Free checklist · 2 CFR 200 Subpart F
Single Audit documentation checklist
If you expend federal awards above the Single Audit threshold in a fiscal year, Subpart F applies. This is what to gather, in what order, starting eight weeks out — and the tests each item is there to satisfy.
Start with the SEFA, because everything else hangs off it
The Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards determines which programmes are audited as major programmes. If the SEFA is wrong, the auditor tests the wrong things and you discover it late. Reconcile it to the general ledger before anything else, confirm every Assistance Listing number, and make sure pass-through awards show the pass-through entity's name and identifying number.
Eight weeks out
What to gather, in order
| When | Gather | What it is tested against |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 8–7 | SEFA reconciled to the general ledger; Notices of Award for every active award; award modifications. | Completeness and accuracy of reported federal expenditure; major programme determination. |
| Weeks 7–6 | Subrecipient list with subaward agreements, risk assessments and monitoring records. | 2 CFR 200.331 and 200.332 — determination, risk assessment, proportionate monitoring, findings follow-up. |
| Weeks 6–5 | Performance and financial reports as filed, with submission dates and the portal used. | Reporting compliance requirement — filed, on time, and consistent with the accounting record. |
| Weeks 5–4 | Written policies: procurement, allowability, cash management, conflict of interest, travel, timekeeping. | 2 CFR 200.303 internal control; procurement standards; allowable cost principles. |
| Weeks 4–3 | Payroll and personnel activity records supporting salaries charged to awards. | Allowability of the largest single cost category on most awards. |
| Weeks 3–2 | Procurement files for purchases above your threshold: solicitation, selection basis, price analysis. | Competition and documentation requirements under the procurement standards. |
| Weeks 2–1 | Prior-year findings and the corrective action taken; summary schedule of prior audit findings. | Whether prior findings recurred — a repeat finding is treated far more seriously than a first one. |
| Final week | Decision record: what changed in scope, budget or schedule during the year, who approved it, and why. | Explaining variances without relying on individual recollection. |
What to do about a gap you cannot close
You will find items that simply were not documented at the time. The instinct is to create the document now and date it then. Do not. A backdated record is a materially worse problem than a missing one, and auditors are practised at spotting documents that all appeared in the same week.
The defensible response is to write a dated memo now, describing what happened, who was involved, what evidence exists indirectly — calendar entries, emails, invoices — and acknowledging the documentation gap. That is an honest contemporaneous record of a historical weakness, and it is treated very differently from a fabrication.
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This material is provided for general information and is not legal, accounting or audit advice. Requirements vary by awarding agency, programme and award terms. Confirm your obligations with your awarding agency and your auditor.
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