The Simplified Guide to Not-for-Profit Accounting, Formation, and Reporting

A complete and easy to understand guide to the fundamentals of how not-for-profit organizations are formed and run, as well as their structure and the unique accounting and reporting issues they face. Providing you with a comprehensive understanding of how to maintain the "books" of a typical nonprofit entity and comply with numerous reporting requirements, The Simplified Guide to Not-for-Profit Accounting, Formation & Reporting equips you with everything you need to know to form a Not-For-Profit, setup an accounting system, record financial transactions and report to donors and regulatory bodies. Topics include: Step-by-step guide to forming a Not-For-Profit and applying for tax exemption Becoming familiar with unique Not-For-Profit accounting rules such as classifying contributions/grants and recording restrictions, allocation of expenses to programs and supporting services and investment classification and reporting Budget development, payroll processing and accounting for personnel costs Shows how to prepare and understand required Not-For-Profit financial statement and their components Provides you with a broad understanding of the numerous filing requirement required by donors, grantors and government regulatory agencies Practical and comprehensive in scope, The Simplified Guide to Not-for-Profit Accounting, Formation & Reporting offers a wealth of practical information to accountants and non-accountants alike for understanding Not-For-Profit financial transactions, financial statements and the many internal and external reports they must prepare.

Preface vii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Chapter 2 Nfp Organization Formation 7 Chapter 3 Nfp Organizational Structure 29 Chapter 4 Introduction to Nfp Accounting and Reporting 41 Chapter 5 Nfp Accounting System and Financial Statements 63 Chapter 6 Assets—concepts and Data Flow 87 Chapter 7 Liabilities and Net Assets—Concepts and Data Flow 123 Chapter 8 Accounting for Support and Revenue 139 Chapter 9 Accounting for Personnel Costs, and other Expenses 155 Chapter 10 Investments, Pooling, and Split-interest Agreements 173 Chapter 11 Subsidiaries and Interrelated Entities 183 Chapter 12 Budget Development and Applications 189 Chapter 13 Special Types of Nfp Organizations 199 Chapter 14 Regulatory Reporting (990, 990-T, and 990-PF) 205 Chapter 15 Contribution/grant Applications and Reporting 227 Chapter 16 Audits—preparation and Response 235 Chapter 17 Conclusion 243 Appendix A Tax-exempt Organization Reference Chart 245 Appendix B Sample Nfp Chart of Accounts 253 Appendix C Abbreviations 257 Glossary 259 About the Author 269 Index 271