SLFRF_Compliance_and_Reporting_Guidance_as_of_6-10-22.pdf
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About this file
This document is a comprehensive Compliance and Reporting Guidance document issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury for the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program, version 4.0 dated June 10, 2022. The guidance provides detailed instructions for state, territorial, local, and Tribal governments receiving SLFRF awards, outlining their responsibilities for reporting, compliance, and use of funds. Recipients are required to submit three primary reports: an Interim Report, quarterly or annual Project and Expenditure Reports, and for larger jurisdictions (over 250,000 residents), an annual Recovery Plan Performance Report. The reporting requirements are tiered based on the amount of funding received, with specific deadlines and submission requirements for different types of recipients.
The document extensively covers the eligible uses of SLFRF funds, which include responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency, providing premium pay to essential workers, supporting government services to the extent of revenue loss, and making investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure. Recipients must use funds between March 3, 2021, and December 31, 2024, with expenditures allowed until December 31, 2026. The guidance emphasizes transparency, equity, and accountability, requiring recipients to track and report on project outcomes, evidence-based interventions, and demographic distribution of funds. The document also provides detailed instructions on expenditure categories, compliance with federal regulations, and requirements for subrecipient monitoring, civil rights compliance, and potential audits.
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Text version
Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
Compliance and Reporting Guidance ted ieethe due
ADD cover page
November xx, 2021
Version: 2.0
June 10, 2022 Version: 4.0
Guidance on Recipient Compliance and Reporting
Responsibilities
On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law, and established the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund and Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, which together make up the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (“SLFRF”) program. This program is intended to provide support to State, territorial, local, and Tribal governments in responding to the economic and public health impacts of COVID-19 and in their efforts to contain impacts on their communities, residents, and businesses.
In May 2021, Treasury published the interim final rule (“IFR”) describing eligible and ineligible uses of SLFRF, as well as other program requirements. The initial versions of this Compliance and Reporting guidance reflected the IFR and its eligible use categories. On January 6, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) adopted the final rule implementing the SLFRF program. The final rule became effective on April 1, 2022. Prior to the final rule effective date, the IFR remained in effect;
funds used consistently with the IFR while it was in effect were in compliance with the SLFRF program.
However, recipients could choose to take advantage of the final rule’s flexibilities and simplifications ahead of the effective date. Recipients may consult the Statement Regarding Compliance with the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Interim Final Rule and Final Rule for more information on compliance with the IFR and the final rule.
To support recipients in complying with the final rule, this reporting guidance reflects the final rule and provides additional detail and clarification for each recipient’s compliance and reporting responsibilities under the SLFRF program, and should be read in concert with the Award Terms and Conditions, the authorizing statute, the final rule, and other regulatory and statutory requirements, including regulatory requirements under the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (“Uniform Guidance” or 2 CRF Part 200), and the Compliance Supplement. Please see the Assistance Listing in SAM.gov under assistance listing number (formerly known as CFDA number) 21.027 for more information.
Please Note: This guidance document applies to the SLFRF program only and does not change or impact reporting and compliance requirements for the Coronavirus Relief Fund (“CRF”) established by the CARES Act.
This guidance includes two parts:
Part 1: General Guidance
This section provides an orientation to recipients’ compliance responsibilities and Treasury’s expectations and recommends best practices where appropriate under the SLFRF program.
A. Key Principles……………………..……………………………………………………. P. 4 B. Statutory Eligible Uses…………………………………………………………………. P. 4 C. Treasury’s Final Rule……………………………………………………….………… P. 5 D. Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200)……………..…………………………………… P. 7 E. Award Terms and Conditions………………………………...………………………...
P. 11 https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/SLFRF-Compliance-Statement.pdf https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/SLFRF-Compliance-Statement.pdf https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/27/2022-00292/coronavirus-state-and-local-fiscal-recovery-funds https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://sam.gov/fal/7cecfdef62dc42729a3fdcd449bd62b8/view
Part 2: Reporting Requirements
This section provides information on the reporting requirements for the SLFRF program.
A. Interim Report…...…………………………………………………………………...…. P. 16 B. Project and Expenditure Report…………….…………………………………...……. P. 17 C. Recovery Plan Performance Report..………………..……………………….….…… P. 34
Appendix 1: Expenditure Categories…………………………………………………….…… P. 42 Appendix 2: Evidenced-Based Intervention Additional Information…………………….…. P. 47 Appendix 3: Expenditure Categories under the Interim Final Rule……………………….. P. 48
OMB Control Number: 1505-0271
OMB Expiration Date: 04/30/2025
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT NOTICE
The information collected will be used for the U.S. Government to process requests for support. The estimated burden for the collections of information included in this guidance is as follows: 30 minutes for Title VI Assurances, 2 hours per response for the Interim Report, 6 hours per response for the Project and Expenditure Report and 100 hours per response for the Recovery Plan Performance Report (if applicable). Comments concerning the accuracy of this burden estimate and suggestions for reducing this burden should be directed to the Office of Privacy, Transparency and Records, Department of the Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20220. DO NOT send the form to this address. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid control number assigned by OMB.
