Rooted in Good Government

Good government is rooted in trust and transparency, with the Office of the Washington State Auditor playing a critical role through its core services — and it's important that Washingtonians understand how we do what we do and why.

Showing citizens how governments use public resources is one of our primary functions; when mismanagement occurs, the public needs to know. But our job doesn't stop there. We also support governments with resources so they can operate more effectively and efficiently.

With one audit, one resource, and one success story at a time, we sow the seeds of good government.

 

 

Want to learn more about our work and how we help local and state governments? Our mission is to provide independent and transparent examinations of how your government uses public funds. Learn what we do.

 

 

Looking for legislative content and our agency request bill? Head over to the Legislative Priorities webpage to learn about high-interest topics, legislation and more.

 

 

Interested in informative guides and other free resources to help your government? Our new Resource Library is designed to help your government operate more efficiently and effectively.

 

Learn more about how we keep local and state governments transparent and accountable

Our mission is to provide Washingtonians independent and transparent examinations of how state and local governments use public funds, and to develop strategies to help make government more efficient and effective. Follow through our “Anatomy of an audit” for an overview of how we audit governments, and learn how to report a concern if you suspect public resources are being misused.

Our work and services extend beyond auditing

When you hear “Washington State Auditor,” we're sure the first thing that comes to mind is, well, auditing. Maybe even tax audits. But our work is different – and deeper – than that. Our Center for Government Innovation is an SAO team that is solely dedicated to helping local governments help the people they serve by creating resources, trainings and tools based on research and feedback. Take a look!

Here's what we're working on

Along with continuing our financial and accountability audits of state and local governments, we plan to expand our performance audits and other specialized work including compliance audits of police use of deadly force investigations. Audits of IT systems and cybersecurity structures used in government operations are also areas of focus, as we continue to help make critical data more stable and secure for our state's citizens.

Who are we? #WeAreSAO

Get to know us! We have more than 400 auditors who help keep public dollars accounted for through their work. We share lots about who we are and what we do on social media, using the hashtag #WeAreSAO. Looking to join the team? Check out our openings.