(This post is based on an upcoming article in the Single Audit Information Service.) The Government Accountability Office is taking a unique approach to issuing the 2011 revision of the Government Auditing Standards. At press time, the GAO released an interim version of the 2011 revision with an eye toward releasing the final version later this year.

On Aug. 19, the GAO posted the interim version of the 2011 revision of the Government Auditing Standards, known in the auditing field as the Yellow Book, online at http://www.gao.gov/yellowbook. GAO Auditing Standards Specialist Michael Hrapsky said that while the interim version contains the intended final content for the 2011 revision, the GAO plans to issue the fully revised Yellow Book once the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has completed the revisions to its auditing standards. The GAO aims to keep its 2011 revision in line with other key auditing standards, such as those issued by the AICPA and the International Federation of Accountants.

Find out more about the current status of the Yellow Book in the September issue of the Single Audit Information Service, and updates will be included in future issues of the Service.