#nonprofit
Nonprofit accounting, fund tracking, and compliance
OMB's 2026 Uniform Guidance overhauls federal grant compliance for nonprofits, adding stricter payment verification, expanded subaward reporting, and tighter cost allowability rules—effective October 1. The comment period closes July 13; here's what changed and why it matters.
OMB's proposed Uniform Grants Regulation would replace 2 CFR Part 200 by October 1, 2026 — making the rules binding regulation, eliminating most fixed-amount awards in favor of cost-reimbursement, and adding termination-for-convenience authority. Here's what nonprofit finance teams should do about the 30–60 day reimbursement lag, indirect cost documentation, and new allowability limits before the final rule lands.
Most states bar wildlife rehab centers from charging for care, so every dollar is a donation—and raising one raccoon still costs about $500. How fund accounting under ASU 2016-14, per-animal cost tracking, and permit-mandated intake logs fit together for donation-only nonprofits.
Producing one service dog costs $25,000–$60,000 over an 18–24-month cycle. How assistance dog nonprofits should structure per-dog cost centers, record breeding-cooperative puppy exchanges at fair value, apply GAAP (ASC 958-605) to puppy-raiser volunteer time, and release restricted sponsorships on the same timeline as expenses.
An estimated $86 billion is lost to fraud inside churches worldwide each year, and most of it starts with one bookkeeping mistake — treating restricted and unrestricted funds as one pool. This guide explains how FASB ASC 958 classifies donor-restricted gifts, the three errors that get church treasurers in trouble, and the monthly habits that keep ministry books compliant and transparent.
Georgia's Dignity and Pay Act requires Section 14(c) certificate holders to pay workers with disabilities at least half the federal minimum wage ($3.63/hour) starting July 1, 2026, and bans subminimum wages entirely after June 30, 2027. What certificate holders — sheltered workshops, community rehabilitation programs, and nonprofits — need to model in payroll budgets, grant contracts, and job costing before both wage steps hit.
Under ASC 958-805, a combination of two nonprofits must be classified as either a merger, which uses the carryover method with no fair-value remeasurement or goodwill, or an acquisition, which requires fair-value remeasurement and an immediate expense instead of capitalized goodwill for any excess consideration.
Private school tuition is an exchange transaction under ASC 606, not a donation, so tuition collected before the school year starts must be booked as deferred revenue and recognized ratably over 10 or 12 months, while donor-restricted gifts follow separate ASC 958 rules.
On April 6, 2026, the IRS opened its free Business Tax Account portal to partnerships, tax-exempt organizations, and government entities, letting a designated official view balances, download an EIN verification notice, and make payments online instead of mailing paper forms.
L3Cs are legally recognized in only about ten states and roughly 1,700 exist nationwide, because the IRS never confirmed that L3C status automatically satisfies the program-related-investment test the structure was built around.
Under ASC 958-605, a nonprofit recognizes contributed services at fair value only when the work created or enhanced a nonfinancial asset, or required a specialized skill the organization would otherwise have paid for and the volunteer actually holds that credential — general volunteer hours, however valuable, stay off the books and out of Form 990.
Since ASU 2016-14, every nonprofit filing a full Form 990 must allocate expenses across program, management and general, and fundraising using a reasonable, consistent methodology — here's how time studies, square footage, and headcount allocation actually work, and the five mistakes that draw auditor scrutiny.
