Volume I instructs and guides the federal government’s departments, agencies, and other concerned parties, in areas of central accounting and reporting; receivable and delinquent debt management; disbursing; payment-related activities within the authority granted to the U.S. Chief Disbursing Officer (CDO); deposit regulations; deposits to Treasury's General Account; and other fiscal matters.

The TFM is the Department of the Treasury’s (Treasury’s) official publication of policies, procedures, and instructions concerning financial management in the federal government. It is intended to promote the government’s financial integrity and operational efficiency. 

See the About TFM section on our website for more information.

In accordance with 31 United States Code (U.S.C.) 331 and 3513, the Secretary of the Treasury has reporting responsibility. Other statutes and Executive Orders specifically place regulatory responsibility with Treasury for other subject matter presented in the TFM. Specific legal authorities are provided in the Authority section of each TFM chapter.

Volume I applies to all federal agencies. It is divided into the following parts:

• Part 1: Introduction—Includes the scope, application, and general organization of the TFM, and startup guidance for new federal entities.
• Part 2: Central Accounting and Reporting—Includes requirements for the form, content, and submission of financial data required by the Fiscal Service to fulfill its central accounting and reporting obligations for the financial operations of the federal government.
• Part 3: Receivable and Delinquent Debt Management—The Bureau of the Fiscal Service (Fiscal Service) is the government's central debt collection agency, managing the government's non-tax delinquent debt portfolio. As part of the Fiscal Service, Debt Management Services' goal is to provide a broad range of services, (e.g., Cross-Servicing, centralized offsets, receivable reporting and delinquent debt recovery procedures) to be more responsive to the needs of client agencies, and to bring about more equity and uniformity in how the U.S. government treats its delinquent debtors. Part 3 consolidates debt management guidance for federal agencies related to the government's non-tax delinquent debt portfolio.
• Part 4: Disbursing—Includes requirements for vouchering payments made by check and cash; checking accounts with Treasury or general depositaries; and cancellation, claims, and other matters pertaining to Treasury checks.
• Part 4a: Payment-Related Activities Within the Authority Granted to the U.S. Chief Disbursing Officer (CDO)—Includes disbursing rules for all federal agencies; requirements for scheduling and classifying domestic and international payments disbursed by the Fiscal Service; and requirements for Non-Treasury Disbursing Officers (NTDOs). The guidelines in this part apply to:
  • Certifying officers of all federal agencies, including government corporations,
  • Treasury disbursing officials, and
  • Agency disbursing officials who exercise disbursing functions under specific statutory authority, or authority delegated by the Treasury.
• Part 5: Deposits—Includes requirements and forms for government departments, agencies, corporations, and other applicable entities to deposit public monies through the depositary system of the federal government (deposits of credit to the U.S. Treasury).
• Part 6: Other Fiscal Matters—Includes procedures and forms that federal agencies use for fiscal matters requiring special instructions not covered in other parts of the TFM.

The TFM is comprised of the following types of releases:

• Chapters (often accompanied by appendices),
• Bulletins,
• Announcements, and
• Supplements.

Users may subscribe to the email notification service for TFM updates. The email notifies users of a TFM update and provides a link to the updated TFM release.

Direct inquiries concerning this chapter to: 
tfm@fiscal.treasury.gov

United States Standard General Ledger (USSGL)
Certifying Officer Training
Federal Account Symbols and Titles (FAST Book)
Managing Federal Receivables
Gold Book
Green Book
Treasury Report on Receivables Due From the Public
Agency Self Certification Guide V13
Collections Cycle Memo