Part 1: General Guidance
This section provides an orientation on recipients’ compliance responsibilities and Treasury’s expectations and recommended best practices where appropriate under the SLFRF program.
Recipients under the SLFRF program are the eligible entities identified in sections 602 and 603 of the Social Security Act as added by section 9901 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (the “SLFRF statute”) that receive an SLFRF award. Subrecipients under the SLFRF program are entities that receive a subaward from a recipient to carry out the purposes (program or project) of the SLFRF award on behalf of the recipient.
Recipients are accountable to Treasury for oversight of their subrecipients in accordance with 2 CFR 200.332, including ensuring their subrecipients comply with the SLFRF statute, SLFRF Award Terms and Conditions, Treasury’s interim final rule and final rule, applicable federal statutes, regulations, and reporting requirements.
A. Key Principles
There are several guiding principles for developing your own effective compliance regimes:
• Recipients and subrecipients are the first line of defense and responsible for ensuring the SLFRF award funds are not used for ineligible purposes, and there is no fraud, waste, or abuse associated with their SLFRF award;
• Many SLFRF-funded projects respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency and meet urgent community needs. Swift and effective implementation is vital, and recipients must balance facilitating simple and rapid program access widely across the community and maintaining a robust documentation and compliance regime;
• Treasury encourages recipients to use SLFRF-funded projects to advance shared interests and promote equitable delivery of government benefits and opportunities to underserved communities, as outlined in Executive Order 13985, On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government; and
• Transparency and public accountability for SLFRF award funds and use of such funds are critical to upholding program integrity and trust in all levels of government, and SLFRF award funds should be managed consistent with Administration guidance per Memorandum M-21-20 and Memorandum M-20-21.
B. Statutory Eligible Uses
As a recipient of an SLFRF award, your organization has substantial discretion to use the award funds in the ways that best suit the needs of your constituents – as long as such use fits into one of the following four statutory categories:
1. To respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency or its negative economic impacts;
2. To respond to workers performing essential work during the COVID-19 public health emergency by providing premium pay to eligible workers of the recipient that are performing such essential work, or by providing grants to eligible employers that have eligible workers who perform essential work;
3. For the provision of government services, to the extent of the reduction in revenue of such recipient due to the COVID–19 public health emergency, relative to revenues collected in the most recent full fiscal year of the recipient prior to the emergency; or
4. To make necessary investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.
Treasury adopted an interim final rule in May 2021 and the final rule on January 6, 2022 to implement these eligible use categories and other restrictions on the use of funds under the SLFRF https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/M_21_20.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Implementation-Guidance-for-Supplemental-Funding-Provided-in-Response.pdf https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/27/2022-00292/coronavirus-state-and-local-fiscal-recovery-funds program. The final rule took effect on April 1, 2022, and the interim final rule remained in effect until that time, although recipients could choose to take advantage of the final rule’s flexibilities and simplifications prior to April 1, 2022. Recipients may consult the Statement Regarding Compliance with the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Interim Final Rule and Final Rule for more information on compliance with the interim final rule and the final rule.
It is the recipient’s responsibility to ensure all SLFRF award funds are used in compliance with the program’s requirements. In addition, recipients should be mindful of any additional compliance obligations that may apply – for example, additional restrictions imposed upon other sources of funds used in conjunction with SLFRF award funds, or statutes and regulations that may independently apply to water, broadband, and sewer infrastructure projects. Recipients should ensure they maintain proper documentation supporting determinations of costs and applicable compliance requirements, and how they have been satisfied as part of their award management, internal controls, and subrecipient oversight and management.
C. Treasury’s Final Rule
Treasury’s final rule details recipients’ compliance responsibilities and provides additional information on eligible and restricted uses of SLFRF award funds and reporting requirements. Your organization should review and comply with the information contained in Treasury’s final rule when building appropriate controls for SLFRF award funds.
1. Eligible and Restricted Uses of SLFRF Funds. As described in the SLFRF statute and summarized above, there are four enumerated eligible uses of SLFRF award funds. As a recipient of an award under the SLFRF program, your organization is responsible for complying with requirements for the use of funds. In addition to determining a given project’s eligibility, recipients are also responsible for determining subrecipient’s or beneficiaries’ eligibility, and must monitor subrecipients’ use of SLFRF award funds.
To help recipients build a greater understanding of eligible uses, Treasury’s final rule establishes a framework for determining whether a specific project would be eligible under the SLFRF program, including some helpful definitions. For example, Treasury’s final rule establishes:
• A framework for determining whether a project responds to the COVID-19 public health emergency or its negative economic impacts;
• Definitions of “eligible employers,” “essential work,” “eligible workers,” and “premium pay” for cases where premium pay is an eligible use;
• The option to select between a standard amount of revenue loss or complete a full revenue loss calculation of revenue lost due to the COVID-19 public health emergency;
• A framework for necessary water and sewer infrastructure projects that aligns eligible uses with projects that are eligible under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds along with certain additional projects, including a wider set of lead remediation and stormwater infrastructure projects and aid for residential wells; and
• A framework for necessary broadband projects that allows for projects that are designed to provide service of sufficient speeds to eligible areas, as well as an affordability requirement for providers that provide service to households.
