30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Financial Documentation for the HUGS Recipient Portal

Issuing agencies

Abstract

HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comments from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 30 days of public comment.

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 209 (Friday, October 30, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 209 (Friday, October 30, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68540-68541]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-22135]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7107-N-29; OMB Control No.: 2535-New]


30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Financial 
Documentation for the HUGS Recipient Portal

AGENCY: Office of Policy Development and Research, Chief Data Officer, 
HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comments 
from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. 
The purpose of this notice is to allow for 30 days of public comment.

DATES: Comments due November 30, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Guido, PRA Compliance Officer, 
Paperwork Reduction Act Division (PRAD), Department of Housing and 
Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 8210, Washington, DC 20410; 
email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#feae9f8e9b8c89918c95ac9b9a8b9d8a979190bf9d8ab19898979d9bbe968b9ad0999188"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="336352435641445c41586156574650475a5c5d7250477c55555a5056735b46571d545c45">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>, ATTN: Anna Guido, 
telephone (202) 402-5535. This is not a toll-free number. HUD welcomes 
and is prepared to receive calls from individuals who are deaf or hard 
of hearing, as well as individuals with speech or communication 
disabilities. To learn more about how to make an accessible telephone 
call, please visit <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs">https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs</a>.
    Available documents submitted to OMB can be found in the docket 
file on <a href="http://reginfo.gov">reginfo.gov</a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice informs the public that HUD is 
seeking approval from OMB for the information collection described in 
Section A. The Federal Register notice that solicited public comment on 
the information collection for a period of 60 days was published on 
July 8, 2026 at 91 FR 42209.

A. Overview of Information Collection

    Title of Information Collection: Financial Documentation for the 
HUGS Recipient Portal.
    OMB Approval Number: 2535-New.
    Type of Request: New.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: HUD 
is implementing the HUGS Recipient Portal to strengthen its oversight 
and stewardship of Federal grant funds and improve visibility into the 
use of those funds. The proposed information collection would require 
recipients of covered HUD grant awards to submit financial and 
supporting documentation associated with grant expenditures through the 
Recipient Portal. This may include: invoices and vendor billings; proof 
of payment and disbursement records; payroll or cost allocation 
documentation; subrecipient cost documentation; invoices for vendor and 
subcontractor spending made by the recipient and the subrecipient and 
other supporting documentation identified by HUD and described in the 
regulations. HUD will use the information to substantiate expenditures, 
support monitoring and oversight activities, assess financial and 
compliance risks, and identify transactions or patterns that may 
warrant additional review. HUD will publish forthcoming implementation 
guidance that will provide additional details regarding the submission 
of financial documentation through the HUGS Recipient Portal, including 
details on scope and applicability, the Recipient Portal, submission 
frequency, required financial and supporting documentation, privacy 
safeguards, and additional resources.
    This information collection aligns with cross-government priorities 
to strengthen stewardship of Federal funds and better identify and 
address potential fraud, waste, and abuse in a timely manner. The 
information collection is also supported by several key provisions of 
Part 200 of Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR 200):
    <bullet> 2 CFR 200.208 (Specific conditions) authorizes Federal 
agencies to impose additional requirements, including requiring 
additional or more detailed record production and financial reports, 
when appropriate.
    <bullet> 2 CFR 200.302 (Financial management) requires recipients 
to maintain records identifying the amount, source, and expenditure of 
Federal funds and to support records with source documentation.
    <bullet> 2 CFR 200.328 (Financial reporting) requires Federal 
agencies and pass-through entities to collect financial reports no less 
than annually and no more than quarterly unless a specific condition 
has been implemented in accordance with 2 CFR 200.208.
    <bullet> 2 CFR 200.334 (Record retention requirements) requires 
recipients and subrecipients to retain Federal award records, including 
financial records and supporting documentation, generally for three 
years following submission of the final financial report; and
    <bullet> 2 CFR 200.337 (Access to records) provides Federal 
agencies and their authorized representatives the right of access to 
any records of the recipient or subrecipient that are pertinent to a 
Federal award for audits, site visits, or any other official use.
    The Recipient Portal is not a reaction to an individual incident of 
fraud, waste, abuse, or noncompliance, though there are well-reported 
incidents across HUD programs. However, HUD usually does not find these 
issues until well after the fact, so there is a need for proactive 
monitoring that this information collection will allow. HUD also 
clarifies that this information collection will not impact existing

[[Page 68541]]

reimbursement or draw-down processes; required financial and supporting 
documentation will be submitted on a quarterly basis, not prior to the 
disbursement or voucher payment.
    HUD has considered feedback, including concerns that HUGS 
duplicates existing oversight requirements and recommendations that it 
be limited only to certain grantees through a risk-based approach. 
However, while HUD already has important controls, including payment 
systems, program reporting, audits, and monitoring, these mechanisms 
were developed for different purposes and do not provide a consistent 
Department-wide view of supporting transactions and documentation. The 
proposed collection supports expenditure substantiation, monitoring, 
risk assessment, and stewardship of Federal funds by providing a more 
complete understanding of how award funds are spent. Over time, HUD 
anticipates that this collection and its broader grants modernization 
efforts may allow existing financial monitoring collections or 
processes to be consolidated or replaced where appropriate.
    HUD also received feedback on the burden estimate and has updated 
the calculation accordingly. Recipients are already required to 
maintain financial records and supporting source documentation 
associated with their Federal awards as established in 2 CFR 200. The 
proposed collection generally requires submission of applicable records 
recipients maintain in the ordinary course of administering those 
awards; it does not require recipients to create a new financial 
analysis, recalculate expenditures, or manipulate the underlying 
financial information into a new format solely for submission to HUD. 
HUD recognizes, however, that identifying, organizing, digitizing where 
necessary, and submitting applicable documentation through the 
Recipient Portal requires administrative effort and that this effort 
may vary by recipient and program. Therefore, clear, proactive 
communication is essential. HUD is preparing for full engagement with 
grantees and industry and has engaged a technical assistance provider 
to guide grantees through the transition with hands-on support and 
training. After consideration, HUD has determined that the documents 
that HUD seeks through HUGS are authorized by existing law as described 
above.

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                                      Number of       Frequency of     Response per   Burden hour per   Annual burden   Hourly cost per
      Information collection         respondents        response          annum           response          hours           response       Annual cost
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    Total........................          30,000                4          120,000                4          480,000           $45.10      $21,648,000
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B. Solicitation of Public Comment

    This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and 
affected parties concerning the collection of information described in 
Section A on the following:
    (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond; including through the use of appropriate 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.
    HUD encourages interested parties to submit comments in response to 
these questions.

C. Authority

    44 U.S.C. 3507.

Anna Guido,
Department PRA Compliance Officer, Office of Policy Development and 
Research, Chief Data Officer.
[FR Doc. 2026-22135 Filed 10-29-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P


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