Cash-flow standards clock

A standards clock separates authority by status and reporting date. Current Codification paragraphs govern current accounting. Historical standards can explain why the guidance exists. Research, tentative decisions, exposure drafts, and final amendments occupy separate lanes.

Record each dated lane

For each source, record its issuer, title, status, issue date, effective date, transition terms, and the entity's adoption decision. Link a current claim to the operative paragraph. For example, ASC 230-10-45-10 requires classification as operating, investing, or financing. A project page that discusses a different model cannot replace that paragraph.

The FASB removed the earlier targeted-improvements project from its technical agenda in April 2026 and continued broader statement-of-cash-flows work as research. On August 18, 2026, the Board issued a proposed Accounting Standards Update about cash-equivalent disclosures and the evaluation of certain digital assets. The proposal is more advanced than a tentative decision, but it is not a final Accounting Standards Update.

Stop proposed guidance from becoming current accounting

A workpaper should show three columns: current requirements, issued but not yet effective amendments, and research or proposals. An item moves between columns only when authoritative events support the move. A meeting date, staff paper, or proposed illustration is not an effective date.

Recheck the clock before release and whenever a source reaches its review date. State what remains pending. This control prevents a useful discussion of future reporting from becoming an unsupported entry, classification, or disclosure in the current financial statements.