Systems

Central Accounting and Reporting System (CARS)

Reporting Requirements

Treasury issues regular and special reports to the President, Congress, and the public on the sources of government receipts for the purposes of reporting on the expensing of public funds and the government's overall financial position. In addition, Fiscal Service compiles and publishes several reports, including the Monthly Treasury Statement of Receipts and Outlays of the United States Government and the Combined Statement of Receipts, Outlays, and Balances of the U.S. Government, on the cash operations and the budget receipts/outlays of the federal government. Policies and procedures in this Treasury Financial Manual (TFM) chapter also ensure that the cash-based publications report on the cash and investments held outside of the U.S. Treasury.

The Central Accounting Reporting System (CARS), i.e. Statement of Transactions, enables the Secretary to fully disclose and report all federal entities' cash on hand, cash on deposit with Treasury General Accounts (TGAs)/non-TGAs, and investments in federal/non-federal securities.

Governmentwide Treasury Account Symbol Adjusted Trial Balance (GTAS)

GTAS System Access

To obtain system access, users may contact the GTAS Treasury Support Center.

Accessing GTAS New User Registration

The term “new user” refers to an individual who does not currently have an identity (Single Sign On user ID and password, or SSO account) established to access Treasury applications via the ISIM provisioning services. To create an identity (Single Sign On user ID and password), access the Fiscal Service Self-Enrollment page. When the page opens, enter information in all required fields (denoted with an asterisk) and proceed with the instructions. Access to the GTAS application requires a government email address. Email addresses will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. Once application is complete, it could take up to 14 days for your process to complete. Your supervisor has seven days to approve the request, after which the Treasury Support Center has another seven days to complete its approval. If your supervisor does not approve the request within the seven-day time frame designated for supervisor approval, the request will fail, and you will need to resubmit it. Should you encounter any issues with the request, please contact the Treasury Support Center at (877) 440-9476 or via email at gtas@stls.frb.org.

GTAS Requirements

GTAS requires reporting proprietary and budgetary United States Standard General Ledger (USSGL) account balances. Details can be found by visiting the GTAS website.

GTAS Reportable Data

The Financial Report (FR) includes the data from the GTAS submissions for all federal entities into a set of reclassified financial statements. All federal entities must submit all changes to the reclassified financial statements through GTAS. Note the preference is to submit the changes through a resubmission of the ATB. If this is not possible, then adjustments should be submitted through the GTAS manual adjustment process. The GTAS data must reconcile to the federal entity’s audited financial statements.

GTAS Super Master Account File

The Super Master Account File (SMAF) contains the valid Treasury Account Symbol (TAS) balances and attributes for budgetary as well as proprietary ATB submission.

Fiscal Service will be collaborating with entities to confirm attributes on the SMAF through the SMAF Attribute confirmation process. Details can be found by visiting the GTAS website.

Adjusted Trial Balance

Federal entities must prepare and submit pre-closing GTAS ATB at the TAS level using USSGL accounts and attributes. Non-executive federal entities that have not adopted the USSGL must crosswalk their general ledger accounts to the USSGL accounts before transmission.

The GTAS ATB must include USSGL accounts with the required attributes, and USSGL account balances must reflect the pre-closing adjusting entries needed to produce financial statements. The total sum of debit balances must equal the total sum of credit balances in the GTAS ATB. Report amounts in dollars and cents.

Significant entities and other entities must use the same USSGL data on the GTAS ATB that they use to prepare the current FY audited federal entity consolidated financial statements due to OMB. For detail on the specific requirements for the submission, please refer to the GTAS website.

Accounts

General Fund Receipt Accounts

Federal entities that classify amounts on their Classification Transactions and Accountability (CTA) report in General Fund Receipt Accounts symbols using their three-digit agency trading partner AID also must submit a GTAS ATB, and must prepare federal entity financial statements that include the General Fund receipt activity.

Treasury Managed Trust Fund Accounts

Fiscal Service’s Funds Management Branch provides the lead program entity a monthly GTAS ATB, or equivalent, for the Treasury managed trust fund activity located at Fiscal Service for each of the Treasury managed trust funds listed in Figure 3. The monthly GTAS ATB prepared by Fiscal Service contains collection and disbursement transactions that are recorded in the Treasury managed trust funds as well as investment activity and balances. The monthly GTAS ATB will be provided to the lead program entities no later than the fifth workday after the end of the applicable month. The program entities are responsible for recording appropriated amounts from the trust funds and reporting the final Treasury managed trust fund ATB in GTAS.