Treasury’s final rule also provides more information on important restrictions on use of SLFRF award funds, including that recipients other than Tribal governments may not deposit SLFRF funds into a pension fund; and recipients that are States or territories may not use SLFRF funds to offset a reduction in net tax revenue resulting from the recipient’s change in law, regulation, or administrative interpretation. In addition, recipients may not use SLFRF funds directly to service debt, satisfy a judgment or settlement, or contribute to a “rainy day” fund. Recipients should refer to Treasury’s final rule for more information on these restrictions.
https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/SLFRF-Compliance-Statement.pdf https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/SLFRF-Compliance-Statement.pdf https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/27/2022-00292/coronavirus-state-and-local-fiscal-recovery-funds https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/27/2022-00292/coronavirus-state-and-local-fiscal-recovery-funds https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/27/2022-00292/coronavirus-state-and-local-fiscal-recovery-funds https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/27/2022-00292/coronavirus-state-and-local-fiscal-recovery-funds https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/27/2022-00292/coronavirus-state-and-local-fiscal-recovery-funds
Treasury’s final rule outlines that funds available under the “revenue loss” eligible use category (sections 602(c)(1)(C) and 603(c)(1)(C) of the Social Security Act) generally may be used to meet the non-federal cost-share or matching requirements of other federal programs. However, the final rule notes that SLFRF funds may not be used as the non-federal share for purposes of a state’s Medicaid and CHIP programs because the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) has approved a waiver as requested by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services pursuant to 2 CFR 200.102 of the Uniform Guidance and related regulations. If a recipient seeks to use SLFRF funds to satisfy match or cost-share requirements for a federal grant program, it should first confirm with the relevant awarding agency that no waiver has been granted for that program, that no other circumstances enumerated under 2 CFR 200.306(b) would limit the use of SLFRF funds to meet the match or cost-share requirement, and that there is no other statutory or regulatory impediment to using the SLFRF funds for the match or cost-share requirement. SLFRF funds beyond those that are available under the revenue loss eligible use category may not be used to meet the non-federal match or cost-share requirements of other federal programs, other than as specifically provided for by statute. For example, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides that SLFRF funds may be used to meet the non-federal match requirements of authorized Bureau of Reclamation projects and certain broadband deployment projects.
2. Eligible Costs Timeframe. Your organization, as a recipient of an SLFRF award, may use SLFRF funds to cover eligible costs that your organization incurred during the period that begins on March 3, 2021 and ends on December 31, 2024, as long as the award funds for the obligations incurred by December 31, 2024 are expended by December 31, 2026. Costs for projects incurred by the recipient State, territorial, local, or Tribal government prior to March 3, 2021 are not eligible, as provided for in Treasury’s final rule.
Recipients may, in certain circumstances, use SLFRF award funds for the eligible use categories described in Treasury’s final rule for costs incurred prior to March 3, 2021.
Specifically,
a. Public Health/Negative Economic Impacts: Recipients may use SLFRF award funds to provide assistance to households, small businesses, and nonprofits to respond to the public health emergency or negative economic impacts of the pandemic – such as rent, mortgage, or utility assistance – for costs incurred by the beneficiary (e.g., a household) prior to March 3, 2021, provided that the recipient State, territorial, local or Tribal government did not incur the cost of providing such assistance prior to March 3, 2021.
b. Premium Pay: Recipients may provide premium pay retrospectively for work performed at any time since the start of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Such premium pay must be “in addition to” wages and remuneration already received and the obligation to provide such premium pay must not have been incurred by the recipient prior to March 3, 2021.
c. Revenue Loss: Recipients have broad discretion to use funds for the provision of government services to the extent of reduction in revenue. While calculation of lost revenue is based on the recipient’s revenue in the last full fiscal year prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency, use of funds for government services must be forward looking for costs incurred by the recipient after March 3, 2021.
d. Investments in Water, Sewer, and Broadband: Recipients may use SLFRF award funds to make necessary investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure. Recipients may use SLFRF award funds to cover costs incurred for eligible projects planned or started prior to March 3, 2021, provided that the project costs covered by the SLFRF award funds were incurred by the recipient after March 3, 2021.
Any funds not obligated or expended for eligible uses by the timelines above must be returned to Treasury, including any unobligated or unexpended funds that have been provided to subrecipients and contractors as part of the award closeout process pursuant to 2 C.F.R.
200.344(d). For the purposes of determining expenditure eligibility, Treasury’s final rule provides that “incurred” means the recipient has incurred an obligation, which has the same meaning given to “financial obligation” in 2 CFR 200.1.
