(1) All cost reports must be legible and reproducible. All entries must be in black or dark blue ink or submitted in an acceptable, indelible copy.

(2) All providers must complete reports according to the instructions provided by DSHS. If no specific instruction covers a particular situation, generally accepted accounting principles must be followed.

(3) All providers must use the accrual method of accounting, except for governmental institutions operated on a modified accrual basis.

(4) All revenue and expense accruals not received or paid within one hundred twenty days after the accrual is made must be reversed against the appropriate accounts, unless special circumstances are documented that justify continuing to carry all or part of the accrual (e.g., contested billings). Accruals for vacation pay, holiday pay, sick pay and taxes may be carried for longer periods if it is the provider's usual policy to do so and generally accepted accounting principles are followed.

(5) Methods of allocating costs, including indirect and overhead costs, must be consistently applied. Providers operating multiservice facilities or facilities incurring joint facility costs must allocate those costs according to the benefits received from the resources represented by those costs.