Annual BARS updates are live

The Budgeting, Accounting and Reporting System (BARS) Manuals for GAAP and cash basis governments have been updated and are available on our website at www.sao.wa.gov/, under “BARS & Annual Filing.”

The Overview of Changes section in the BARS Manuals contains detailed descriptions of the changes to requirements. Links guide you to the appropriate sections of the Manuals to help you find the information more quickly. Please refer to the Alerts and Changes tab to determine which revisions might affect your 2019 annual reporting.

The project pages dedicated to the discussion of current and future changes for Cash Basis Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) and GAAP/Cash basis accounting and reporting for Leases have also been updated.

The Reporting Templates web page is updated for the 2019 filing season templates, and the Online Reporting Filing System for 2019 annual reports is now available.

Reminder – your annual report filing for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019, is required by Friday, May 29, 2020.

If you have any questions regarding the BARS update, please contact Christie Cowgill at cowgillc@sao.wa.gov or submit a HelpDesk request, and we will be pleased to help you.

For questions regarding annual filing and online reporting, please contact the filing support team at LGCSFeedback@sao.wa.gov.