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  5. Overview of Federal Financial Report (FFR)

Overview of Federal Financial Report (FFR)

What is the purpose? 

Recipients of federal funds are required to report the status of funds for each award document number(s) assigned to grants or assistance agreements individually via the Federal Financial Report (FFR) expenditure data.  Since January 1, 2021, recipients have been required to submit the SF-425 Federal Financial Report (FFR) to the Payment Management System (PMS) accessed through the FFR navigation link in eRA Commons (see Figures 1 and 2). The schedule for submitting FFR is generally specified in the award documents of a grant or contract.

Selecting the Manage FFR action from the three-dot ellipsis icon next to an Award Number on the Search for Federal Financial Report (FFR) screen in eRA Commons takes the recipient directly to PMS (see Figures 3 and 4). The recipient will authenticate to PMS and be taken straight to the Federal Financial Report — Details screen for that award in PMS. Once the form is completed in PMS, the recipient will submit it to the agency. Recipients will still be able to see the status of their submission in the eRA Commons/FFR module.

What are the features of FFR?

  • The FFR Search Screen in eRA Commons allows users with a unique Financial role to search by grant number, due date range, latest FFR status, etc. The query will bring up a 'hitlist' of applications sorted by Institution, latest FFR status and grant number.
  • The FFR will not show up in eRA Commons unless it is due.
  • FFR redirects recipients to the Payment Management System (PMS) to manage or submit Federal Financial Reports. 

What are the benefits of the FFR module?

  • Facilitates compliance with grants regulations governing financial reporting.
  • Provides accurate status of all recipient FFRs.
  • Offers convenient online reporting capabilities.

Who can use the FFR module?

  • eRA Commons users who have the FSR role can access the module via Commons. Users will not see the FFR tab unless they have been assigned this role.
  • A Signing Official or Account Administrator can add the role to accounts in Commons to submit FFRs on behalf of the institution.