IRC Handout April 21, 2021

USSGL 490200 Usage

Account Title: Delivered Orders – Obligations, Paid

Account Number: 490200

Normal Balance: Credit

Definition: This account is used to record the amount paid/outlayed for: (1) services performed by 

employees, contractors, vendors, carriers, grantees, lessors, and other government funds; (2) goods 

and tangible property received; and (3) programs for which no current service performance is 

required such as annuities, insurance claims, benefit payments, loans, etc.

Background:

The USSGL Team in collaboration with OMB and other Government entities would like to address 

potential concerns with how USSGL 490200 is being used in “expense accrual” accounting entries. 

490200 carries a normal credit balance and has very minimal transaction codes set up in which it is 

used as a debit. The one situation in which it is acceptable to use 490200 as a debit is for an actual 

refund collected for assets purchased or expenses incurred in the current year. Refunds collected 

from an obligation which were paid for in a prior year use USSGL 497200.

When Fiscal Service and OMB partnered to develop FACTS II to collect budgetary USSGL account

over twenty years ago, they developed a crosswalk with the understanding that agencies have normal 

balances in their budgetary USSGL accounts. However, after the initial collection of budgetary data 

from Federal agencies, they found it necessary to show abnormal balances on the SF 133/Schedule P 

crosswalk in order to collect data from the agencies and provide them the capability to pass various 

FACTS II edits. By accommodating agency reporting of abnormal balances, OMB and Fiscal 

Service sought to reduce the burden of transitioning to budgetary reporting. In a majority of cases, 

agencies took the initiative to investigate and resolve abnormal balance issues. Incremental 

implementation of normal balance enforcement began with the adoption of GTAS in FY 2016. FYs 

2021-2023 represents the final stretch. 

OMB has worked with its Fiscal Service counterpart to modify the budgetary USSGL, the SF 

133/Schedule P crosswalk, and its own OMB Circular No. A-11 (A-11) guidance as the Federal 

government improved and standardized budgetary reporting for greater reliability and integrity. 

Over the past five fiscal years, normal balances for a majority of budgetary USSGL accounts have 

been incrementally incorporated in the SF 133/Schedule P crosswalk. OMB and Fiscal Service are 

continuing to work with agencies to prevent the reporting of abnormal balances in the remaining 

budgetary USSGL accounts.

In FY2021 period 02 on the SF 133 crosswalk for outlay lines 4010 and 4011 the Debit/Credit 

attribute was changed from D/C to only C, meaning any 490200 debit balances would no longer 

crosswalk to these lines. The result was a few entities failed GTAS edits 14 and 20.

To help accommodate entities needs, OMB in conjunction with USSGL Team decided to change the 

crosswalk back to accept both Debit and Credits for USSGL 490200 on these lines beginning period 

FY 2021 period 04. This reversal is only planned as being temporary and as of FY 2022 period 09, 

the changes to the crosswalk will become permanent. It is important to note that on the SF
IRC Handout April 21, 2021

133/Schedule P crosswalk beginning period FY 2022 period 09, most lines that feature USSGL 

490200 will not accept a Debit balance. 

Sample provided by entity:

This is a hypothetical example provided by an entity that highlights how this scenario could 

potentially lead to issues with the SF 133 crosswalk and GTAS edits.

Fiscal Year 2022

1) TC: B308 -Entry to Record the Advance to Grantee.

SGL Entered Dr Entered Cr Period Name

141000 500 AUG-22_FY-22

101000 500 AUG-22_FY-22

461000 500 AUG-22_FY-22

480200 500 AUG-22_FY-22

2) TC: B604 -Entry to Record the Expense as of September 30, 2022.

SGL Entered Dr Entered Cr Period Name

610000 250 SEP-22_FY-22

140000 250 SEP-22_FY-22

490200 250 SEP-22_FY-22

480200 250 SEP-22_FY-22

310700 250 SEP-22_FY-22

570000 250 SEP-22_FY-22
IRC Handout April 21, 2021

Fiscal Year 2023

3) TC B604 Reversal: Reversal Entry of September 30, 2022 Expense entry in October 2022.

SGL Entered Dr Entered Cr Period Name

141000 250 OCT-22_FY-23

610000 250 OCT-22_FY-23

480200 250 OCT-22_FY-23

490200 250 OCT-22_FY-23

570000 250 OCT-22_FY-23

310700 250 OCT-22_FY-23

4) TC B604: Entry to Record Actual September 2022 Expenses. 

SGL Entered Dr Entered Cr Period Name

610000 225

OCT-22_FY-23

140000 225

OCT-22_FY-23

490200 225

OCT-22_FY-23

480200 225 OCT-22_FY-23

310700 225 OCT-22_FY-23

570000 225 OCT-22_FY-23
IRC Handout April 21, 2021

Impact on FY 2023 Trial Balance

490200

1. 250

1. Reversal of September Expense 

Entry (October 1, 2022).

2. 225 

2. Recording of Actual September 

Expenses (October 1, 2022).

 25

Points of Contention:

Entry #2 – Do we have an actual expense here or is this an estimate? USSGL account 490200 is 

only supposed to be impacted once the entity has incurred an actual expense. What type of 

documentation supports an expense being posted here? Furthermore, the advance (previously posted 

in entry #1) is being reduced and under FASAB SFFAS 1 paragraph 59 advances and prepayments 

are reduced when goods or services are received, contract terms are met, progress is made under a 

contract, or prepaid expenses expire. In this entry is the entity meeting the terms under SFFAS 1 for 

which an advance should be reduced?

Entry #3 – Why is this reversal necessary? If entry #2 is based off an actual expense, then the 

reversal shouldn’t be necessary unless an actual refund is being collected. Also, since we are 

crossing fiscal years the refund would be recorded as a debit to USSGL account 497200 instead of 

USSGL account 490200. This is consistent with A-11 guidance. Our understanding currently is that 

entry #2 is based off an estimate in which the entity is looking to record expenses in the proper 

period. Therefore entry #3 is a reversal of the expense entry. 

Path to Resolution – We believe a working group featuring OMB, USSGL Team, DOT, and 

potentially others to further discuss is necessary. If you are interested in being part of this discussion 

please contact USSGLteam@fiscal.treasury.gov as soon as possible.