Updated BARS Manuals now available on SAO’s website

The State Auditor's Office has finished updating the GAAP and Cash Basis BARS Manuals.

The “Overview of Changes” section contains descriptions of the changes and links to the appropriate sections of the manuals. Please refer to the “Alerts and Changes” tab for determining which revisions might affect your 2021 annual reporting.

If you missed the 2021 BARS Update webinars, you can find the recorded trainings on the eLearnings section of the Training and Workshops page of SAO's website.

The annual filing, pension, and other postemployment benefits templates are updated and available on the Reporting Templates web page.

The Annual Online Financial Report Filing System for calendar year-end governments is NOT available. We will notify you in January 2022 when the filing system for 12/31/2021 reporting is available. Reminder—your annual report filing for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021, is required by Monday, May 30, 2022. Please note that May 30, 2022, is a state-recognized holiday and SAO staff will not be available to assist you.

If you have any questions regarding the BARS update, please send us a HelpDesk request. For questions regarding Annual Filing and Online Reporting, please contact Kayley Pagio at LGCSFeedback@sao.wa.gov.