Fiscal Service uses USSGL accounts from the USSGL TFM Supplement for current year reporting, with the proper attributes. The lead program entities identified in Figure 3 must include the Treasury managed trust fund ATB data in their GTAS Submission. Please email the Funds Management Branch with questions regarding the Treasury managed trust fund accounts to UTF@fiscal.treasury.gov.

GTAS ATB Reports Transmission Methods

Each GTAS ATB preparer must submit the ATB data using the bulk file transfer method in GTAS. Federal entities must submit GTAS ATB for each active TAS (these include the TAS with no transactional activity but are active for CARS, see the Frequently Asked Questions for details). By certifying the GTAS ATB data, an entity is verifying the TAS is valid and its USSGL balances are accurate. For specific detail on GTAS ATB submissions, please refer to the GTAS website.

Proprietary Balances in Canceled Accounts

GTAS will establish a default TAS (“C” domain value for availability type). The system-generated “C” TAS will have three components: the three-digit AID, availability type “C,” and a four-digit main account. The GTAS system will provide a “C” TAS on the GTAS Super Master Accounts File for each fund family represented on the SMAF. Federal entities may choose one or more “C” TAS on the SMAF to report assets.

If a federal entity is using a default fund symbol of its own creation, they must use the new “C” account in its place. However, if federal entities are using a current-year fund symbol, an “X” fund, or some variation of an active account, they may continue. Federal entities may also decide on their own when to move these assets from the original purchasing fund but must be accomplished no later than the federal entity’s final GTAS submission for period 12 of the fifth FY after the availability has expired.

Figure 2: Reporting and Submission Dates

July 30, 2021		Significant entities must submit unaudited interim financial statements, limited to the Balance Sheet, SNC, and SCNP to MAX.gov.
August 6, 2021		Fiscal Service will provide the following: Significant Disclosures requests Fiscal Service will provide the federal entity technical experts the Significant Disclosures Template, final published version of note(s) from the prior-year FR identified "key notes" presenting a greater risk of failing to meet prescribed disclosure requirements, as well as auditor comments on each of the note(s) (if applicable) from the prior-year FR preparation process. See subsection 4730.10 for complete details.
*August 20, 2021		Significant entity IGs must submit the interim Legal Representation Letters and Management Schedules (using the Management Schedule template provided by Fiscal Service) to Fiscal Service, DOJ, and GAO.
September 2, 2021		In accordance with OMB Circular No. A-136, Section III.2 and III.3, significant entities must submit: Variance analysis Unaudited notes. SIRA must include updates to social insurance with this requirement. In addition, significant entities must submit: Completed Budget Deficit Reconciliation template
September 3, 2021		Federal entities are required to provide responses to the following: Restatement, Adjustment, and Reclassification survey Significant Disclosures requests All federal entities (significant and other) are required to submit a completed annual Restatements, Adjustments, and Reclassifications survey template via the MAX.gov website. See subsections 4730.10 for complete details. Federal entity technical experts are required to provide feedback on the Significant Disclosures template as well as any narrative updates from prior-year FR. See subsection 4730.10 for complete details.
October 6, 2021		GTAS opens for September 30, 2021, ATB submission.
October 18, 2021		GTAS expenditure TAS must be certified by 5 p.m. ET.
October 25, 2021		DOL reports the draft Social Insurance data for Black Lung and Unemployment Insurance, and RRB reports the draft Social Insurance data for Railroad Retirement to MAX.gov.
November 4, 2021		GTAS Period 12 Revision window closes at 5 p.m. ET.
November 12, 2021		GTAS Period 12 Extension window closes at 2 p.m. ET. Please contact Fiscal Service if there are any adjustments needed to GTAS data after November 12, 2021.
November 13, 2021		Year-end Material Differences Reports (MDRs) are available in GTAS to be explained and certified. The Raw Data File is also available in GTAS.
November 15, 2021		Final audited financial statements are due to MAX.gov and also by email to GAO by 6 p.m. ET.
*November 15, 2021		Significant entities must submit a variance analysis in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-136, Section IV.2. Significant entities must submit a completed Budget Deficit Reconciliation template via the MAX.gov website. (Please see subsection 4735.10.) Significant entity IGs must submit the final Legal Representation Letter and Management Schedules (using the Management Schedule template provided by Fiscal Service) to Fiscal Service, DOJ, and GAO by 6 p.m. ET. Significant entities must submit the Management Representation Letter in conjunction with the Uncorrected Misstatements (SUM) via email to Fiscal Service and GAO. Upload the required documents to OMB via the MAX.gov website (Please see Section 4730).
November 19, 2021		Fiscal Service will provide the federal entity technical experts the Significant Disclosures Template, an updated version of note(s) from the third quarter analysis. FR identified key notes presenting a greater risk of failing to meet prescribed disclosure requirements, as well as auditor comments on each of the note(s) (if applicable) from the prior-year FR preparation process. See subsection 4730.20 for complete details.
November 19, 2021		DOJ will provide the interim government-wide Legal Representation Letter to GAO, OMB, and Treasury.
November 30, 2021		Federal entity CFOs submit their Representations for Intra-governmental Activity and Balances to the entity's IG and Fiscal Service. All year-end MDRs must be certified in GTAS by 5 p.m. ET.
December 3, 2021		Federal entity technical experts are required to provide feedback on the Significant Disclosures template as well as any narrative updates from prior-year FR. See subsection 4730.20 for complete details.
December 9, 2021		Fiscal Service will provide a reconciliation to significant federal entities that provides a crosswalk between the gross cost and earned revenues in the consolidated FR to the gross cost and earned revenue reported by the entity on their SNC.
December 9-16, 2021		Federal entity FR review period. Comments are due by close of business.
January 26, 2022		Significant entity IGs must provide Fiscal Service information relating to subsequent events that occurred from the effective date of their final Legal Representation Letters through January 21, 2022. Send this information via email to Fiscal Service, DOJ, and GAO.
January 28, 2022		DOJ will provide the final government-wide Legal Representation Letter to GAO, OMB, and Treasury.
February 8, 2022 By NOON		Significant entity CFOs must provide Fiscal Service information about subsequent events that affected their financial statements and any additions or edits to Management Representation Letters that have occurred from the date of the financial statement's audits through February 7, 2022. Send this information by noon via email to Fiscal Service, Treasury (Main), OMB, and GAO.
February 17, 2022		Financial Report of the U.S. Government is published.

