Guidance

DHSC agreement of balances: accounting group

Practical guidelines to complete the exercises for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) accounting group agreement of balances.

This publication was withdrawn on

This page has been withdrawn because it’s out of date. From 2023 to 2024 the DHSC agreement of balances guidance is made available directly to DHSC group bodies.

Documents

Details

This guidance is for Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) group bodies such as NHS England.

The agreement of balances process seeks to identify all income and expenditure, transactions, and payable and receivable balances that arise from the contracts for the provision of goods and services between DHSC group bodies.

Published 16 December 2016
Last updated 6 March 2023 + show all updates
  1. Updated guidance documents and timetable added for the agreement of balances 2022 to 2023 quarter 4 (month 12) exercise: ‘Agreement of balances 2022 to 2023: quarter 4 (month 12) update’, 'Agreement of balances 2022 to 2023: quarter 4 (month 12) timetable', 'Agreement of balances 2022 to 2023: quarter 4 (month 12) guidance', 'Appendix 2: specialised commissioner hub to provider matrix - 2022 to 2023 quarter 4 (month 12)','Appendix 5: CCG to ICB matrix – 2022 to 2023 quarter 4 (month 12)’

  2. Added ‘Agreement of balances 2022 to 2023: quarter 3 (month 9) update’ and ‘Agreement of balances 2022 to 2023: quarter 3 (month 9) timetable’ to reflect updates from month 6, and key dates and deadlines for agreement of balances exercise.

  3. Removed all documents for financial year 2021 to 2022. Added 5 documents: ‘Agreement of balances guidance 2022 to 2023’, ‘Agreement of balances 2022 to 2023: quarter 2 (month 6) update’, ‘Agreement of balances 2022 to 2023: quarter 2 (month 6) timetable’, ‘Appendix 2: specialised commissioner hub to provider matrix – 2022 to 2023 quarter 2 (month 6)', ‘Appendix 5: CCG to ICB matrix – 2022 to 2023 quarter 2 (month 6)’.

  4. New guidance documents and timetable added for the agreement of balances 2022 to 2023 quarter 1 (month 3) exercise: 'Agreement of balances 2022 to 2023: quarter 1 (month 3) timetable', 'Agreement of balances 2022 to 2023: quarter 1 (month 3) guidance', 'Appendix 2: specialised commissioner hub to provider matrix - 2022 to 2023 quarter 1 (month 3)'.

  5. Updated Agreement of balances guidance 2021 to 2022 to reflect the agreement threshold for month 12 exercise. Updated Appendix 2: specialised commissioner hub to provider matrix to include new providers. Added Agreement of balances 2021 to 2022: quarter 4 (month 12) update and Agreement of balances 2021 to 2022: quarter 4 (month 12) timetable to reflect updates from month 09, key dates and deadlines for agreement of balances exercise. Removed Agreement of balances 2021 to 2022: quarter 3 (month 9) update and Agreement of balances 2021 to 2022: quarter 3 (month 9) timetable.

  6. Updated “Agreement of balances guidance 2021 to 2022” to reflect the agreement threshold for month 9 exercise. Updated “Appendix 2: specialised commissioner hub to provider matrix” to include new providers. Added “Agreement of balances 2021 to 2022: quarter 3 (month 9) update” and “Agreement of balances 2021 to 2022: quarter 3 (month 9) timetable” to reflect updates from month 6, key dates and deadlines for agreement of balances exercise. Removed “Agreement of balances 2021 to 2022: quarter 2 (month 6) update” and “Agreement of balances 2021 to 2022: quarter 2 (month 6) timetable”.

  7. Removed all documents for financial year 2020 to 2021. Added 4 documents: 'Agreement of balances guidance 2021 to 2022', 'Appendix 2: specialised commissioner hub to provider matrix', 'Agreement of balances 2021 to 2022: quarter 2 (month 6) update' and 'Agreement of balances 2021 to 2022: quarter 2 (month 6) timetable'.

  8. Updated ‘Agreement of balances guidance 2020 to 2021’ to reflect the agreement threshold for the month 12 exercise and invoice prefix for Public Health England. Updated ‘Appendix 2: specialised services provider to commissioning hub matrix’ to include new providers. Added 2 documents: ‘Agreement of balances 2020 to 2021: quarter 4 (month 12) update’ and ‘Agreement of balances 2020 to 2021: quarter 4 (month 12) timetable’. Removed ‘Agreement of balances 2020 to 2021: quarter 3 (month 9) update’ and ‘Agreement of balances 2020 to 2021: financial year quarter 3 timetable’.

  9. Updated 'Agreement of balances guidance 2020 to 2021' to reflect the agreement threshold for month 9 exercise. Updated 'Appendix 2: specialised commissioner hub to provider matrix' to include new providers. Updated 'Agreement of balances 2020 to 2021: quarter 3 (month 9)' and 'Agreement of balances 2020 to 2021: financial year quarter 3 timetable' to reflect key dates and deadlines for agreement of balances.

