Preparing for a single audit for not-for-profit organizations

If you're unfamiliar with single audits for not-for-profit organizations (NFPs), it's likely that your organization has not historically received a significant amount of federal funding that is subject to Uniform Guidance. However, due to continued increases in federal support in response to federal spending priorities, more NFPs are now required to undergo a single audit. When involved with federal awards, understanding the single audit requirements and preparation are key.

The objective of a single audit is to evaluate your organization's compliance with specific terms and conditions of a federal award program(s) in accordance with 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance). In addition to the audit of compliance, if a single audit is required, it must also accompany an audit of the organization’s financial statements covering the same period. Thus, when you trigger the audit threshold for a single audit, your organization must also engage an auditor to conduct an audit of the organization’s full set of financial statements. Both audits comprise the ultimate reporting package that is submitted to the federal government through an electronic filing in the Federal Audit Clearinghouse.

How to determine if your organization is subject to a single audit

A single audit becomes necessary when your organization expends $750,000 or more in applicable federal awards within its fiscal year. It’s important to emphasize that the audit threshold is measured based on the total expenditures incurred during the fiscal year, not the total award amount(s) received. Further, understanding what awards are subject to the Uniform Guidance will be crucial in understanding whether you are required to undergo a single audit.

Additionally, it is important to engage with your funding agency to ensure that an understanding of the applicability of the Uniform Guidance is obtained. Often, the award will explicitly state within the award agreement, terms and conditions or notice of funding opportunity about the requirements associated with the funding. Further, the award agreement should include a reference to a five-digit number referred to as an “Assistance Listing Number” (ALN), which indicates that the award has been cataloged by the federal government and signifies that it could be subject to audit.

Once the population of applicable awards is determined, an organization must measure the total amount of eligible expenditures that were incurred during the fiscal year under each federal program. This can prove challenging for certain types of awards and expenditures, such as amounts that have been provided for loan or loan guarantee programs, amounts paid to beneficiaries or subrecipients, indirect cost allowances, matching funds and various other types of costs. For this reason, a clear understanding of your terms and conditions must be obtained and detailed records accounting for the expenditures, by award, must be maintained. It is recommended that you reach out to your auditor early with questions to assist with navigating the complexities of the program while ensuring the full population of expenditures is acquired.