The Audit Connection Blog
Reporting a known or suspected loss to SAO? Be ready for a few new questions
When your government becomes aware of a known or suspected loss of public funds, state law requires that you immediately report it to the State Auditor’s Office. If you’ve reported a loss in the past and are coming back to report something new, you may notice some new questions on the reporting form. ... CONTINUE READING
Join SAO and your colleagues in person at the 2022 WFOA Conference
For the first time in three years, the annual Washington Finance Officers Association conference will be live and in person Tuesday, Sept. 13 through Friday, Sept. 16 at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center. You can rest assured SAO will be bringing its ‘A’(udit) game with a variety of informative presentations. ... CONTINUE READING
New performance audit finds reduction in test sites, long delays are barriers for prospective home care aides
The Office of the Washington State Auditor’s new performance audit – I-1163: Addressing testing barriers for home care aides – found that home care aides face several barriers to becoming certified, including access to fewer tests sites and long testing delays. ... CONTINUE READING
SAO’s audit billing rates for 2023
SAO evaluates billing rates each summer, planning for the coming calendar year and accounting for legislative changes and other factors. The rate adjustment for 2023 is related to increased costs of both salaries and benefits. ... 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
Preparing your school district’s annual report? SAO’s updated tool can help
It’s that time of year when school districts begin preparing their financial statements. And, as we do every September, we updated our Checklist for Preparing and Reviewing School District Financial Statements to help you get ready. The 2021-2022 tool includes new questions on lease accounting, recording transactions as they occur, and non-routine events. ... CONTINUE READING
SAO is transitioning to SecureShare on Sept. 1
Earlier this summer we announced SAO would be phasing in SecureShare, our new data-sharing tool for audits. Starting Sept. 1, SecureShare will be our primary tool for exchanging audit information with state and local governments. ... CONTINUE READING
Are you at risk for wire transfer fraud? SAO’s new resource details best practices for protecting public money
Fraudsters are constantly evolving their wire fraud schemes, which is why you need to ensure your government has strong internal controls in place to prevent them. To help you, SAO has developed a new resource: Best Practices for Sending Wire Transfers. ... CONTINUE READING
Is your payroll process as secure and efficient as it could be? Find out with SAO’s suite of payroll resources
SAO has a suite of resources that can help you evaluate your payroll process and explore ways to improve it. Our guides, checklists and articles provide valuable advice that you can use right away to ensure your internal controls are keeping your government safe. ... CONTINUE READING
Your accounts payable process is vulnerable to fraud and error. SAO’s resources can help protect it
When was the last time you took a hard look at your accounts payable process to ensure it’s still designed appropriately and functioning properly? Over the last year, SAO has published several resources and blog articles to help you improve your accounts payable system. We’ve collected them all here so that you can quickly access them. ... CONTINUE READING