  10. Removed all documents for financial year 2019 to 2020. Added 4 documents: 'Agreement of balances guidance 2020 to 2021', 'Appendix 2: specialised commissioner hub to provider matrix', 'Agreement of balances 2020 to 2021: quarter 2 (month 6) update' and 'Agreement of balances 2020 to 2021: financial year quarter 2 timetable'.

  11. Updated the quarter 4 timetable. This has been revised due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

  12. Changes have been made to the attachment 'Appendix 2'. Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has been removed as it now forms part of Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and North Cumbria University Hospital NHS Trust merged on 1 October 2019, forming North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust.

  13. The attachment 'Agreement of balances 2019 to 2020: quarter 4 (month 12) update' has been added.

  14. 'Agreement of balances guidance 2019 to 2020' has been updated throughout. 'Appendix 2: specialised services provider to commissioning hub matrix' has been updated for the 2019 to 2020 month 9 agreement of balances exercise. 'Agreement of balances 2019 to 2020: quarter 3 (month 9) update' has been added as a new document.

  15. Added 2 documents: 'Agreement of balances 2019 to 2020: financial year quarter 3 (month 9) timetable' and 'Agreement of balances 2019 to 2020 quarter 4 timetable'. These replaced the 2018 to 2019 documents.

  16. Additional information has been added to paragraphs 6.53, 6.54 and 6.55.

  17. Two attachments that were removed on 23 September 2019 have been added back to the page: 'Agreement of balances 2018 to 2019: financial year quarter 3 timetable' and 'Agreement of balances 2018 to 2019: financial year quarter 4 timetable'.

  18. Added 4 documents: 'Agreement of balances 2019 to 2020: financial year quarter 2 timetable', 'Agreement of balances 2019 to 2020 quarter 2 (month 6) update', 'Agreement of balances guidance 2019 to 2020' and 'Appendix 2 specialised services provider to commissioning hub matrix'. These replaced the 2018 to 2019 documents.

  19. Added updated 'Agreement of balances guidance 2018 to 2019' and 'Appendix 2: Specialised services provider to commissioning hub matrix'. Added a new document: 'Agreement of balances 2018 to 2019: quarter 4 (month 12) update'.

  20. Added updated 'Agreement of balances guidance 2018 to 2019' and 'Appendix 2: NHS specialised providers'.

  21. Added 'Agreement of balances 2018 to 2019: financial year quarter 3 timetable' and 'Agreement of balances 2018 to 2019: financial year quarter 4 timetable'.

  22. Two documents removed, to be replaced in the near future: 1) 'Agreement of balances 2018 to 2019: financial year quarter 4 timetable' and 2) 'Agreement of balances 2018 to 2019: financial year quarter 3 timetable'.

  23. Added 'Agreement of balances 2018 to 2019: financial year quarter 3 timetable' and 'Agreement of balances 2018 to 2019: financial year quarter 4 timetable'.

  24. Added 'Agreement of balances guidance 2018 to 2019' and appendices, and 'Agreement of balances 2018 to 2019: quarter 2 (month 6) update'. Removed ‘Agreement of balances guidance 2017 to 2018: quarter 4’ and ‘Agreement of balances 2017 to 2018: quarter 4 update’.

  25. Added 'Agreement of balances 2018 to 2019: financial year quarter 2 timetable' and removed timetables, appendix and annex for 2017 to 2018, and NHS statement template.

  26. Added ‘Agreement of balances 2017 to 2018: quarter 4 update’ to replace the quarter 3 update.

  27. Added ‘Agreement of balances guidance 2017 to 2018: quarter 4’ to replace ‘Agreement of balances guidance 2017 to 2018: month 9’, and updated and replaced Appendix 2, Annex 5 and ‘Agreement of balances 2017 to 2018: financial year quarter 4 timetable’.

  28. Updated 'Agreement of balances 2017 to 2018: financial year quarter 3 timetable' and 'Agreement of balances 2017 to 2018: financial year quarter 4 timetable'.

  29. Added '2017 to 2018 agreement of balances guidance: month 9'

  30. Appendices 2 and 5 have been updated and replaced. 'Agreement of balances 2017 to 2018: quarter 3 update' has been added.

  31. Added Q3 and Q4 timetables.

  32. Updated with the Agreement of Balances Guidance 2017 to 2018.

  33. Added documents: appendix 2, appendix 5 and NHS statement template.

  34. Replaced 2016 to 2017 documents with first timetable for the 2017 to 2018 financial year.

  35. Replaced and updated the Q3 guidance with guidance for Q4.

  36. Added document: NHS receivables statement 2016 to 2017: financial year quarter 3 template

  37. First published.