The Audit Connection Blog
New reference guide clarifies the relationship between county treasurers and the special purpose districts they serve
SAO has researched the requirements governing the sometimes-confusing relationship between county treasurers and special purpose districts. This resource is meant to help clarify each party's fiscal duties and the state rules that apply to them. ... CONTINUE READING
Are your ACH internal controls strong enough to protect you from fraudsters? SAO has a new resource to help you
Fraudsters can impersonate your employees and vendors to redirect Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments meant for payroll direct deposits or vendor payments. You need to stay vigilant and ensure your government has strong internal controls. To help you, SAO has developed a new guide that offers advice on developing ACH payment process policies and employee training, establishing a verification process, and monitoring for unauthorized payee account changes. ... CONTINUE READING
Annual report filing campaign wrap-up: Is your FIT listing accurate?
The annual report filing campaign has wrapped up, but with your financial data now living in SAO's Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT) - compared across more than 2,200 Washington local governments - there's still one question worth asking: is your public-facing FIT listing accurate? ... CONTINUE READING
Repeated misappropriations in Springdale add another case to recent catalog of small-town losses
Today our Office issued its third fraud investigation report in less than a decade for the town of Springdale, population 300. Two previous reports included misappropriations by the town clerk treasurer and mayor, and today's report concludes the same clerk treasurer previously investigated misappropriated an additional $51,173. ... CONTINUE READING
State’s school funding IT system outdated and at risk of failure, audit finds
The Office of the Washington State Auditor has completed the first comprehensive review of the IT system used to distribute funding to Washington’s 300 schools and districts, serving 1 million students. Our Office that this 17-year-old system, operated by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), is outdated and at risk of failure. ... CONTINUE READING
WASBO 2026: your go-to guide for school district resources
The Washington Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) is holding its annual conference this week in Tacoma, and team SAO will be there sharing the latest on financial reporting and auditing topics specifically for school districts. Throughout the conference and beyond, this webpage serves as a hub for helpful articles, tools, resources and guidance created to support school business officials across Washington – covering timely topics and offering references you can return to whenever you need them. ... CONTINUE READING
Did you know you need to report all personal purchases made on a government credit card to SAO?
Regardless of whether the employee responsible for the loss paid it back, or the government sought recovery from their bank or insurance company, it must be reported to SAO. ... CONTINUE READING
We want to hear from you: Take our public awareness survey today
The Office of the Washington State Auditor has launched a short, anonymous survey open to all Washington residents age 18 and older. We want to understand what matters most to you in your community, how you engage with government, and how we can communicate more clearly about our work and its impact on your daily life. ... CONTINUE READING
How to wrap up financial loose ends after an employee leaves
There is much to think about when employees leave your employment, including hiring and training new employees and divvying up duties in the meantime. This article outlines several financial areas you should review when an employee leaves. ... CONTINUE READING
Audit finds limited progress in police training required under the Law Enforcement Training and Community Safety Act
A new performance audit published by our Office finds that Washington’s police officers are far from completing additional training mandated by Initiative 940, with only 14% of new officers having completed the full 40 hours of training by their required deadline. ... CONTINUE READING