Authority and Housing Authority FAST Portal and Excel Template User Guide - Registering for FAST and Requesting Access

Sep 12, 2026

Guide explains how to register for the FAST portal by creating login credentials, completing the Profile with required contact and email confirmation, and then requesting access to a specific authority. It details how division staff verify requests, how approved users are notified, and how to access the authority and housing authority budget templates. It also provides step-by-step instructions for completing the Excel template, including tab usage, protected formulas, allowed data-entry cells, and key input fields.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryForms

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Registering for FAST and Requesting Access to your Authority

Registering for FAST

Requesting Access to your Authority

Accessing the Authority and Housing Authority Budget Templates

Completing the Authority and Housing Authority Budget Templates

Instructions tab

KEY INPUTS tab

Authority and Housing Authority FAST Portal and Excel Template User Guide Registering for FAST and Requesting Access to your Authority Registering for FAST: 1) Navigate to the FAST portal registration page. 2) On this page, enter your email address and create a username and password. 3) After entering the required information and clicking “Register”, you will land on your “Profile”. a. This page is where all contact information should be entered – first and last name, mailing address, and phone number. You will also be asked to confirm your email. b. This page can be accessed at any time by clicking on your name in the upper right corner of the screen and then selecting “Profile” from the dropdown menu. Requesting Access to your Authority: 1) Once you have registered for FAST and all contact information has been entered, click “Request Access” in the upper right corner of the screen. a. On the screen that appears, you will have the option to “Request Access to FAST” and“Request Access to Best Practices Inventory”. Select “Request Access to FAST”. Continued on next page: 2) On the screen that appears, click the magnifying glass next to the grey box labeled “Local Gov’t Entity”. Scroll or use the search bar to locate your authority or housing authority. 3) Once you have selected your local government entity, users who are employees of an authority must select one of the following roles: a. The “Executive Director/Finance Officer” role will allow for uploading documents and official submission of the budget package to the Division of Local Government Services. b. The “Preparer” role will allow users to upload documents to FAST, but not submit. 4) Auditors of record must select the “Auditor” role to be able to submit the annual Audit for their authority and housing authority clients when such records are available in FAST. 5) Click “Submit Request” once the above steps are completed. Division staff will verify requests for access with authority websites prior to providing access. Requestors will be notified via email when their request has been approved or denied. Accessing the Authority and Housing Authority Budget Templates The Authority and Housing Authority Budget templates are each a single Microsoft Excel template that consist of the previously used “Budget Form Workbook” and “Budget Package Document”. This updated template must be used exclusively by all authorities and housing authorities. The templates can be accessed from the following webpages: 1) Authority Budgets 2) FAST Updates 3) FAST Portal (must be registered and logged in) Completing the Authority and Housing Authority Budget Templates The templates consist of the same statutorily required pages as the previously used Excel workbook and Word document. Significant updates and important steps for completing the templates are highlighted below: 1) Upon opening the template, users will land on an “Instructions” tab, which highlights general rules for the document: a. The workbook is used for both introduction and adoption. After Division review of the budget has been completed, authorities should make a copy of the Division-approved introduced budget to be used as the starting point for the adopted budget. b. Because the workbook is now a single document, both amounts and other information are linked throughout the document. Only cells highlighted grey or yellow allow for data entry. c. All formulas and pages are protected. Please contact the Division for support if you have encountered a formula or other error. d. Users must start on the “KEY INPUTS” tab of the template, where significant information is entered and carried throughout the workbook. This page is not required to be printed as part of your official authority budget, but is essential to completing the workbook. e. When copying from other documents and pasting to the template, users must select“Paste Values” as regular “Copy and Paste” coul

FAQs

How do users register for the FAST portal?

Users navigate to the FAST portal registration page, enter an email address, create a username and password, and click “Register” to land on the “Profile” page.

What information must be completed in the Profile before requesting access?

Users must enter required contact information such as first and last name, mailing address, and phone number, and confirm their email.

Which Excel cells allow data entry when completing the budget templates?

Only cells highlighted grey or yellow allow data entry, while formulas and pages are protected; users should contact the Division for support if an error occurs.

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Aria Callaghan