3. Reporting. Generally, recipients must submit one initial Interim Report, quarterly or annual Project and Expenditure reports which include subaward reporting, and in some cases annual Recovery Plan reports. Treasury’s final rule and Part 2 of this guidance provide more detail around SLFRF reporting requirements.
4. Expenditure Categories. Treasury’s final rule provides greater flexibility and simplicity for recipients to fight the pandemic and support families and businesses struggling with its impacts, maintain vital services amid revenue shortfalls, and build a strong, resilient, and equitable recovery. As such, recipients report on a broader set of eligible uses and associated Expenditure Categories (“EC”), which began with the April 2022 Project and Expenditure Report. Appendix 1 includes the new ECs, as well as a reference to previous ECs used for reporting under the interim final rule.
D. Uniform Administrative Requirements
The SLFRF awards are generally subject to the requirements set forth in the Uniform Guidance. In all instances, your organization should review the Uniform Guidance requirements applicable to your organization’s use of SLFRF funds, and SLFRF-funded projects. Recipients should consider how and whether certain aspects of the Uniform Guidance apply.
The following sections provide a general summary of your organization’s compliance responsibilities under applicable statutes and regulations, including the Uniform Guidance, as described in the most recent compliance supplement issued by OMB. Note that the descriptions below are only general summaries and all recipients and subrecipients are advised to carefully review the Uniform Guidance requirements and any additional regulatory and statutory requirements applicable to the program.
1. Allowable Activities. Each recipient should review program requirements, including Treasury’s final rule and the recipient’s Award Terms and Conditions, to determine and record eligible uses of SLFRF funds. Per 2 CFR Part 200.303, your organization must develop and implement effective internal controls to ensure that funding decisions under the SLFRF award constitute eligible uses of funds, and document determinations.
Assistance Listing The Assistance Listing for the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) was published May 28, 2021 on SAM.gov under Assistance Listing Number (“ALN”), formerly known as CFDA Number, 21.027.
The assistance listing includes helpful information including program purpose, statutory authority, eligibility requirements, and compliance requirements for recipients. The ALN is the unique 5-digit number assigned to identify a federal assistance listing, and can be used to search for federal assistance program information, including funding opportunities, spending on USASpending.gov, or audit results through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse.
To expedite payments and meet statutory timelines Treasury issued initial payments under an existing ALN, 21.019, assigned to the CRF. If you have already received funds or captured the initial number in your records, please update your systems and reporting to reflect the new ALN 21.027 for the SLFRF program. Recipients must use ALN 21.027 for all financial accounting, subawards, and associated program reporting requirements for the SLFRF awards.
https://sam.gov/fal/7cecfdef62dc42729a3fdcd449bd62b8/view
2. Allowable Costs/Cost Principles. As outlined in the Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart E regarding Cost Principles, allowable costs are based on the premise that a recipient is responsible for the effective administration of Federal awards, application of sound management practices, and administration of Federal funds in a manner consistent with the program objectives and terms and conditions of the award. Recipients must implement robust internal controls and effective monitoring to ensure compliance with the Cost Principles, which are important for building trust and accountability.
SLFRF funds may be, but are not required to be, used along with other funding sources for a given project. Recipients should note that SLFRF funds available under the “revenue loss” eligible use category generally may be used to meet the non-federal cost-share or matching requirements of other federal programs. If a recipient seeks to use SLFRF funds to satisfy match or cost-share requirements for a federal grant program, the recipient should first confirm with the relevant awarding agency that no waiver has been granted for that program, that no other circumstances enumerated under 2 CFR 200.306(b) would limit the use of SLFRF funds to meet the match or cost-share requirement, and that there is no other statutory or regulatory impediment to using the SLFRF funds for the match or cost-share requirement. For instance, recipients should note that SLFRF funds may not be used as the non-federal share for purposes of a state’s Medicaid and CHIP programs because the OMB has approved a waiver from this provision as requested by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services pursuant to 2 CFR 200.102 of the Uniform Guidance and related regulations.
SLFRF funds beyond those that are available under the revenue loss eligible use category may not be used to meet the non-federal match or cost-share requirements of other federal programs, other than as specifically provided for by statute. As an example, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides that SLFRF funds may be used to meet the non-federal match requirements of authorized Bureau of Reclamation projects and certain broadband deployment projects.
Recipients should consult the final rule for further details if they seek to utilize SLFRF funds as a match for these projects.
