FY 2022-23 Year End Financial Summary (PDF)
The attached reports contain summaries of statewide General Fund revenue and expenditures activities for fiscal year 2022-23. (Aug. 14, 2023)
State Spent $47.0 Million on Travel in Fiscal Year 2022 (PDF)
State agencies collectively tripled their spending on travel in fiscal year 2022 compared to amounts spent a year earlier. Eckstrom challenges agency directors to cut travel spending at least 5%. (Nov. 3, 2022)
Strengthen the Retirement System by Reducing its Debt (PDF)
State government ended fiscal year 2021-22 on June 30, 2022, with a balance of surplus funds never before seen in South Carolina's nearly 250 year history. (Aug. 17, 2022)
State Comptroller General's Office Receives Top Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting (PDF)
The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has given SC state government top honors for the quality of its 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), awarding the state the GFOA's Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. (Jul. 29, 2022)
S.C. Has Nation's Best Financial Report Publication Time (PDF)
The group Truth in Accounting released that the state's 2020 comprehensive annual financial report is the nation's best - nearly 11 weeks better than the national average. (Oct. 4, 2021)
S.C. Comptroller Richard Eckstrom to Lead National Group (PDF)
S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom is the new leader of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT). (Aug. 24, 2021)
Comptroller Warns of Ticking Time Bomb in State Pension Plans (PDF)
The S.C. Comptroller’s Office closed the books today on state government’s fiscal year that ended June 30, 2021 (FY 2021) with a $1.024 billion General Fund surplus. But Comptroller General Eckstrom warns of "ticking time bomb" in state pension plans. (Aug. 12, 2021)
S.C. Stands Its Ground Against COVID-19 (PDF)
The S.C. Comptroller's Office closed the books today on state government's fiscal year that ended June 30, 2020 (FY 2020). The state has finished the year with a surplus of $672 million plus a balance of $103 million in its Contingency Reserve. These are critical resources to state government as it continues facing the significantly increased costs and decreased revenues caused by COVID-19. (Aug. 27, 2020)
S.C. Ends Fiscal Year With $350 Million Surplus (PDF)
The Comptroller General’s Office has closed the state’s books for the 2018-19 fiscal year, which ended June 30. General fund revenues grew by 8.6 percent over the previous year’s revenues. South Carolina ended the fiscal year with $350 million of remaining revenue surplus. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom urges lawmakers to apply funds towards the $24 billion pension funding shortfall. (Aug. 14, 2019)
The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada has awarded South Carolina top honors for its 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, marking the 31st consecutive year the state has received the award. (May 1, 2019)
State Ends 2018 Fiscal Year with $177 Million Surplus (PDF)
The Comptroller General's Office has closed the state's books for the 2017-18 fiscal year that ended June 30, announcing a $177 million surplus resulting from growth in general fund revenues. But Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom cautioned the General Assembly against viewing this surplus as an opportunity for a spending spree and instead urged lawmakers to use it to shore up the state's reserves or to pay down its long-term unfunded pension obligations to state employee retirees. (Aug. 14, 2018)
SC Ranks No. 9 in National Review of State Transparency Websites (PDF)
State Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom’s S.C. Fiscal Transparency Website ranks No. 9 nationally in a new report evaluating the quality and user-friendliness of all 50 states’ transparency websites. The report lauds South Carolina as an “advancing state” in the field of government financial transparency available online, noting that the Palmetto State employs best practices with a variety of its website features. (May 22, 2018)
Eckstrom's Office Earns 30th Consecutive Financial Reporting Award (PDF)
The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting is the most prestigious accolade in governmental accounting, and S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom’s office has now received this award for 30 consecutive years. (March 14, 2018)
Eckstrom Kicks Off Online Gasoline Tax Reporting (PDF)
South Carolina motorists began paying 2 cents more per gallon for fuel plus several vehicle-related fee increases July 1, the first phase in a six-year series of tax and fee hikes that are expected to raise billions of dollars to fix and maintain the state’s roads and bridges. So how much new tax money has been generated? How much has been spent? And what has this new money been spent on? State Comptroller Richard Eckstrom is aware that the taxpayers of South Carolina are asking themselves these questions, and starting today he is providing the answers. (Feb. 22, 2018)
State Spent $85.7 Million on Travel in Fiscal Year 2016-17 (PDF)
