Funding Compliance and Obligations
Financial Accountability – Information for Services
This page provides information, guidance, frequently asked questions (FAQs) and resources to assist Approved Funded Providers in meeting their financial accountability obligations under the NSW Department of Education Early Childhood Education Grants Programs Funding Agreement.
About Financial Accountability
Financial Accountability Statements are completed and submitted through the Early Childhood Contract Management System (ECCMS) and provide assurance that public funding has been used in accordance with the Funding Agreement Terms and Conditions, Program Guidelines and approved spending rules
Information submitted through the Financial Accountability Statement enables the department to:
- verify that funding has been used for its intended purpose
- assess compliance with funding agreements and program guidelines
- identify unspent or ineligible funding
- determine whether further information or supporting evidence is required
- determine whether recovery of funding is required.
Submission of the annual Financial Accountability Statement is a mandatory requirement under the NSW Department of Education Early Childhood Education Grants Programs Funding Agreement Terms and Conditions.
Provider responsibilities
Approved Funded Providers are responsible for ensuring that each Financial Accountability Statement:
- is completed accurately and in full
- reflects actual expenditure incurred under the relevant funding program and funding year.
- complies with the Funding Agreement, Program Guidelines and spending rules
- is supported by appropriate financial records
- is submitted by the due date.
Funding is contingent on providers meeting their obligations under the Funding Agreement Terms and Conditions.
Before you begin
Before completing your Financial Accountability Statement, providers should:
- read the Financial Accountability Return Guide
- review the relevant Program Guidelines and Funding Agreement
- review the Funding Agreement
- ensure you have access to ECCMS
- have all supporting financial records available, including any financial statements required under the Tier 1 or Tier 2 financial reporting requirements (where applicable).
Supporting records may include:
- annual financial statements
- accounting records
- enrolment records
- payroll records
- invoices and receipts
- Fee Relief Declaration and Consent Forms (where applicable)
- statements issued to families showing Fee Relief applied
- any other documentation supporting expenditure.
Record-keeping obligations
Under the Funding Agreement, Approved Funded Providers are required to:
- maintain current, complete and accurate records relating to the Funding Agreement, including the receipt and expenditure of funding
- retain sufficient records to demonstrate that funding has been spent in accordance with the relevant Program Guidelines and Funding Agreement
- provide the department, upon request, with access to all relevant records, including administrative, enrolment, accounting and financial records, for the purpose of assurance, compliance, audit or funding review activities
- retain all records for seven (7) years after the end or termination of the Funding Agreement. If the provider ceases to operate, records must remain accessible to the department for the full seven-year retention period
- comply with any additional record-keeping requirements specified in the relevant Program Guidelines.
Accessing the Financial Accountability Statement
Financial Accountability Statements are completed online through the Early Childhood Contract Management System (ECCMS).
If your service received funding during the relevant funding period:
- an email notification will be sent to the primary contact recorded in ECCMS
- the Financial Accountability Statement will become available under the relevant Funding Specification.
SP-Admin users can also access outstanding statements from the ECCMS To Do List. Detailed instructions are available in the Financial Accountability Return Guide.
After you submit
Following submission, the department may:
- review the Financial Accountability Statement
- request clarification or additional information
- request supporting documentation
- identify unspent or ineligible funding
- undertake further assurance activities
- determine whether recovery of funding is required.
Where necessary, providers will be contacted before any compliance or funding decisions are made.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. All Financial Accountability Statements must be completed and submitted through ECCMS.
If your service received funding during the relevant funding period, ECCMS will automatically notify the primary contact recorded against your service if a Financial Accountability Statement is available.
Yes. A separate Financial Accountability Statement must be completed for each applicable funding program.
No. Funding cannot be transferred between different grant programs unless expressly permitted under the relevant Program Guidelines.
If you identify an error after submitting your Financial Accountability Statement, contact the Funding Compliance Team as soon as possible by emailing ECEAudit.funding@det.nsw.edu.au
Submission of the Financial Accountability Statement is a mandatory requirement under the Funding Agreement Terms and Conditions.
Failure to submit the required Financial Accountability Statement by the due date may result in compliance action under the Funding Agreement, including withholding current or future funding payments, recovery of funding, or other actions available to the department.
If your service has closed, transferred ownership, changed service type or ceased operating, contact the department as soon as possible by emailing ECEAudit.funding@det.nsw.edu.au
Need help?
Financial Accountability enquiries
For enquiries relating to:
- Financial Accountability Statement
- reporting requirements
- compliance requirements
- amendments
Program-specific enquiries
For enquiries relating to:
- program guidelines
- spending rules
- funding eligibility
- program-specific funding requirements
Please contact the relevant program team via:
Email: ecec.funding@det.nsw.edu.au
ECCMS technical support
For assistance with:
- logging into ECCMS
- myID or RAM access
- system errors or technical issues
Phone: 1800 619 113
Email: ecec.funding@det.nsw.edu.au