Statement No. 62
Codification of Accounting and Financial Reporting Guidance Contained in Pre-November 30, 1989 FASB and AICPA Pronouncements
(Issued 12/10)
The objective of this Statement is to incorporate into the GASB’s authoritative literature certain accounting and financial reporting guidance that is included in the following pronouncements issued on or before November 30, 1989, which does not conflict with or contradict GASB pronouncements:
- Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Statements and Interpretations
- Accounting Principles Board Opinions
- Accounting Research Bulletins of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (AICPA) Committee on Accounting Procedure.
This Statement also supersedes Statement No. 20, Accounting and Financial Reporting for Proprietary Funds and Other Governmental Entities That Use Proprietary Fund Accounting, thereby eliminating the election provided in paragraph 7 of that Statement for enterprise funds and business-type activities to apply post-November 30, 1989 FASB Statements and Interpretations that do not conflict with or contradict GASB pronouncements. However, those entities can continue to apply, as other accounting literature, post-November 30, 1989 FASB pronouncements that do not conflict with or contradict GASB pronouncements, including this Statement.
The requirements of this Statement are effective for financial statements for periods beginning after December 15, 2011. Earlier application is encouraged. The provisions of this Statement generally are required to be applied retroactively for all periods presented.
Organization of This Statement
The provisions of this Statement are organized by topic. Each topic contains provisions derived from FASB and AICPA pronouncements that address the subject matter. The order in which the topics are presented corresponds to the order of the primary locations within the GASB Codification of Governmental Accounting and Financial Reporting Standards, where the topics are codified.
How the Changes in This Statement Will Improve Financial Reporting
The requirements in this Statement will improve financial reporting by contributing to the GASB’s efforts to codify all sources of generally accepted accounting principles for state and local governments so that they derive from a single source. This effort brings the authoritative accounting and financial reporting literature together in one place, with that guidance modified as necessary to appropriately recognize the governmental environment and the needs of governmental financial statement users. It will eliminate the need for financial statement preparers and auditors to determine which FASB and AICPA pronouncement provisions apply to state and local governments, thereby resulting in a more consistent application of applicable guidance in financial statements of state and local governments.
In addition, all FASB and AICPA pronouncements became nonauthoritative literature for the private sector on July 1, 2009, the effective date of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification™. Although certain FASB and AICPA pronouncements are still available in the archive section of the FASB’s Codification on a limited basis, this Statement will make accessible in the GASB’s authoritative literature all applicable accounting and financial reporting guidance previously residing only in the FASB and AICPA pronouncements.
Unless otherwise specified, pronouncements of the GASB apply to financial reports of all state and local governmental entities, including general purpose governments; public benefit corporations and authorities; public employee retirement systems; and public utilities, hospitals and other healthcare providers, and colleges and universities. Paragraph 3 discusses the applicability of this Statement.