Treasury’s final rule, program guidance, and the Uniform Guidance outline the types of costs that are allowable, including certain audit costs. For example, per 2 CFR 200.425, a reasonably proportionate share of the costs of audits required by the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 are allowable; however, costs for audits that were not performed in accordance with 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart F and the Compliance Supplement are not allowable. Please see 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart E regarding the Cost Principles for more information.
a. Administrative costs: Recipients may use funds for administering the SLFRF program, including costs of consultants to support effective management and oversight, including consultation for ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory, and other requirements.1 Further, costs must be reasonable and allocable as outlined in 2 CFR 200.404 and 2 CFR
200.405. Pursuant to the SLFRF Award Terms and Conditions, recipients are permitted to charge both direct and indirect costs to their SLFRF award as administrative costs as long as they are accorded consistent treatment per 2 CFR 200.403. Direct costs are those that are identified specifically as costs of implementing the SLFRF program objectives, such as contract support, materials, and supplies for a project. Indirect costs are general overhead costs of an organization where a portion of such costs are allocable to the SLFRF award such as the cost of facilities or administrative functions like a director’s office.23 Each category of cost should be treated consistently in like circumstances as direct or indirect, and
1 Recipients also may use SLFRF funds directly for administrative costs to improve the design and execution of programs responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and to administer or improve the efficacy of programs addressing the public health emergency or its negative economic impacts. 31 CFR 35.6(b)(3)(ii)(E)(3).
2 2 CFR 200.413 Direct Costs.
3 2 CFR 200.414 Indirect Costs.
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130629 Highlight recipients may not charge the same administrative costs to both direct and indirect cost categories, or to other programs. If a recipient has a current Negotiated Indirect Costs Rate Agreement (“NICRA”) established with a Federal cognizant agency responsible for reviewing, negotiating, and approving cost allocation plans or indirect cost proposals, then the recipient may use its current NICRA. Alternatively, if the recipient does not have a NICRA, the recipient may elect to use the de minimis rate of 10 percent of the modified total direct costs pursuant to 2 CFR 200.414(f).
b. Salaries and Expenses: In general, certain employees’ wages, salaries, and covered benefits are an eligible use of SLFRF award funds. Please see Treasury’s final rule for details.
3. Cash Management. SLFRF payments made to recipients are not subject to the requirements of the Cash Management Improvement Act and Treasury’s implementing regulations at 31 CFR Part 205 or 2 CFR 200.305(b)(8)-(9).
As such, recipients can place funds in interest-bearing accounts, do not need to remit interest to Treasury, and are not limited to using that interest for eligible uses under the SLFRF award.
4. Eligibility. Under this program, recipients are responsible for ensuring funds are used for eligible purposes. Generally, recipients must develop and implement policies and procedures, and retain records, to determine and monitor implementation of criteria for determining the eligibility of beneficiaries and/or subrecipients. Your organization, and if applicable, the subrecipient(s) administering a program on behalf of your organization, will need to maintain procedures for obtaining information evidencing a given beneficiary, subrecipient, or contractor’s eligibility, including a valid SAM.gov registration (except with respect to individuals or households for which a SAM.gov registration is not required). Implementing risk-based due diligence for eligibility determinations is a best practice to augment your organization’s existing controls.
5. Property Management. Any purchase of real or personal property with SLFRF funds must be consistent with the Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart D, unless stated otherwise by Treasury.
6. Matching, Level of Effort, Earmarking. There are no matching, level of effort, or earmarking compliance responsibilities associated with the SLFRF award. See Section C.1 (Eligible and Restricted Uses of SLFRF Funds) for a discussion of restrictions on use of SLFRF funds. Please see 2. Allowable Costs/Cost Principles above for information on the use of SLFRF funds for non- Federal match or cost-sharing requirements in other Federal programs.
7. Period of Performance. Your organization should also develop and implement internal controls related to activities occurring outside the period of performance. All funds remain subject to statutory and regulatory requirements that they must be used for costs incurred by the recipient during the period that begins on March 3, 2021, and ends on December 31, 2024, and that award funds for the financial obligations incurred by December 31, 2024 must be expended by December 31, 2026. Any funds not used must be returned to Treasury as part of the award closeout process pursuant to 2 C.F.R. 200.344(d).
8. Procurement, Suspension & Debarment. Recipients are responsible for ensuring that any procurement using SLFRF funds, or payments under procurement contracts using such funds, are consistent with the procurement standards set forth in the Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR 200.317 through 2 CFR 200.327, as applicable. The Uniform Guidance establishes in 2 CFR 200.319 that all procurement transactions for property or services must be conducted in a manner providing full and open competition, consistent with standards outlined in 2 CFR 200.320, which allows for non-competitive procurements only in certain circumstances. Recipients must have and use documented procurement procedures that are consistent with the standards outlined in 2 CFR
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200.317 through 2 CFR 200.320. The Uniform Guidance, pursuant to 2 CFR 180, requires an infrastructure for competitive bidding and contractor oversight, including maintaining written standards of conduct and prohibitions on dealing with suspended or debarred parties. Your organization must ensure adherence to all applicable local, State, and federal procurement laws and regulations.