* Represents the “no later than date.” Federal entities should submit data as early as possible.

Intra-governmental Key Dates may be found on the GTAS website.

GTAS Deadlines may be found on the GTAS website.

Figure 3: Treasury Managed Trust Funds

Treasury Managed Trust Fund		Federal Entity/Department
Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance		Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Federal Hospital Insurance		HHS
Vaccine Injury Compensation		HHS
Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance		Social Security Administration (SSA)
Federal Disability Insurance		SSA
Airport and Airway		Department of Transportation (DOT)
Sports Fish Restoration and Boating		Department of the Interior
Oil Spill Liability		Department of Homeland Security
Highway		DOT
Black Lung Disability		Department of Labor (DOL)
Unemployment		DOL
Hazardous Substance Superfund		Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Leaking Underground Storage Tank		EPA
Inland Waterways		U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Harbor Maintenance		U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
South Dakota Wildlife Restoration		U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research		Independent Agency
U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund		Department of Justice

Federal Financial Management Standards

Functions and Activities

Financial Performance and Operational Reporting (FFM.110.040)

Provide general ledger information for agency-specific financial reports; Verify required financial reports can be traced to general ledger account balances; Includes providing financial performance and operational information to agency program offices.

Federal Financial Management System Requirements (FFMSR)

Providing GL Information (FFMSR 1.3.1)

Provide GL information for consolidated government-wide reporting as specified in the TFM and consistent with guidelines in the FASAB Handbook as well as OMB Circular No. A-136.

Provide GL information for agency-specific financial reports consistent with OMB Circular No. A-136 and FASAB Handbook.

Defining Federal Funding Attributes to Align Financial Management Information with Performance Goals (FFMSR 1.4.1)

Provide federal funding attributes (for example, program, activity, and cost object) that align funding requests, funding allocations, fund obligations, fund expenditures, and costs with agency performance goals, as required by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO Act) as well as the Government Performance and Results Act and consistent with the FASAB Handbook, OMB Circular No. A-11, and OMB Circular No. A-136.

Verifying Traceability (FFMSR 2.3.2)

Verify that GL account balances can be traced to aggregated or discrete transactions in agency programmatic systems and that the aggregated or discrete transactions can be traced to the point of entry and source documents consistent with the TFM.

Verify that financial statements and other required financial and budget reports can be traced to GL account balances as required by OMB Circular No. A-123 and as specified in the TFM.

Use Cases