Government & Nonprofit

Accountants in the state & local government or nonprofit world are faced with their own unique challenges. PICPA can guide you through the issues relating to accounting in these specialized areas, offer access to courses that will provide you the insight and knowledge you need to deal with these issues, and many other valuable resources.

• Recent Developments
• Relevant Articles & Publications
• Professional Education
• Key Government Agencies 
• PICPA Member Resources

• IRS Issues New Form 990 for 2008
  The new form allows an organization to describe its exempt accomplishments and mission up-front and provides more opportunities throughout the form for the organization to explain its activities.
• GuideStar Advises Small Nonprofits on the Mechanics of Filing Form 990-N
• Endowments of Not-for-Profit Organizations (FSP FAS 117-1)
  To date many states have adopted the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act of 2006 (known as UPMIFA). While improving disclosures, FSP FAS 117-1 provides guidance on net asset classification for organizations subject to UPMIFA.
•  Pennsylvania Act 141  
  PICPA's Not-for-Profit Committee is preparing a White Paper to highlight the issues presented by PA Act 141, the different legal perspectives, and the various accounting methodologies. This background document serves as a starting point for the discussions with various professionals and a survey to be distributed to practitioners throughout the state.
• Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act of 2006
  Read through a copy of the UPMIFA with explanatory comments.
• Review a practical guide for implementing UPMIFA along example disclosures
• Interim Guidance on Reporting Deficiencies in Internal Control for GAGAS Financial Audits and Attestation Engagements (November 2008)
• Revised Government Auditing Standards (Yellow Book Audits)
• Government Auditing Standards Implementation Tool
  For use in implementing requirements identified by “must” and “should” in the 2007 Revision of Government Auditing Standards.
• Government Auditing Standards: Guidance on GAGAS Requirements for Continuing Professional Education 
• Government Auditing Standards: Answers to Independence Standard Questions 
• PICPA Responds to Independent Public Accountant Roster Proposed by HUD 
  PICPA prepared a comment letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development regarding Independent Public Accountant Roster. The letter was issued April 4, 2008.

•  Be Careful with Grants: Accounting Strings Attached
  By Christina R. Chepel, CPA
  Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Spring 2011
•  How To - Ethics: Make sure your policies are grounded in reality
  The Non ProfitTimes 
• Do We Really Need a New Yellow Book?
  By Khaled Abdel Ghany, CPA, PhD, CIGA
  Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Winter 2011
• Best Practices for Exempt Organizations and Form 990
• Gubernatorial Hopefuls Detail Their Positions for CPAs
  By John M. Dagnon, CPA, ABV, CVA, and Steven J. Geisenberger, CPA, CVA
  Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Fall 2010
• Fundraising in a Dour Economy
  By Frank L. Kurre, CPA
  Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Fall 2010
• Q&A about GASB 45 and GASBHelp Handbook (Milliman)
• Build Your Nonprofit Up, Even When Things Look Down
  By Kelly A. Thornton, CPA
  Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Spring 2010
• Qualitative Characteristics of SEA Reports
  By Khaled Abdel Ghany, CPA, PhD, CIGA
  Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Spring 2010
• IRS Overhauls Form for Tax-Exempt Nonprofits
  Journal of Accountancy, February 2010
• The Redesigned Form 990
  Journal of Accountancy, March 2009
• Government Accountability Brief 
  Internal Controls: Just the Start of a Fraud, Waste and Abuse Prevention Program
  December 2009
• New Law Requires Clean Slate to Work on Municipal Pension Plans
  By Jeffrey T. McGuire, JD
  Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Winter 2010
• Ban Bare-Bones Budgets: Not-for-Profits Need Surpluses, Too!
  By Vikram H. Dewan
  Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Fall 2009
• Spend in Line with the Times
  By Joseph T. Steuer, CPA
  Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Summer 2009
• Nonprofits Can Survive and Thrive in an Economic Drought 
  By Chris W. Brussalis
  Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Spring 2009
• Auditing Standards Implementation Tool
  By Robert Bloom, PhD, and Albert Nagy, CPA, PhD
  Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Winter 2009

• PICPA Course Catalog
  Take a look at the catalog for courses on nonprofits and governmental topics offered throughout the state.
• PICPA Webinars
  Take advantage of quality professional education from the comfort of your desktop—it's convenient and affordable.  Check out the upcoming list of hot topics!
• Customized On-Site Training
  Choose from hundreds of top-quality seminars—nearly every course in the PICPA catalog and many more—delivered directly to your place of business.
•  Ethics Requirement & Yellow Book Compliance
  The ethics requirement qualifies under the 56-hour requirement. Ethics is a CPE topic that satisfies the remainder of the 80-hour requirement, not included in the 24 hours of CPE, which calls for specificity related to the auditors client environment.

• A listing of national and Pennsylvania agencies CPAs deal with regularly.

• Peer-to-Peer Consultation Service
  Contact an expert PICPA member directly to get answers to your questions.
• Get Involved with the PICPA
  Join the Local Government, Healthcare or Nonprofit committee.

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