.

Extensive research includes an in-depth review of FASAB due process and deliberation documents, which may include past Board meeting memorandums and meeting minutes, exposure drafts and comments, etc., to help staff understand the decisions and intentions of the Board in relation to your TI. Please see https://fasab.gov/about-fasab/due-process/ for more detail on FASAB’s due process.

To fully understand the issue, staff may also request additional information from you and other related parties, such as your preparer, auditor, or Inspector General, in the form of documents or meetings.

After staff’s extensive research is complete, you will receive a Technical Inquiry Response documenting your issue, the research conducted, and the applicable GAAP according to FASAB’s GAAP hierarchy that will address your issue. Please see Statement of Federal Financial Accounting Standards (SFFAS) 34 at http://files.fasab.gov/pdffiles/handbook_sffas_34.pdf for more detail on FASAB’s GAAP hierarchy.

Based on the particular circumstances surrounding the technical issue, staff may need to recommend the issue for Board deliberation. During deliberations, the Board will assess how to proceed on the issue. For example, the Board may decide to amend a Statement or issue an Interpretation or implementation guidance.

Disclaimer: This staff analysis and response is not intended to reflect authoritative views of FASAB or majority view of its staff. Official positions of FASAB are determined only after extensive due process and deliberations.

Reporting entity management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

**TECHNICAL INQUIRY FORM: (*Required field)**

PLEASE COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION AND CLICK SUBMIT TO SEND YOUR TECHNICAL INQUIRY.
YOU SHOULD RECEIVE AN AUTOMATED CONFIRMATION EMAIL AFTER YOU SUBMIT YOUR TECHNICAL INQUIRY.

Date

1. Full Name*

First

Last

2. Organization*

3. Title*

4. Position*

5. Email*

6. Phone*

7. What is the primary reason for this technical inquiry?*

8. Briefly state your question. For example: When should a reporting entity present a statement of custodial activities?*

9. Auditors/Inspectors General/Consultants – Identify the federal reporting entity, agency point of contact, and set of circumstances. Note N/A if not applicable.*

10. Briefly state your preliminary conclusion to the inquiry. What is your conclusion to the research you have already conducted?*

11. Provide all relevant FASAB pronouncements that you considered in reaching your conclusion, including references to SFFAS numbers and paragraphs, Interpretations, Technical Bulletins, Technical Releases, or other pronouncements.*

12. Briefly state the views of others involved. For example, did accountants, clients, auditors or other organizations offer the same or different views? Note N/A if not applicable*

13. Indicate if this issue is a current year or previous year audit finding and provide details. Note N/A if not applicable.*

14. Include any other comments that will assist FASAB staff in answering your technical inquiries.*

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