ABSTRACT
Accounts receivable, public, are amounts due the government from the sale of goods or services outside the government and certain other receivables arising from current operations. Each federal agency must establish and maintain adequate systems of accounting and internal control over accounts receivable. The General Accounting Office (GAO) made specific recommendations to improve recording and reporting of accounts receivable in individual reports. A report to the Congress was also prepared consolidating the findings and conclusions included in the individual reports. Because agency accounting systems differ, GAO sent copies of its consolidated report to heads of all departments and agencies for use in determining the adequacy of their systems of accounting for and reporting accounts receivable. Although the GAO's report to Congress dealt primarily with accounts receivable, it found that a need existed for federal managers to strengthen financial management generally.