State entities spent $85.7 million on travel during the fiscal year that ended June 30, state Controller Richard Eckstrom announced in issuing the 2017 State Travel Report. Total travel spending increased $4.6 million over the $81.1 million that state entities spent a year earlier (increased 5.7 percent), while the state's general fund revenues increased by only 4.3 percent. (Nov. 2, 2017)
Eckstrom to Post Gas Tax-Hike Spending Online to Boost Oversight, Accountability (PDF)
"Many South Carolinians were understandably concerned about the increased burden the new law places on them with these new taxes and fees," S.C. Controller Richard Eckstrom said of his latest fiscal transparency project. "At the very least, they deserve to see how this money is spent." (Aug. 18, 2017)
State Revenues Sputter Along, Continuing Recent Trend of Slowing Growth (PDF)
With the growth rate in state revenues declining for the second consecutive year, state leaders must adopt a more disciplined, comprehensive, and long-term approach to the state's public pension debt and other fiscal challenges, S.C. Controller General Eckstrom said in announcing his office's closing of the state's books for the 2016-17 fiscal year. (Aug. 15, 2017)
Eckstrom Adds 'Outside the Box' Information to SC Fiscal Transparency Website (PDF)
In an effort to continue enhancing government transparency in South Carolina, state Controller Richard Eckstrom's office has added new public interest information to the S.C. Fiscal Transparency Website. This additional information goes beyond the website's existing disclosures, which focus primarily on expenditures by state agencies. (June 27, 2017)
SC Earns Financial Reporting Award for 29th Consecutive Year (PDF)
For the 29th consecutive year, S.C. Controller Richard Eckstrom's office has received a prestigious national award for the high quality of the state's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) the office prepares. This record is increasingly notable because the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, which establishes guidelines for the CAFR, continues to issue new requirements. (May 18, 2017)
State Entities Spent $81.1 Million on Travel in 2016 (PDF)
State entities spent a total of $81.1 million on travel during the fiscal year that ended June 30, S.C. Controller Richard Eckstrom announced in issuing the 2016 State Travel Report. This year's travel spending increased $5.6 million (a 7.4 percent increase) over the $75.5 million that state entities spent in 2015, while the state's general fund revenues increased by only 4.5 percent from last year. (Nov. 1, 2016)
Closing the state's books for fiscal year 2015-16, S.C. Controller Richard Eckstrom says revenue growth is slowing and surpluses should be used to increase the state's reserves as it faces legal obligations of more than $30 billion in unfunded retirement benefits for public sector employees. (Aug. 15, 2016) More
City of Lancaster, Oconee County Boost Local Government Spending Transparency Movement (PDF)
The City of Lancaster and Oconee County are the latest additions to a growing list of local governments across South Carolina that provide access to their check registers online. (May 12, 2016)
Eckstrom Issues State Travel Report for Fiscal 2015 (PDF)
S.C. Controller Richard Eckstrom has issued the latest state Travel Report detailing amounts spent on travel by every state agency in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2015. For Eckstrom, reporting this information to the public is an important part of his efforts to promote and expand government financial transparency in South Carolina. (Nov. 2, 2015)
The State Accident Fund today joins a short list of state entities that remain out of compliance with legally required financial reporting deadlines. The two other entities on the list are S.C. State University and Denmark Technical College whose timely reporting problems continue. (Oct. 16, 2015)
S.C. State University, Denmark Technical College and the South Carolina Joint Underwriting Association have missed their legally required financial reporting deadlines for fiscal year 2014-15, state Controller Richard Eckstrom announced today. (Oct. 14, 2015)
Eckstrom Acts to Hold State Agencies Accountable for Financial Reporting Deadlines(PDF)
Acting to hold state entities accountable for their financial reporting deadlines under South Carolina law, state Controller Richard Eckstrom has begun publicly announcing agencies that fail to submit their required audited financial statements to his office by the due dates established by the S.C. General Assembly. (Oct. 12, 2015)
2015 Revenue Collections Up 7.3 Percent Over Previous Fiscal Year (PDF)
State Comptroller Richard Eckstrom announced today that revenue collections for state government's General Fund increased a robust $472 million, or 7.3 percent, over the previous fiscal year. Most of that growth came from increased individual income tax receipts ($238 million or 8.1 percent growth) and sales and use tax receipts ($140 million or 5.6 percent growth). (Aug. 20, 2015)
Reports Showing State's Highest-Paid Vendors Added to Transparency Website (PDF)
