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Governmental Services

Local governmental organizations operate in a highly regulated and heavily scrutinized environment. Partnering with an audit, accounting, and advisory firm with the specialized knowledge and experience necessary to help navigate the challenges of this industry is essential. LB Carlson’s governmental services team offers a full menu of expert services to assist our clients in meeting and exceeding reporting and compliance requirements, maximizing efficiencies, and maintaining the public trust.

Assurance and Attestation Services

In the public sector, nothing is more important to the credibility of local governmental organizations than exhibiting sound financial management and regulatory compliance over the use of the public funds with which they are entrusted. LB Carlson annually provides assurance and attestation services to approximately 100 such organizations, including: cities and townships, school districts and cooperatives, charter schools, police and fire relief (pension) associations, and numerous other joint ventures and commissions. Our assurance and attest services include:

  • Audit and attest services in accordance with U.S. GAAP and governmental auditing standards
  • Single Audits of federal awards expenditures, including compliance with the Uniform Guidance
  • Audits of compliance with Minnesota laws and regulations
  • Examinations of forecasts and other agreed-upon procedures engagements
  • Management reports that provide concise summaries of audit results, insightful observations and recommendations for internal control or operational efficiency improvements, and contextual analysis of operating results for management and governance.
  • Effective presentations of audit results at public meetings

Advisory services

We offer a wide range of customized advisory services specifically tailored to meet the needs of our governmental clients, including:

  • Revenue projections
  • Budget development and review
  • Implementation of governmental accounting pronouncements
  • Grant compliance and reporting
  • Internal control evaluations
  • State regulatory reporting and statutory compliance requirements
  • Debt service funding plans
  • Investigations of fraud or misuse of public funds
  • Construction project analysis
  • Special legislation consulting and support

Tax Services

  • Preparation of federal tax returns, including federal Forms 990, 5500, 1096, and 1099
  • Assistance with payroll and benefit tax requirements

These are only some of the services we offer. Please contact LB Carlson’s governmental services team to see what we can do for you!

Blog Posts

Accounting for PPP Loans

On June 10, 2020, the AICPA released guidance, to address how borrowers of Payroll Protection Program (PPP) Loans should account for these loans in their GAAP financial statements. The legal form of the PPP loan is debt, however, some believe that the loan is, in substance, a government grant. These conflicting opinions have led the AICPA to provide PPP Loan borrowers with options to account for the PPP Loans. Borrowers can account for the PPP Loans as:

SBA issues update first PPP interim final rule following PPP Flexibility Act

On June 10, 2020, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued an updated interim final rule for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in response to the PPP Flexibility Act passed on June 5, 2020. The updated guidance accounts for revisions made to the covered period, usage of funds changes, extended safe harbors, and more.

Here is a quick rundown of the changes made by the PPP Flexibility Act.

House passes bill to extend, expand provisions of PPP

On May 28, 2020, in a nearly unanimous vote, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to extend certain provisions of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to provide small businesses with relief in the timeframe and use of their PPP loan funds. While President Trump has encouraged changes to PPP, and the Senate had been developing a plan of its own, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act is the first to pass its branch.

SBA issues interim final rule on PPP

On May 23, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued an interim final rule for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that included the loan forgiveness application guidance released May 15, as well as other updated guidance.

PPP Forgiveness Form Released by SBA, Includes Changes

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has released its long-awaited Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgiveness form for borrowers. The release on May 15 brought with it significant changes to the interpretation of some components of forgiveness that were not previously known.  

IRS Clarifies Payroll Tax Deferral Relief and Expands Relief for those Using the PPP

The CARES Act allows all employers to defer the deposit and payment of the employer’s share of social security (SS) taxes (6.2%) and self-employed individuals to defer payment of certain self-employment taxes.  The timing of the deferral will depend in whether or not the employer receives a loan under the Payroll Protection Program