Title 31Money and FinanceRelease 119-73

§1555 Closing of appropriation accounts available for indefinite periods

Title 31 › Subtitle SUBTITLE II— - THE BUDGET PROCESS › Chapter CHAPTER 15— - APPROPRIATION ACCOUNTING › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER IV— - CLOSING ACCOUNTS › § 1555

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Close any indefinite government fund and cancel all remaining money, including promised amounts, if the agency head or President says its purpose is done and no payment occurred for two fiscal years.

Full Legal Text

Title 31, §1555

Money and Finance — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

An appropriation account available for obligation for an indefinite period shall be closed, and any remaining balance (whether obligated or unobligated) in that account shall be canceled and thereafter shall not be available for obligation or expenditure for any purpose, if—
(1)the head of the agency concerned or the President determines that the purposes for which the appropriation was made have been carried out; and
(2)no disbursement has been made against the appropriation for two consecutive fiscal years.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 1555(a)31:706(less proviso).July 25, 1956, ch. 727, § 6, 70 Stat. 649. 1555(b)31:706(proviso). In subsection (a), the words “indefinite period” are substituted for “not limited to a definite period of time” for consistency in the revised title. The words “consecutive fiscal years” are substituted for “full consecutive fiscal years” to eliminate an unnecessary word. In subsection (b), the words “or were heretofore withdrawn from the appropriation account by administrative action” are omitted as executed.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1990—Pub. L. 101–510 substituted “Closing of appropriation accounts available” for “Withdrawal of unobligated balances of appropriations” in section catchline and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “(a) An unobligated balance of an appropriation for an indefinite period shall be withdrawn in the way provided in section 1552(a)(2) of this title when the head of the agency concerned decides that the purposes for which the appropriation was made have been carried out or when no disbursement is made against the appropriation for 2 consecutive fiscal years. “(b) An amount of an appropriation withdrawn under this section may be restored to the applicable appropriation account to pay obligations and to settle accounts.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1990 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 101–510 applicable to any appropriation account the obligated balance of which, on Nov. 5, 1990, has not been transferred under section 1552(a)(1) of this title, as in effect Nov. 4, 1990, with transitional provisions, see section 1405(b) of Pub. L. 101–510, set out as a note under section 1551 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

31 U.S.C. § 1555

Title 31Money and Finance

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73