Yellow Book

Yellow Book Definition (in the Accounting Vocabulary)

The New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants offers the following definition of Yellow Book in a way that is easy for anybody to understand: Written by the GENERAL ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE, the yellow book sets forth standards to be followed in auditing the FINANCIAL STATEMENTS of entities that receive federal financial assistance. “Yellow Book” is the name given to “Government Auditing Standards” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States which contains standards for audits of government organizations, programs, activities and functions, and of government assistance received by contractors, nonprofit organizations and other nongovernment organizations.