What is the purpose of a debt service fund does a debt service fund require budgeting?

The GFOA recommends that governments establish a plan for budgeting, allocating, and investing debt service funds to ensure that principal and interest payments are made timely, accurately, and in a cost-effective manner.

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Governments who issue debt have a responsibility to budget and manage their funds in a manner that assures timely and accurate payment of debt service on all forms of indebtedness, including bonds, notes, loans, etc. That responsibility also includes full use of funds for the benefit of the government until payment due date. Governments must also negotiate terms with counter-parties that serve both the government’s and bondholders’ needs in accordance with financing documents.

Failure to make timely and accurate debt service payments generally results in a default, which could trigger severe negative consequences for governments, such as debt acceleration, financial cost, ratings downgrades, reduced investor confidence, and impairment or loss of market access. In addition, the defaulted government may have to post a Material Event Notice on the MSRB’s EMMA page to disclose to investors their failure to meet their debt service obligations and disclose such failure in future offering statements for new public market debt for the next five years.

Debt service refers to the money that a person, business, or government needs in order to cover the payments on a loan or other debt for a particular time period. A company's debt-service coverage ratio measures its ability to handle additional debt by comparing its available income to the amount it is currently paying to service its debts.

Debt service funds are not used to account for loans outstanding. Loans outstanding are only reported in a general, special revenue or proprietary fund type.

If bonds were issued for the loan program, debt service funds are not necessarily required. For proprietary fund reporting, both the bond liability on the balance sheet and the debt service payments on the operating statement are presented within the proprietary fund. Debt service payments may be reported in a general or special revenue fund with the bond liability presented in the long-term liabilities adjustment column for governmental activities.

A debt service fund may be used to report resources used and payment of debt service for bonds associated with the loan program for governmental activities. Debt service funds are required only if legally mandated or resources are being accumulated for future debt service payments. If used, the debt service funds do not present the loans outstanding. Resources obtained from the loan repayments for debt service payments are presented as transfers from the general or special revenue fund to the debt service fund.

Does a debt service fund require budgeting?

Also referred to as a sinking fund, debt service funds can help to lower the cost of debt by decreasing the risk associated with repayment. Yes, it does require budgeting for the amount of cash set aside, because the cash amount needs to be determined and set aside up front.

What is the purpose of a debt service fund?

General Debt Service Fund is used to account for the payment of principal and interest on the State's general debt and the payments on certain lease/purchase or other contractual obligations.

What is the purpose of a debt service fund quizlet?

A debt service fund exists to record and manage not only payments of principal and interest related to general long-term liabilities, but also to record and manage revenues restricted for debt repayment and other funds, such as interfund transfers, that will be used for those payments.

What is debt service in a budget?

Key Takeaways. Debt service refers to the money required to pay the principal and interest on an outstanding debt for a particular period of time.