About the Office
NEW MEXICO STATE AUDITOR
What does the State Auditor do?
The State Auditor is a constitutionally independent office that is responsible for reviewing, investigating, and holding accountable public and private entities that use our public dollars. The Office of the State Auditor was created to protect New Mexican taxpayers from financial fraud, abuse, negligence, and corruption. The Office is tasked with carrying out full or partial audits, establishing investigations on financial crimes, and advocating on behalf of the people for transparency and accountability.
Anything involving our public dollars can be reviewed and analyzed by the State Auditor. In most cases, the State Auditor commissions audits of programs or agencies that use taxpayer money. These audits are mainly conducted by contracted specialized private CPA firms. The Office also does independent audits for special investigations.
What does the State Auditor NOT do?
The State Auditor’s office is not a regulatory agency. The entities responsible for helping manage and regulate state finances are the NM Department of Finance and Administration, Legislative Finance Committee, NM State Budget Division, and the NM Regulation and Licensing Division.
How does the State Auditor affect you?
The State Auditor is the independent investigator of your tax dollars. In addition to ensuring public funds are spent appropriately and do not go to waste, the State Auditor can also review issues of equity and systemic injustices in our public spending. This can range from education, healthcare, examining taxpayer funded labor contracts for fair and equal pay, data privacy, and more.
