(a) A recipient may request a waiver of the 10% ceiling on LSC fund balances within 30 days after the submission to LSC of its annual audited financial statements. The request shall specify:

(1) The LSC fund balance as reported in the recipient's annual audited financial statements;

(2) The reason(s) for the excess fund balance;

(3) The recipient's plan for disposing of the excess fund balance during the current fiscal year;

(4) The amount of fund balance projected to be carried forward at the close of the recipient's current fiscal year; and

(5) The special circumstances justifying the retention of the excess fund balance up to 25%, or the extraordinary and compelling circumstances set out in § 1628.3(c) justifying a fund balance in excess of 25%.

(b) Within 45 days of receipt of the recipient's waiver request submitted pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the Corporation shall provide a written response to the request and a written notice to the recipient of any fund balance due and payable to the Corporation as well as the method for repayment.

(c) In the event that repayment is required, the Corporation shall give written notice 30 days prior to the effective date for repayment. Repayment shall be in a lump sum or by pro rata deductions from the recipient's grant checks for a specific number of months. The Corporation shall determine which of the specified methods of repayment is reasonable and appropriate in each case after consultation with the recipient.

(d) A recipient may submit a waiver request to retain a fund balance in excess of 25% of its LSC support prior to the submission of its audited financial statements. The Corporation may, at its discretion, provide approval in writing. The request shall specify the extraordinary and compelling circumstances justifying the fund balance in excess of 25%; the estimated fund balance that the recipient anticipates it will accrue by the time of the submission of its audited financial statements; and the recipient's plan for disposing of the excess fund balance. Upon the submission of its annual audited financial statements, the recipient must submit updated information consistent with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section to confirm the actual fund balance to be retained.

(e) The Corporation's written approval of a request for a waiver shall require that the recipient use the funds it is permitted to retain within the time period set out in the approval and for the purposes approved by the Corporation.

(f) Excess fund balances approved by the Corporation for expenditure by a recipient shall be separately reported by natural line item in the current fiscal year's audited financial statements. This may be done by establishing a separate fund or by providing a separate supplemental schedule as part of the audit report.

(g) The recipient shall promptly inform and seek guidance from the Corporation when it determines a need for any changes to the conditions on timing or purposes set out in the Corporation's written approval of a recipient's request for a waiver.

[65 FR 66642, Nov. 7, 2000, as amended at 80 FR 43968, July 24, 2015]