IMF How To Notes

How to Check Integrity of Fiscal Data

By Pokar D Khemani, Benoit Wiest

November 4, 2016

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Pokar D Khemani, and Benoit Wiest. How to Check Integrity of Fiscal Data, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2016) accessed November 7, 2024

Summary

The accuracy and reliability of government accounts and fiscal data is an issue in a number of countries, with significant and persistent discrepancies that can indicate underlying weaknesses in the country’s public financial management system. This note provides guidance on how to detect issues with data quality, perform integrity checks, and reconcile fiscal data from various sources. It discusses the importance of reconciliation to provide reasonable assurance on the quality and reliability of government fiscal data, explores the main reasons for which discrepancies may arise, and explains how to conduct quality checks. The note concludes with recommendations for country teams of concrete steps to ensure data quality.

Subject: Budget planning and preparation, Economic and financial statistics, Financial statistics, Fiscal accounting and reporting, Government finance statistics, Public debt, Public financial management (PFM)

Keywords: Accounting system, Africa, Asia and Pacific, Balance, Balances of suspense accounts, Bank account, Bank reconciliation, Budget planning and preparation, Bullet, Cash deficit, Central bank, Debt, Europe, FADHTN, Financial statistics, Fiscal accounting and reporting, Government debt, Government finance statistics, HTN, Middle East and Central Asia, Revenue code, Suspense account, Western Hemisphere, Year-end cash balance

Publication Details

  • Pages:

    19

  • Volume:

    ---

  • DOI:

    ---

  • Issue:

    ---

  • Series:

    How-To Note No. 2016/004

  • Stock No:

    FADHTNEA2016004

  • ISBN:

    9781475546736

  • ISSN:

    2522-7912

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