Important Dates:
December 18, 2025
- Agency applications due
- Auditor’s report must be dated on or before this date
December 31, 2025
January 16, 2025
- FY2025 CEAR Program agency packet and filing fees due
January 31, 2026
- SPFI (optional)
Please note: Deadlines are subject to change depending on any extensions issued to an agency by the Office of Management and Budget. All extension requests submitted to AGA must include documentation of the approved OMB extension
For FY2025, the application rates are as follows:
- $8,000 for CFO Act agencies.
- $5,500 for agency components, ATDA Act agencies, and congressional or judicial branch agencies.
The filing fee is due when the application and other documents are submitted. AGA Federal Tax ID: 53-0217158
Award Applicant Process
The following steps are to assist the agencies in the preparation and submission of the Fiscal Year 2025 Agency Financial Reports/Performance and Accountability. Please include all required documents to complete your submission. AGA will contact the agency’s point-of-contact should the packet received be incomplete.
- Follow the FY2025 CEAR Program Guidelines (Final) when preparing AFR/PAR reports. Download a helpful AFR/PAR style guide here.
- Completed CEAR application for your agency.
- An original letter signed by your agency’s chief financial officer or equivalent-level official requesting that your report be reviewed by the Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting program.
- A digital copy/URL to the report is requested in addition to:
- Two printed copies of your AFR/PAR (a signed, print-ready copy is acceptable).
- Two printed copies responding to last year’s recommendations — If your agency participated in the program the prior year, we strongly encourage your agency to make six copies of a letter responding to each of last year’s recommendations for strengthening the AFR/PAR. Excellence in AFR/PAR is an evolving process.
- Optional:
- The CEAR program highly encourages all agency applicants to provide names of experienced individuals representing the CFOs, inspectors general and other officers who participated in performance activities from participating agency who are available to serve as program reviewers.
- To assist the review team, agencies are requested to submit, with their AFR/PAR, one copy of the guidelines to which you adhered, detailing on which pages of your AFR/PAR the requirements in the guidelines are addressed. Completing and submitting a copy of the guidelines in this manner helps the agency ensure it has included each of the appropriate items of information in the report and helps the reviewers readily locate the required items.
Packet Delivery Options
We will still accept deliveries of completed packet as usual. Agencies have the following options:
- Hand deliver the packet to our office located at mailing address below.
- Mail completed application packet to the address below.
AGA
ATTN: CEAR Program
2208 Mount Vernon Ave.
Alexandria, VA 22301-1314
Questions?
Email cear@agacgfm.org or call 800.242.7211 ext: 322.