9. Program Income. Generally, program income includes, but is not limited to, income from fees for services performed, the use or rental of real or personal property acquired under Federal awards, and principal and interest on loans made with Federal award funds. Program income does not include interest earned on advances of Federal funds, rebates, credits, discounts, or interest on rebates, credits, or discounts. Recipients of SLFRF funds should calculate, document, and record the organization’s program income. Additional controls that your organization should implement include written policies that explicitly identify appropriate allocation methods, accounting standards and principles, compliance monitoring checks for program income calculations, and records.
The Uniform Guidance outlines the requirements that pertain to program income at 2 CFR
200.307. Treasury has clarified in its SLFRF Final Rule: Frequently Asked Questions that recipients may add program income to the Federal award. Any program income generated from SLFRF funds must be used for the purposes and under the conditions of the Federal award.
10. Reporting. All recipients of federal funds must complete financial, performance, and compliance reporting as required and outlined in Part 2 of this guidance. Expenditures may be reported on a cash or accrual basis, as long as the methodology is disclosed and consistently applied. Reporting must be consistent with the definition of expenditures pursuant to 2 CFR 200.1. Your organization should appropriately maintain accounting records for compiling and reporting accurate, compliant financial data, in accordance with appropriate accounting standards and principles.
In addition, where appropriate, your organization needs to establish controls to ensure completion and timely submission of all mandatory performance and/or compliance reporting. See Part 2 of this guidance for a full overview of recipient reporting responsibilities.
Consolidated jurisdictions or other types of jurisdictions that received multiple SLFRF allocations (e.g., a county and city with a consolidated government) are only required to file once per reporting period, and such reports will cover the total SLFRF allocations received by the jurisdiction. This includes Non-entitlement units of local government (“NEUs”) and/or Units of general local government located within counties that are not units of general local government. In addition, the total SLFRF allocations across all sources for a given jurisdiction will be used to identify that jurisdiction’s Reporting Tier.
11. Subrecipient Monitoring. SLFRF recipients that are pass-through entities as described under 2
CFR 200.1 are required to manage and monitor their subrecipients to ensure compliance with requirements of the SLFRF award pursuant to 2 CFR 200.332 regarding requirements for pass-through entities.
First, your organization must clearly identify to the subrecipient: (1) that the award is a subaward of SLFRF funds; (2) any and all compliance requirements for use of SLFRF funds; and (3) any and all reporting requirements for expenditures of SLFRF funds.
Next, your organization will need to evaluate each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance based on a set of common factors. These risk assessments may include factors such as prior experience in managing Federal funds, previous audits, personnel, and policies or procedures for award execution and oversight. Ongoing monitoring of any given subrecipient should reflect its assessed risk and include monitoring, identification of deficiencies, and follow-up to ensure appropriate remediation.
Accordingly, your organization should develop written policies and procedures for subrecipient monitoring and risk assessment and maintain records of all award agreements identifying or otherwise documenting subrecipients’ compliance obligations.
Recipients should note that NEUs are not subrecipients under the SLFRF program. They are SLFRF recipients that will report directly to Treasury.
Recipients should also note that subrecipients do not include individuals and organizations that received SLFRF funds as end users. Such individuals and organizations are beneficiaries and not subject to audit pursuant to the Single Audit Act and 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Subpart F.
Many recipients may choose to provide a subaward or contract to other entities to provide services to other end users. For example, a recipient may provide a subaward to a nonprofit to provide homeless services to individuals experiencing homelessness. In this case, the subaward to a nonprofit is based on the services that the recipient intends to provide (assistance to households experiencing homelessness), and the nonprofit is serving as the subrecipient, providing services on behalf of the recipient. Subrecipients are subject to an audit pursuant to the Single Audit Act and 2 CFR part 200, subpart F regarding audit requirements, whereas contractors are not subject to an audit pursuant to the Single Audit Act and 2 CFR part 200, subpart F regarding audit requirements.
12. Special Tests and Provisions. Treasury may issue subregulatory guidance as well as frequently asked questions.
Across each of the compliance requirements above, Treasury has described some best practices for development of internal controls in Table 1 below, with an example of each best practice.
Table 1: Internal controls best practices
Best Practice Description Example Written policies and procedures
Formal documentation of recipient policies and procedures
Documented procedure for determining worker eligibility for premium pay
Written standards of conduct
Formal statement of mission, values, principles, and professional standards
Documented code of conduct / ethics for subcontractors
Risk-based due diligence Pre-payment validations conducted according to an assessed level of risk
Enhanced eligibility review of subrecipient with imperfect performance history
Risk-based compliance monitoring
Ongoing validations conducted according to an assessed level of risk
Higher degree of monitoring for projects that have a higher risk of fraud, given program characteristics
Record maintenance and retention
Creation and storage of financial and non-financial records.
Storage of all subrecipient payment information.
E. Award Terms and Conditions
The Award Terms and Conditions of the SLFRF financial assistance agreement sets forth the compliance obligations for recipients pursuant to the SLFRF statute, the Uniform Guidance, Treasury’s final rule, and applicable federal laws and regulations. Recipients should ensure they remain in compliance with all Award Terms and Conditions. These obligations include the following items in addition to those described above:
1. SAM.gov Requirements. All eligible recipients are required to have an active registration with the System for Award Management (“SAM”) (https://www.sam.gov) pursuant to 2 CFR Part 25.
