Common Budgetary Terms Explained December 2, 2021 Report This guide briefly explains—in plain language—the differences between some common budgetary terms. View Document View Document1.74 MB Summary This guide explains the differences between the following budgetary terms:Budget authority, obligations, and outlays;Authorization acts and appropriation acts;Discretionary and mandatory spending;Rescissions and reappropriations;Cash accounting, accrual accounting, and fair-value accounting;Revenues, offsetting collections, and offsetting receipts;Deficit and debt;On-budget and off-budget;Cost estimates, dynamic analysis, and scorekeeping; andCalendar year and federal fiscal year. Related Publications GlossaryJuly 19, 2016
This guide explains the differences between the following budgetary terms:Budget authority, obligations, and outlays;Authorization acts and appropriation acts;Discretionary and mandatory spending;Rescissions and reappropriations;Cash accounting, accrual accounting, and fair-value accounting;Revenues, offsetting collections, and offsetting receipts;Deficit and debt;On-budget and off-budget;Cost estimates, dynamic analysis, and scorekeeping; andCalendar year and federal fiscal year.
