Research and Career Opportunities in Statistical Auditing

• Activity Number: 406 - Research and Career Opportunities in Statistical Auditing
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Tuesday, July 31, 2018 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Statistical Auditing Interest Group
• Author(s): Edward Mulrow* and Ed Cohen* and Roger C. Pfaffenberger* and H. John Hilton*
• Companies: NORC, University of Chicago and Ernst & Young and Ryan, LLC and Office of the Auditor General of Canada
• Keywords: Statistical Auditing; Statistical Estimation; Audit Sampling

Abstract

The objectives of the contributed panel session are to promote statistical auditing as a career opportunity for statisticians and to present research opportunities associated with the design of audit sampling plans; sampling methodologies; and statistical estimators applied to audited results. Audit sampling applications include sales and use tax compliance, unclaimed property compliance, excise tax auditing for IRS and state tax compliance, and applications of audit sampling by financial regulatory institutions. The demand for statistical experts in audit sampling is expanding significantly as states and the IRS are initiating an increasing number of sample audits to assess tax compliance in an expanding variety of areas. The panel will discuss (1) applications of statistical auditing in their jobs; (2) educational requirements for statistical audit specialists; (3) wide variety and complexity of statistical auditing applications across the spectrum of federal, state, consulting firm and financial regulatory institutions; (4) statistical auditing for sales and use tax compliance; and (5) issues and research opportunities arising in statistical auditing applications.