Federal Financial Reports Are Serious Business

Funding News Edition: December 07, 2022
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NIH uses the Federal Financial Report (FFR) to compare a grantee’s reported expenditures to the funds awarded, then resolves discrepancies. Grantees must complete an FFR either annually or at the end of an award’s project period, as determined by whether the grant is under the streamlined noncompeting award process (SNAP).

If a grant is under SNAP, then an FFR is not due until the end of the entire project period. If a grant is not under SNAP, then an FFR is due annually after each individual budget period. Refer to a grant’s Notice of Award to determine whether it is under SNAP (most NIAID awards qualify).

To submit an FFR, use the Payment Management System (PMS). As noted at FFR Information, PMS prepopulates the cash transaction section (lines 10a through 10c) of the FFR using recipient real-time cash receipts from PMS (drawdowns, refunds, and journal vouchers) and adjusts recipient-reported disbursements to equal cash receipts on all non-closed subaccounts.

For a grant’s Final FFR, the line items 10a. Cash Receipts, 10b. Cash Disbursements, and 10e. Federal Share of Expenditures must reconcile. PMS system validations will prevent submission of a Final FFR if the amounts are not equal. Refer to the September 21, 2022 Guide notice for additional details. In general, Final FFRs are due within 120 days of a project period’s end date.

NIAID’s Chief Grants Management Officer, Emily Linde, recently participated in a discussion of FFRs as part of NIH’s International Collaborations: Policies, Processes, & Partnerships seminar—review the Video Recording and Slideset at your convenience. Contact the grants management specialist assigned to your award if you have questions specific to your situation.

Contact Us

Email us at deaweb@niaid.nih.gov for help navigating NIAID’s grant and contract policies and procedures.

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