Types of Audits
Financial Statement Audits
The Office of the State Auditor performs financial statement audits for the State
of North Carolina, state agencies, state universities, community colleges and other
units of state government. The objective of a financial statement audit is to determine
whether an agency’s financial statements are fairly presented. The audit does not
determine with absolute certainty that the financial statements are totally correct.
Rather, the audit provides reasonable assurance that the financial statements are
not wrong by an amount so large that it would mislead someone using them to make
an important decision about the organization’s financial situation.
To see a list of financial statement audits, click here.
Performance / Financial Related Audits
Performance and Financial Related audits provide independent and objective appraisals
of agency management practices and operational results to state leaders and the
public. They help improve performance, strengthen accountability, and enhance transparency
of state government programs. Performance audits evaluate broad topics that
could include program outcome, while Financial Related Audits have narrower
scopes and do not evaluate program outcomes.
To see a list of Performance Audits, click here.
For a list of Financial Related Audits, click here.
Information Systems Audits
Information Systems audits evaluate risks relevant to information systems assets
and assess controls in place to reduce or mitigate these risks. IS auditors also
verify systems and applications are appropriate for agency needs, are efficient,
and are adequately controlled to ensure valid, reliable, timely operation.
To see a list of Information Systems Audits, click here.
Investigative Reports
Investigators within the Office of the State Auditor are required by state law to
investigate any allegations made to the State Auditor’s Hotline. These allegations
include instances of fraud, waste and abuse of state tax dollars within government
agencies and by private groups that receive state money or other support. The allegations
are often referred to law enforcement agencies for additional investigation or prosecution.
While many of our investigators are trained as auditors, they do not conduct audits.
They are charged with investigating wrongdoing and use a variety of techniques to
produce their reports.
To see a list of Investigative Reports, click here.
CPA Audits
Audits with the CPA designator on our website include financial statement audits
of community colleges, occupational licensing boards, or component units of the
state, that are conducted on behalf of those agencies by private CPA firms. The
Office of the State Auditor receives these audits and publishes them online for
informational purposes. We do not verify the accuracy of reports not performed by
our auditors.
To see a list of CPA Audits, click here.