Governmental Accounting Essentials Program

The Governmental Accounting Essentials Program (GAE) is a two-day comprehensive program introducing individuals to the most basic and essential components of governmental accounting. Although some familiarity with accounting would be helpful, this course is designed primarily for those with limited or no governmental accounting or bookkeeping experience. Governmental accounting is a unique form of accounting with specific procedures and regulations that govern how taxpayer funds are to be recorded and reported.

Most individuals who work in governmental accounting usually start without any prior bookkeeping, governmental accounting, or governmental finance education or experience. With proper training, local government finance staff and leadership can be more confident that their financial reporting is in compliance with New York State laws and regulations and ensure that their procedures for processing and documenting financial transactions are transparent and sound.

This program provides comprehensive training in the basic areas of governmental accounting: 

  • Debits and Credits
  • Accounts
  • Fund Accounting
  • Journals and Ledgers
  • The Budget Process
  • The Accounting Process
  • Accounting for Capital Projects
  • Month End Reconciliations and Analysis
  • Year-End Closing Process
  • The Annual Update Document (AUD)

Each section includes a Review Period for the participants to exercise their newly gained knowledge in the form of questions and short exercises. All participants receive a binder of the course content plus supplemental materials to use as a resource.

The GAE program was developed by NYGFOA members who are among the State’s most experienced government finance professionals representing various types and levels of government as well as private sector accounting, auditing and financial advisory firms. 

 

Who should participate?

This course is designed for:

  • Clerks, treasurers, bookkeepers, accountants/accounting staff, comptrollers, finance officers and non-finance department staff
  • Governing board/council members
  • Those whose primary tasks do not involve accounting but who seek to expand their knowledge of the intricacies of governmental accounting

 

PREVIOUSLY HELD Gae Programs 

October 29th-30th, 2019 | Adelphi University, Hauppauge 

 

The GAE program can be offered upon request.  For more information on setting up a GAE program in or near your municipality, contact us.