The Audit Connection Blog
FIT Data Stories: Sales tax
Sales tax represents about a quarter of all city and town revenues, but did you know that three Washington cities or towns derive more than 50 percent of their total revenues from sales tax? Can you guess which ones and why? Unlock the answers to these questions and a world of other sales tax data stories by opening our interactive infographic based on data from the Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT). ... CONTINUE READING
Countdown to the annual report filing date has begun!
The countdown to the May 30th annual report filing date has begun. Interested in the progress local governments are making to meet this reporting deadline? Check out our interactive infographic to see how local governments across the state are doing. ... CONTINUE READING
Update on State Auditor’s Office efforts regarding data security incident
OLYMPIA – This week the Office of the Washington State Auditor will begin notifying people whose unemployment benefits claims information may have been affected by a security breach of the Accellion file transfer service. ... CONTINUE READING
Summary infographic of Washington's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report
Each year, as required by law, the state publishes its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) to provide information on the state’s financial position. To make this important information accessible to the broadest possible audience, the State Auditor’s Office prepares this CAFR summary to provide a snapshot of the state’s financial position, including revenues and expenditures, cash balances and debt. ... CONTINUE READING
Frequently asked questions regarding a data breach at SAO’s third-party service provider
The Office of the Washington State Auditor uses a third-party service provider, Accellion, to transmit data files in our audits. Accellion had a security incident in December, and announced it in January. On Monday, Feb. 1, Auditor Pat McCarthy announced that among other items, the information from 1.6 million unemployment claims might have been accessed by an unauthorized user. The investigation is ongoing. Here are some questons and answers about this breach. ... CONTINUE READING
Third-party service provider’s security incident compromised Washingtonians’ personal information
A security incident involving a third-party provider of hosted software services, which was used by the Office of the Washington State Auditor, might have exposed sensitive data belonging to Washingtonians. ... CONTINUE READING
Looking back and to the future in Center resources
As we enter the last quarter of 2021, we thought it would be a great time to look back at some key resources and give you a preview of what we're planning next. ... CONTINUE READING
Update: How SAO will audit Washington’s Employment Security Department in light of major unemployment fraud
At the State Auditor’s Office, we’ve heard from members of the public, the Legislature and the media interested to know about the work we are conducting at the state Employment Security Department (ESD). The agency was targeted in a major unemployment benefits fraud scheme earlier this year. SAO is conducting a series of audits of ESD to address three main areas of concern in the unemployment insurance program. ... CONTINUE READING
Auditor McCarthy joins national association’s executive committee
Washington State Auditor Pat McCarthy has been appointed to the executive committee of the National State Auditors Association. The nonpartisan group represents state auditors’ interests in financial management and provides training and resources to professionals in the field. ... CONTINUE READING
These acts of insurrection cannot stand. All Americans must condemn them.
"In light of the horrific attack yesterday on our nation’s Capitol, it is incumbent on every American to condemn these actions. I condemn them in the strongest terms." ... CONTINUE READING