To ensure timely receipt of funding, Treasury has stated that NEUs who have not previously registered with SAM.gov may do so after receipt of the award, but before the submission of mandatory reporting.4
2. Recordkeeping Requirements. Generally, your organization must maintain records and financial documents for five years after all funds have been expended or returned to Treasury, as outlined in paragraph 4.c. of the Award Terms and Conditions. Treasury may request transfer of records of long-term value at the end of such period. Wherever practicable, such records should be collected, transmitted, and stored in open and machine-readable formats.
Your organization must agree to provide or make available such records to Treasury upon request, and to the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”), Treasury’s Office of Inspector General (“OIG”), and their authorized representative in order to conduct audits or other investigations.
3. Single Audit Requirements. Recipients and subrecipients that expend more than $750,000 in Federal awards during their fiscal year will be subject to an audit under the Single Audit Act and its implementing regulation at 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart F regarding audit requirements.5 Note that the Compliance Supplement provides information on the existing, important compliance requirements that the federal government expects to be considered as a part of such audit. The Compliance Supplement is routinely updated, and is made available in the Federal Register and on OMB’s website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/office-federal-financial-management/ Recipients and subrecipients should consult the Federal Audit Clearinghouse to see examples of Single Audit submissions.
4. Civil Rights Compliance. Recipients of Federal financial assistance from the Treasury are required to meet legal requirements relating to nondiscrimination and nondiscriminatory use of Federal funds. Those requirements include ensuring that entities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Treasury do not deny benefits or services, or otherwise discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency), disability, age, or sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), in accordance with the following authorities:
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) Public Law 88-352, 42 U.S.C. 2000d-1 et seq., and the Department's implementing regulations, 31 CFR part 22; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), Public Law 93-112, as amended by Public Law 93-516, 29 U.S.C. 794;
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), 20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq., and the Department's implementing regulations, 31 CFR part 28; Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Public Law 94-135, 42 U.S.C. 6101 et seq., and the Department implementing regulations at 31 CFR part 23.
In order to carry out its enforcement responsibilities under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Treasury will collect and review information from recipients to ascertain their compliance with the applicable requirements before and after providing financial assistance. Treasury’s implementing regulations, 31 CFR part 22, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations, Coordination of Non-discrimination in Federally Assisted Programs, 28 CFR part 42, provide for the collection of data and information from recipients (see 28 CFR 42.406). Treasury may request that non-tribal recipients submit data for post-award compliance reviews, including information such as a narrative describing their Title VI compliance status. As explained in Treasury FAQ 12.1, the award terms and conditions for Treasury’s pandemic recovery programs, including the SLFRF
4 See flexibility provided in https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/M_21_20.pdf.
5 For-profit entities that receive SLFRF subawards are not subject to Single Audit requirements. However, they are subject to other audits as deemed necessary by authorized governmental entities, including Treasury and Treasury’s OIG.
https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/office-federal-financial-management/ https://facweb.census.gov/uploadpdf.aspx https://www.justice.gov/crt/28-cfr-42401-42415 https://www.justice.gov/crt/28-cfr-42401-42415 program, do not impose antidiscrimination requirements on Tribal governments beyond what would otherwise apply under federal law.
Part 2: Reporting Guidance
There are three types of reporting requirements for the SLFRF program. The report requirements are approved and documented under OMB PRA number - OMB # 1505-0271.
• Interim Report: Provide initial overview of status and uses of funding. This is a one-time report.
See Section A, page 16.
• Project and Expenditure Report: Report on projects funded, expenditures, and contracts and subawards equal to or greater than $50,000, and other information. See Section B, page 17.
• Recovery Plan Performance Report: The Recovery Plan Performance Report (the “Recovery Plan”) will provide information on the projects that large recipients are undertaking with program funding and how they plan to ensure program outcomes are achieved in an effective, efficient, and equitable manner. It will include key performance indicators identified by the recipient and some mandatory indicators identified by Treasury. The Recovery Plan will be posted on the website of the recipient as well as provided to Treasury. See Section C, page 28.
The reporting threshold is based on the total award amount allocated by Treasury under the SLFRF program, not the funds received by the recipient as of the time of reporting.
States and territories are also required to submit information on their distributions to NEUs. Please refer to Section D for additional details.
Table 2: Reporting requirements by recipient type
Tier Recipient Interim Report Project and Expenditure
Report
Recovery Plan Performance
Report
States, U.S. territories, metropolitan cities and counties with a population that exceeds 250,000 residents
By August 31, 2021 or 60 days after receiving funding if funding was received by October 15, with expenditures by category.
