GASB Issues Implementation Guide on Fiduciary Activities

The central objective of the Statement 84, Fiduciary Activities, is to enhance the consistency and comparability of fiduciary activity reporting by state and local governments.

The Government Accounting Standards Board has released an Implementation Guide to provide guidance that clarifies, explains, or elaborates on the requirements of Statement No. 84, Fiduciary Activities.

When the Exposure Draft was first issued, the GASB explained that governments currently are required to report fiduciary activities in fiduciary fund financial statements. Existing standards are not explicit, however, about what constitutes a fiduciary activity for financial reporting purposes. Consequently, there is diversity in practice with regard to identifying and reporting fiduciary activities.

The central objective of the Statement 84, Fiduciary Activities, is to enhance the consistency and comparability of fiduciary activity reporting by state and local governments. The proposal also is intended to improve the usefulness of fiduciary activity information, primarily for assessing the accountability of governments in their roles as fiduciaries.

Implementation Guide No. 2019-2, Fiduciary Activities, answers many questions about how to apply the provisions of GASB Statement No. 84, Fiduciary Activities. It is available for download at no charge on the GASB website, www.gasb.org. Printed copies will be available through the GASB Store in the coming weeks.

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