Budget Primer Section 8: Budget Basis The Budget is prepared on the same basis that the state's year end financial statements, which is a modified accrual basis. Briefly, this means that obligations of the state are budgeted as expenditures if the goods or services are expected to be received during the fiscal year, regardless of whether a cash payment is expected to be made by the state by June 30th of that year. Revenues are estimated on the basis of when they are "earned" by the state. For example, the estimate of gas tax revenues reflects twelve months of revenues. However, due to a one month difference in the time the liability is incurred and the actual cash payment is made by the taxpayer, the revenue estimate reflects cash received from August through July. The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) shows the status of the state's finances on the basis of "generally accepted accounting principles" (GAAP). Every attempt is made in preparing the budget to ensure that it is consistent with the auditing standards upon which the state's financial position will be determined. NASBO.org The National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) Series 1: The State Budgeting Process Visit NASBO.org Related Links Prior Year Budgets Revenues