Financial reporting to the NSW Environmental Trust

Reports and requests for variation

If we have given you a grant, you have to send us financial reports with your progress and/or final project report.

If you want to vary your budget by more than 10% of the total grant amount, you must ask us for approval before you commit funds from your grant.

You may need to have your final financial report independently certified. See 'Final financial reporting' below.

Progress financial reports

When you send us a progress report on your project, you must report how your spending is tracking against the budget we approved:

• Use your project's budget reporting template (which we'll send you after your grant is approved). Fill out the 'actual expenditure' worksheet.
• Submit your progress report and your progress financial report together.
• At the same time, also send us a tax invoice or written request for the next progress payment (if the project is continuing). If the tax invoice is from a government entity, don’t include GST (goods and services tax).

Final financial reporting

Reporting – all organisations

Use your project's budget reporting template, which we will send you after your grant is approved. Fill out the 'actual expenditure' worksheet.

Certification

Government agencies and councils – grants of any size

Your final financial report must be certified by your Chief Financial Officer or equivalent. It does not need to be independently certified.

All other organisations – grants under $20,000

You must sign and attach a statutory declaration (DOCX 16KB) that states that your final financial report is accurate:

1. Download the form.
2. Fill it out.
3. Print it and sign it by hand.
4. Scan and email it to us.

The report doesn't need to be independently certified.

All other organisations – grants over $20,000

Final financial reports for grants over $20,000 to recipients that are not government agencies or councils must be certified by an independent certifier.

A member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Australian Society of Practising Accountants or the National Institute of Accountants must certify your financial report and submit a Report on Factual Findings in accordance with Australian Auditing Standard ASRS 4400. The certifier should not be a member of your organisation.

The certifying accountant should also provide a Report on Factual Findings declaring that:

• the financial report accurately reflects income and expenditure for the project
• all payments were supported by adequate documentation to show that expenditure was for bona fide goods and services related to the project
• competitive pricing was obtained for all individual items of expenditure of $5,000 and over.

Financial variation requests

• Use the budget reporting template that we send you and follow the instructions on its instructions tab.
• Email the completed template to your grant administrator.