Subpart F: Audit requirements 2024 Uniform Guidance · effective Oct 1, 2024

2 CFR 200.502: Basis for determining Federal awards expended

2 CFR 200.502 sets 3 requirements for organizations that receive federal grants and cooperative agreements. Applies once you spend federal award money, at audit time.

Shows up in your application: Audit historyFinancial management systemsBudget justification

What 2 CFR 200.502 requires

1. Financial management

What you must do

Federal awards expended must be determined by when the award-related activity occurs — including expenditure transactions under grants, cooperative agreements, cost-reimbursement FAR contracts, compacts with Indian Tribes, and direct appropriations; disbursements to subrecipients; use of loan proceeds; receipt of property; receipt or use of program income; distribution or use of food commodities; interest-subsidy disbursements; and periods when insurance is in force.

When it applies

Computing whether the entity meets the $1,000,000 single-audit threshold or preparing the schedule of expenditures of Federal awards (SEFA)

Audit historyFinancial management systemsBudget justification
2. Financial management

What you must do

Federal awards expended under loan and loan-guarantee programs must be valued as: new loans made or received during the audit period, plus prior-year loan balances with continuing Federal compliance requirements at the beginning of the period, plus any interest subsidy, cash, or administrative cost allowance received (with the IHE student-loan and prior-loan exceptions in paragraphs (c) and (d)).

When it applies

Applicant administers Federal loan or loan-guarantee programs

Audit historyFinancial management systems
3. Financial management

What you must do

Medicare payments for patient care services are not Federal awards expended; Medicaid payments to a subrecipient for patient care services are not Federal awards expended unless a State requires them to be treated as such because reimbursement is on a cost-reimbursement basis.

When it applies

Healthcare-provider applicant computing Federal awards expended

Audit historyFinancial management systems
Grantable compliance database

Ask what 2 CFR 200.502 means for your award

Upload your award terms and ask what you owe and when. Grantable answers from its compliance database of federal, agency and state rules, with citations.

Sections that refer to 2 CFR 200.502

Regulation text of 2 CFR 200.502

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(a) Determining Federal awards expended. The determination of when a Federal award is expended must be based on when the activity related to the Federal award occurs. Generally, the activity related to the Federal award pertains to events that require the non-Federal entity to comply with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of Federal awards, such as:

(1) Expenditure/expense transactions associated with grants, cooperative agreements, cost-reimbursement contracts under the FAR, compacts with Indian Tribes, and direct appropriations;

(2) The disbursement of funds to subrecipients;

(3) The use of loan proceeds under loan and loan guarantee programs;

(4) The receipt of property (including surplus property);

(5) The receipt or use of program income;

(6) The distribution or use of food commodities;

(7) The disbursement of amounts entitling the non-Federal entity to an interest subsidy; and

(8) The period when insurance is in force.

(b) Loan and loan guarantees (loans). The Federal Government is at risk for loans until the debt is repaid. Therefore, the following guidelines must be used to calculate the value of Federal awards expended under loan programs (except as noted in paragraphs (c) and (d)):

(1) The value of new loans made or received during the audit period; plus

(2) The balance of loans from previous years at the beginning of the audit period for which the Federal Government imposes continuing compliance requirements; plus

(3) Any interest subsidy, cash, or administrative cost allowance received.

(c) Loan and loan guarantees (loans) at Institutions of Higher Education (IHE). When loans are made to students of an IHE, but the IHE itself does not have continuing compliance requirements for the loans, then only the value of loans made during the audit period are considered Federal awards expended in that audit period. The balance of loans for previous audit periods is not included as Federal awards expended because the lender accounts for the prior balances.

(d) Prior loan and loan guarantees (loans). Loans, the proceeds of which were received and expended in prior years, are not considered Federal awards expended under this part when Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of Federal awards pertaining to such loans impose no continuing compliance requirements other than to repay the loans.

(e) Endowment funds. The cumulative balance of Federal awards for endowment funds that are federally restricted is considered Federal awards expended in each audit period in which the funds are still restricted.

(f) Free rent. Free rent received by itself is not considered a Federal award expended under this part. However, free rent received as part of a Federal award to carry out a Federal program must be included in determining Federal awards expended and is subject to audit under this part.

(g) Valuing non-cash assistance. Federal non-cash assistance (such as free rent, food commodities, donated property, or donated surplus property that is received as part of a Federal award to carry out a Federal program) must be valued at fair market value at the time of receipt or the assessed value provided by the Federal agency and must be included in determining Federal awards expended under this part.

(h) Medicare. Medicare payments to a non-Federal entity for providing patient care services to Medicare-eligible individuals are not considered Federal awards expended under this part.

(i) Medicaid. Medicaid payments to a subrecipient for providing patient care services to Medicaid-eligible individuals are not considered Federal awards expended under this part unless a State requires the funds to be treated as Federal awards expended because reimbursement is on a cost-reimbursement basis.

(j) Certain loans provided by the National Credit Union Administration. For purposes of this part, loans from the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund and the Central Liquidity Facility funded by contributions from insured non-Federal entities are not considered Federal awards expended.

Source: eCFR · checked Sep 17, 2026

Questions about 2 CFR 200.502

What does 2 CFR 200.502 require?

Federal awards expended must be determined by when the award-related activity occurs — including expenditure transactions under grants, cooperative agreements, cost-reimbursement FAR contracts, compacts with Indian Tribes, and direct appropriations; disbursements to subrecipients; use of loan proceeds; receipt of property; receipt or use of program income; distribution or use of food commodities; interest-subsidy disbursements; and periods when insurance is in force. Federal awards expended under loan and loan-guarantee programs must be valued as: new loans made or received during the audit period, plus prior-year loan balances with continuing Federal compliance requirements at the beginning of the period, plus any interest subsidy, cash, or administrative cost allowance received (with the IHE student-loan and prior-loan exceptions in paragraphs (c) and (d)). Medicare payments for patient care services are not Federal awards expended; Medicaid payments to a subrecipient for patient care services are not Federal awards expended unless a State requires them to be treated as such because reimbursement is on a cost-reimbursement basis.

When does 2 CFR 200.502 apply?

Computing whether the entity meets the $1,000,000 single-audit threshold or preparing the schedule of expenditures of Federal awards (SEFA). Applicant administers Federal loan or loan-guarantee programs. Healthcare-provider applicant computing Federal awards expended.

Plain-English summaries for information only, not legal advice. Always check the regulation text, your award terms and your agency’s guidance.