The Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General serves the people of Pennsylvania by being a watchdog for improving government accountability, transparency, and the effective use of state taxpayer dollars. The Department conducts a wide variety of audits to ensure that state funds are spent efficiently, effectively, and properly.

In addition to the thousands of audits we produce each year, we may review allegations of improper use of state tax dollars, if the subject of the audit is within our statutory authority, and our resources permit. If our review indicates possible misuse, we will consider incorporating the issue(s) into an audit or a special report. We do not have the authority to review the use of federal, county, or local tax dollars. The Department has no enforcement authority; when necessary, it will refer matters to law enforcement and/or investigatory authorities at the federal, state, and/or local levels.”

If your concern does not relate to state tax dollars, please review our list of other agencies that you may want to report the issue to.

You can report suspected misuse, fraud, or waste of state tax dollars:

What information to submit:

To facilitate the Department’s review of the information you report, please provide as much detail as possible concerning who, what, where, when, and why an issue should be reviewed, and how much money might be involved. Feel free to submit photos and supporting materials. Additionally, please be as specific as possible regarding how this matter relates to the receipt of Commonwealth monies. “Receipt of Commonwealth monies” means any funds received through an appropriation payable out of any fund in the State Treasury, including those coming out of the General Fund, any of the appropriated Special Funds, and/or other non-appropriated state funds, or any portion of any state tax.

We encourage individuals to submit any concerns about improper use of state tax dollars. Issues that fall outside the scope of state tax dollars cannot be reviewed by the Department.

Individuals may submit issues through the Hotline anonymously; the more information provided, the more thoroughly we may review the issue. The Department will maintain the anonymity of individuals who submit information in that manner to the extent permitted by law.

While the Department intends to make every reasonable effort to maintain confidentiality, there may be circumstances where we are required by law to provide information submitted to the Department to another entity. The Department may need to forward some information to other government departments that are relevant to a particular issue.

The Auditor General’s Office cannot give legal counsel or represent an individual in a legal setting.

The Department’s goal is to respond to every inquiry within 10 business days. A response may not be given under certain circumstances, including the following:

• Anonymous submission
• Inaccurate contact information provided
• Use of threatening language in the submission
• The Department previously responded to the individual regarding the same issue