Improving the Financial Report of the U.S. 

Government - 2016 Plans with GTAS and GFRS

Luke Sheppard

May 26, 2016
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• Improve the quality and integrity of data used 

to produce the Financial Report of the U.S. 

Government (FR), while decreasing agency 

reporting burden to Treasury in the process.

Objective
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2015 (and PY) Reporting State

Governmentwide 

Financial 

Reporting System 

(GFRS)

Extensive Manual 

Entry

Governmentwide 

Treasury Account 

Symbol Adjusted 

Trial Balance 

System (GTAS)

Other Entities

Significant Entities

All Entities
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2015 2016 TBD

Reporting 

Entity

Reclassified

Statements 

and Trading 

Partner 

Data Source

Notes and 

Other Data 

Source

Reclassified

Statements 

and Trading 

Partner 

Data Source

Notes and 

Other Data 

Source

Reclassified

Statements 

and Trading 

Partner 

Data Source

Notes and 

Other Data 

Source

Significant 

Entity

Manual 

Entry

Manual 

Entry GTAS* Manual Entry GTAS

GTAS/ 

Manual 

Entry

Other 

Entity GTAS Manual 

Entry GTAS Manual Entry GTAS

GTAS/ 

Manual 

Entry

Planned Future Reporting Changes

*Notes:

1) Capability provided to agencies to adjust GFRS at financial statement line level 

(to be phased out over some period of time)

2) Will still require agency CFO and IG approval
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Future State

Limited Manual 

Entry

Governmentwide

Financial Reporting 

System (GFRS)

Governmentwide

Treasury Account 

Symbol Adjusted Trial 

Balance System 

(GTAS)
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• Improved data quality/integrity

o Data at lower level detail (TAS and USSGL rather than Financial 

Statement line level)

o Data has already been exposed to extensive edits and validations

o Automated vs manual population

• Reduced agency reporting burden (leveraging what 

agencies already provide to Treasury in GTAS)

• Streamlined financial reporting guidance

• More efficient and effective FR compilation process for 

Treasury

o One data source for detailed analysis

o Likely reduction of a large percentage of ‘on the top adjustments’ 

(journal vouchers)

Benefits
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• Agencies will submit year-end GTAS Bulk File ATB 

data as normal in GTAS

• Certified TAS from GTAS will be summarized at the 

FR Line level, using the USSGL Reclassified 

Statement cross-walks

• Intra-departmental eliminations will occur in GTAS 

before the data is sent to GFRS (i.e, only agency 

consolidated amounts will be sent to GFRS).

• Only Certified TAS will be included in the interface 

to GFRS. 

• The 2016 Draft TFM is now available 

(https://community.max.gov/pages/viewpage.action

?pageId=839418232), detailing these changes.

2016 Year-End Reporting - Details
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• All agency CFO and OIG personnel (and 

associated contractors) need to request 

access to OMB Max to view the TFM draft. 

Please contact OMB Max support at 202-

395-6860 or email 

maxsupport@omb.eop.gov

• Once access is granted, everyone will then 

need to contact the GTAS team to be added 

to a group to view the TFM draft page. 

GTAS.Team@fiscal.treasury.gov

2016 Year-End Reporting - Details
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The 2016 Draft TFM has updated guidance 

(see snapshot below):

2016 Year-End Reporting - Details
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• Once the Agencies have certified in GTAS, 

they will need to run a new report, coming in 

GTAS 2.8 release (scheduled for August), 

called “Reconciliation Report.” 

• This report will have the calculated Closing 

Package Line amounts, post intradepartmental eliminations

• Agencies are then required to tie these 

Reports to their audited General Purpose 

Financial Reports (GPFR). 

2016 Year-End Reporting - Details
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2016 Year-End Reporting - Details
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Resolution of Report differences:

• Differences due to incorrect GTAS submissions (e.g., 

incorrect USSGL and/or attribute), are to be resolved 

via a resubmit of GTAS bulk files to correct the issue. 

• For differences that cannot be resolved via a GTAS 

Bulk File resubmission, manual adjustments will be 

needed in GTAS. The Agency must request this in 

OMB Max Collect Exercise 

(https://collect.max.gov/?id=6093&type=Exercise).

• There will be a new folder in GTAS titled “Manual 

Adjustments” for agency entry.

2016 Year-End Reporting - Details
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2016 Year-End Reporting - Details
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• Agencies will be required to obtain approval 

from Fiscal Service to do a Manual Adjustment 

in GTAS.

• Each Manual Adjustment will require an 

Explanation.

• All Manual Adjustments must be certified by the 

Agency before it can be included in the Interface 

to GFRS (similar to how only certified TAS are 

sent to GFRS). 

• Agencies will be required to reconcile their 

Closing Package data, based on their GTAS 

ATB upload and Manual Adjustments, if any, to 

their GPFRs.

2016 Year-End Reporting - Details
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2016 Year-End Reporting - Details
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Fiscal Service has devised an Excel template 

for Agencies to tie their GPFR to GTAS data.

2016 Year-End Reporting - Details
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2016 Year-End Reporting - Details

Once the TAS ATB data and Manual 

Adjustments are certified in GTAS and the 

Agencies have reconciled to their GPFR:

• Agencies must then go into GFRS to 

complete their Notes and Other Data 

sections (Modules 6 and 7). 

• After Modules 6 and 7 are complete, Agency 

Preparers, CFOs and IGs must then 

complete Module 8 and submit the audit 

package.
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• Module 8 (Completions and Approvals) in 

GFRS has been revised accordingly.

2016 Year-End Reporting - Details
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2016 Year-End Reporting - Details
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• More emphasis on GTAS this year.

• Changes are underway to federal audit 

guidance (OMB Bulletin 15-02) to ensure 

changes are consistent with I TFM 2-4700.

• OIG and related IPA personnel, will require 

access to GTAS to review the Reconciliation 

Report and any other detail reports.

Changes Impacting OIGs (and IPAs)
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OIG/IPA personnel should sign up for GTAS

access as an “Executive” role. The Executive

role is view only, and will allow users to run

reports and view the Manual Adjustments.

To sign up for GTAS you can go to this web site:

https://fiscal.treasury.gov/gtas/gettingstarted.html

For any questions on how to sign up, please

contact the Treasury Support Center.

1-877-440-9476 or email GWA@stls.frb.org

Changes Impacting OIGs (and IPAs)
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Contact Information

22

Luke Sheppard

Department of the Treasury

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

(304) 480-5104

Luke.Sheppard@fiscal.treasury.gov