(a) Audit required. Non-Federal entities that expend $300,000 or more in a year in Federal awards (or $500,000 for fiscal years ending after December 31, 2003) shall have a single or program-specific audit conducted for that year in accordance with the provisions of this part. Guidance on determining Federal awards expended is provided in § 99.205.

(b) Single audit. Non-Federal entities that expend $300,000 or more in a year in Federal awards (or $500,000 for fiscal years ending after December 31, 2003) shall have a single audit conducted in accordance with § 99.500 except when they elect to have a program-specific audit conducted in accordance with paragraph (c) of this section.

(c) Program-specific audit election. When an auditee expends Federal awards under only one Federal program (excluding R&D) and the Federal program's laws, regulations, or grant agreements do not require a financial statement audit of the auditee, the auditee may elect to have a program-specific audit conducted in accordance with § 99.235. A program-specific audit may not be elected for R&D unless all of the Federal awards expended were received from the same Federal agency, or the same Federal agency and the same pass-through entity, and that Federal agency, or pass-through entity in the case of a subrecipient, approves in advance a program-specific audit.

(d) Exemption when Federal awards expended are less than $300,000 (or $500,000 for fiscal years ending after December 31, 2003). Non-Federal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards (or $500,000 for fiscal years ending after December 31, 2003) are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in § 99.215(a), but records must be available for review or audit by appropriate officials of the Federal agency, pass-through entity, and Government Accountability Office (GAO).

(e) Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC). Management of an auditee that owns or operates a FFRDC may elect to treat the FFRDC as a separate entity for purposes of this part.