Note: NEUs were not required to submit an Interim Report
By January 31, 2022, and then the last day of the month after the end of each quarter thereafter
Note: NEUs were not required to submit a Project and Expenditure Report on January 31, 2022. The first reporting date for NEUs was April 30, 2022.
By August 31, 2021 or 60 days after receiving funding, and annually thereafter by July 31
Metropolitan cities and counties with a population below 250,000 residents that are allocated more than $10 million in SLFRF funding, and NEUs that are allocated more than $10 million in SLFRF funding
Tribal Governments that are allocated more than $30 million in SLFRF
Tribal Governments that are allocated less than $30 million in SLFRF funding
By April 30, 2022, and then annually thereafter
Metropolitan cities and counties with a population below 250,000 residents that are allocated less than $10 million in SLFRF funding, and NEUs that are allocated less than $10 million in SLFRF
Note: Based on the period of performance, reports will be collected through April 30, 2027. See the specific due dates listed in Sections B and C.
As mentioned above, the total SLFRF allocations across all sources for a given jurisdiction will be used to identify that jurisdiction’s Reporting Tier, beginning in April of 2022. Treasury may reach out to jurisdictions to update Reporting Tiers.
The remainder of this document describes these reporting requirements. User guides describing how and where to submit required reports are posted at www.treasury.gov/SLFRPReporting and updated on a regular basis.
http://www.treasury.gov/SLFRPReporting
A. Interim Report
Note: The Interim Reports were submitted under the interim final rule.
States, U.S. territories, metropolitan cities, counties, and Tribal governments were required to submit a one-time interim report with expenditures6 by Expenditure Category covering the period from March 3rd to July 31, 2021, by August 31, 2021 or sixty (60) days after first receiving funding if the recipient’s date of award was between July 15, 2021 and October 15, 2021. The recipient was required to enter obligations7 and expenditures and, for each, select the specific expenditure category from the available options. See Appendix 3 for Expenditure Categories applicable for the Interim Report.
1. Required Programmatic Data Recipients were also required to provide the following information if they had or planned to have expenditures in the following Expenditure Categories.
a. Revenue replacement (EC 6.18): Key inputs into the revenue replacement formula in the Interim
Final Rule and estimated revenue loss due to the Covid-19 public health emergency calculated using the formula in the Interim Final Rule as of December 31, 2020.
• Base year general revenue (e.g., revenue in the last full fiscal year prior to the public health emergency)
• Fiscal year end date
• Growth adjustment used (either 4.1 percent or average annual general revenue growth over
3 years prior to pandemic)
• Actual general revenue as of the twelve months ended December 31, 2020
6 For purposes of reporting in the SLFRF portal, an expenditure is the amount that has been incurred as a liability of the entity (the service has been rendered or the good has been delivered to the entity).
7 For purposes of reporting in the SLFRF portal, an obligation is an order placed for property and services, contracts and subawards made, and similar transactions that require payment.
8 See Appendix 3 for the full Expenditure Category (EC) list. Please note that Appendix 3 includes the expenditure categories under the interim final rule, applicable to the Interim Report.
Comparison to reporting for the CRF This guidance does not change the reporting or compliance requirements pertaining to the CRF. Reporting and compliance requirements for the SLFRF are separate from CRF reporting requirements. Differences between CRF and SLFRF include:
• Project, Expenditure, and Subaward Reporting: The SLFRF reporting requirements leverage the existing reporting regime used for CRF to foster continuity and provide many recipients with a familiar reporting mechanism. The data elements for the Project and Expenditure Report will largely mirror those used for CRF, with some minor exceptions noted in this guidance. The users’ guide will describe how reporting for CRF funds will relate to reporting for the SLFRF.
• Timing of Reports: CRF reports were due within 10 days of each calendar quarter end. For quarterly reporters, SLFRF reporting will be due the last day of the month following the end of the period covered. For annual reporters, SLFRF reporting will be due on an annual schedule (see table in Section B below).
• Program and Performance Reporting: The CRF reporting did not include any program or performance reporting. To build public awareness and accountability and allow Treasury to monitor compliance with eligible uses, some program and performance reporting is required for SLFRF.
• Estimated revenue loss due to the Covid-19 public health emergency as of December 31,
• An explanation of how revenue replacement funds were allocated to government services (Note: additional instructions was provided in the user guide)
In calculating general revenue and the other items discussed above, recipients should have used audited data if it was available. When audited data was not available, recipients were not required to obtain audited data if substantially accurate figures could be produced on an unaudited basis. Recipients should have used their own data sources to calculate general revenue and did not need to rely on revenue data published by the Census Bureau. Treasury acknowledges that due to differences in timing, data sources, and definitions, recipients’ self-reported general revenue figures may differ from those published by the Census Bureau.
Recipients were permitted to provide data on a cash, accrual, or modified accrual basis, provided that recipients are consistent in their choice of methodology throughout the covered period and until reporting is no longer required. Recipients’ reporting should align with their own financial reporting.
In calculating general revenue, recipients should have excluded all intergovernmental…
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