A plain-language guide to single audit preparation for tribal governments

If your tribe spends more than $1,000,000 in federal awards in a fiscal year (for fiscal years beginning on or after October 1, 2024 — the threshold was $750,000 before that), you are required to have an annual single audit under the Uniform Guidance. For many finance teams, those words arrive with a quiet sense of dread. They shouldn't. A single audit is simply a structured review — and like most structured reviews, it rewards preparation far more than it punishes mistakes.

What the auditors actually test

A single audit has two halves. The first examines your financial statements, much like any audit. The second tests compliance: for each major federal program, auditors check whether spending followed the program's rules — allowable costs, eligibility, reporting, procurement, and cash management. They also test the internal controls you have over those areas, which is why written policies matter as much as clean numbers.

The documents that make or break fieldwork

• A current, reconciled trial balance tied to your general ledger
• The Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) — started early, not the week before
• Grant agreements, award letters, and any amendments
• Bank and account reconciliations with clear supporting schedules
• Payroll records showing how staff time is allocated to programs
• Written procurement and cash management policies
• Your indirect cost rate agreement or de minimis election documentation

When to start

The honest answer: ninety days before the auditors arrive, at minimum. The SEFA alone benefits from being built as the year unfolds rather than reconstructed from memory. When the auditor's PBC (provided-by-client) list lands, every item should already have a home in your files.

How we help

CalCor Solutions prepares tribal governments for exactly this moment: audit-ready workpapers, SEFA support, reconciliations that tie out, and a calm liaison with your auditors so fieldwork feels routine. We work around council calendars and handle every document with the discretion these engagements deserve.

If a single audit is on your horizon this year, the kindest thing you can do for your future self is start the conversation early. The first call is free, thirty minutes, and refreshingly plain-English.