The Audit Connection Blog

State Auditor Pat McCarthy standing in front of state capital in Olympia

State Auditor Pat McCarthy celebrates International Women's Day

As Washington’s first woman elected Washington State Auditor, Pat McCarthy joins the world in celebrating International Women’s Day today, March 8, 2024. ... CONTINUE READING

A photograph of a gavel set on piles of $100 bills.

Pierce County Superior Court Clerk’s Office lacked financial controls, safeguards for trust accounts, audit finds

An accountability audit of the Pierce County Superior Court Clerk’s Office found a significant lack of controls over financial operations, including taking not action to pay out several large accounts held in trust. ... CONTINUE READING

Photograph of a construction hat next to a pile of paper.

Read our updated best practices for tracking capital assets – it’ll help you for years to come

The State Auditor's Office has updated its Best Practices for Tracking Capital Asset Information. This updated resource includes time-saving ideas, suggestions for internal controls, different ways to record capital assets, and much more. ... CONTINUE READING

A photograph of a magnifying glass over two small houses sitting on stacks of coins.

Housing authority still without adequate financial controls, audit finds

A recent audit from the State Auditor's Office found the Pierce County Housing Authority needs to prioritize better financial controls to reduce the risk of another loss of public funds. ... CONTINUE READING

Photograph of a bag of coins that has a dollar sign on it. The bag is sitting next to a wooden carving of a government building.

Are you applying for new federal awards? Know the strings attached

This blog post from the State Auditor's Office poses 10 questions that local governments should consider before applying for and accepting a new federal award. ... CONTINUE READING

Cover sheet to Washington state's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) summary. It says "A look at how Washington managed public money in 2023: Annual Comprehensive Financial Report summary

Capital gains tax, Climate Commitment Act: See how these programs affected Washington's bottom line in fiscal year 2023

The 2023 ACFR infographic provides a snapshot of Washington's finances, including new revenues generated by the capital gains tax and Climate Commitment Act. ... CONTINUE READING

A photograph of a blank travel expense voucher for air travel, taxi and rental car.

Planes, trains and travel expenses: Upgrade your government’s internal controls with our updated resource

The State Auditor's Office has released its guide on best practices for travel expenses and other reimbursements. The updated guide includes a new section on common fraud schemes. ... CONTINUE READING

Cover for the 2023 State Auditor's Office annual report. It has a picture of the state Legislature on it, and includes the quote "We are the public's window into how tax money is spent."

Annual report: The Office of the Washington State Auditor’s window into public spending during 2023

The State Auditor’s Office invites you to scroll through an interactive report of our activities during fiscal year 2023. ... CONTINUE READING

A photograph of an hourglass in front of an analog clock.

Audit timeliness is a team effort post-pandemic

In this blog post, the Office of the Washington State Auditor explains how the increased number and size of federal grants to be audited has affected local governments’ federal single audits. ... CONTINUE READING

water sprays from broken pipe

Preserving drinkable water supplies requires updating state’s water efficiency efforts, performance audit finds

This performance audit from the State Auditor’s Office found the Department of Health could help water suppliers minimize the loss of drinkable water by managing supplier data and using industry leading practices. ... CONTINUE READING