1. news
  2. FINANCIAL REPORTING

Guidance addresses software accounting for federal agencies

By Ken Tysiac

Please note: This item is from our archives and was published in 2016. It is provided for historical reference. The content may be out of date and links may no longer function.

Related

TOPICS

New implementation guidance issued this week is intended to help federal government reporting entities implement an accounting standard for internal-use software.

The Accounting and Auditing Policy Committee of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) issued Statement of Federal Financial Accounting Technical Release 16, Implementation Guidance for Internal Use Software.

This guidance was developed to help federal government agencies implement Statement of Federal Financial Accounting Standards (SFFAS) No. 10, Accounting for Internal Use Software, which was issued in 1998.

Since then, terminology and techniques have evolved substantially along with technology; the implementation guidance is designed to help reporting entities apply the standard in the wake of changes in software development practices.

The technical release provides:

  • Definitions and guidance regarding recognition, measurement, and disclosure requirements.
  • Guidance related to new challenges brought by changes in internal-use software since the issuance of SFFAS No. 10.
  • Guidance on management’s role in applying SFFAS No. 10.

—Ken Tysiac (ktysiac@aicpa.org) is a JofA editorial director.