If you are curious about which companies receive the most business from South Carolina state government, Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom's Fiscal Transparency Website now provides the answer in a new user-friendly format. (May 28, 2015)
Eckstrom Releases State Travel Report for Fiscal 2014 (PDF)
S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom has released the latest State Travel Report giving details of amounts spent on travel by every state agency for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2014. Eckstrom emphasizes that reporting this information to citizens is an important part of his financial transparency initiative. (Oct. 31, 2014)
SC Earns Award for Annual Financial Report for 26th Consecutive Year (PDF)
State Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom's office has received a "Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting" for the state's 2013 comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR). The S.C. Comptroller's Office has received this coveted award for 26 years in a row, a streak that began in 1987, the year Ronald Reagan challenged Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!" separating East and West Berlin. (Sept. 5, 2014)
State's Year-end Numbers Reflect Slower Revenue Growth (PDF)
Fiscal 2013-14 general fund revenues grew by $163 million over the prior year's revenues, reflecting an annual growth rate of 2.5 percent. In comparison, the annual revenue growth rate was a robust 9.1 percent in the preceding fiscal year - indicating that while the state's economic growth has continued, the rate of growth has slowed. (Aug. 30, 2014)
Eckstrom Earns Promotion in SC State Guard (PDF)
State Comptroller Richard Eckstrom has been promoted to the rank of major general in the S.C. State Guard. Eckstrom, who previously held the rank of brigadier general, has commanded the State Guard since 2011. He joined it in 2004 following 28 years of service in the U.S. Navy. (June 18, 2014)
Eckstrom Unveils More SC Transparency Website Changes (PDF)
In his ongoing effort to make government more open and accountable, state Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom's Office has added helpful features to the S.C. Fiscal Transparency Website, which is accessible on this site. The additions include more convenient search features within the state spending database. (April 3, 2014)
Eckstrom Unveils SC Transparency Website Improvements (PDF)
In a realm of open government that's always evolving, state Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom's Office has added several features to the S.C. Transparency Website his agency operates. The improvements include a navigation page for information on state contracts and two new reports on state economic development subsidies. For a complete rundown of the Transparency Website upgrades click here. (March 20, 2014)
County Spending Records Available Online to Nearly Two-Thirds of SC Residents (PDF)
With Fairfield County government recently implementing online spending transparency, nearly two-thirds of South Carolina residents have ready access to expenditure data from their home counties, according to an analysis by S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom's Office. (March 4, 2014)
SC Receives Prestigious National Award for State's Annual Financial Report (PDF)
The state of South Carolina has received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for the state's fiscal 2012 comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) prepared by SC Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom's office. (Dec. 30, 2013)
Eckstrom Compiles State Travel Report for Fiscal 2013 (PDF)
SC Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom has released the State Travel Report giving details of every state agency's travel spending for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013. In an easily navigable format, the report discloses agencies' total travel spending, ranking them from highest to lowest. It also lists the top 25 travelers in each agency ranked by the amount each individual spent. (Nov. 7, 2013)
Eckstrom Closes State’s Books for Fiscal 2013, Says Numbers Look Good (PDF)
The state finished fiscal 2013 with a more than $68 million surplus and its rainy day reserve fund increased to $281.6 million, meeting a required level two years ahead of schedule, SC Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom announced in closing the state’s books for the year. Despite the positive operating numbers, however, Eckstrom cautioned that the state continues to face long-term funding challenges in its pension and health benefit plans for state retirees. (Aug. 28, 2013)
Eckstrom Adds State Insurance Payments to SC Transparency Website (PDF)
Seeking to expand the scope of information available on his state Fiscal Transparency Website, SC Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom has worked with the state Insurance Reserve Fund (IRF) to post on the site Freedom of Information reports produced by the IRF. The reports list details about claims paid by the IRF, including amounts paid, causes of the claims, agencies involved, incident dates, and the names of the claimants and their attorneys, if any. (June 25, 2013)
Seven SC Entities Receive National Transparency Awards (PDF)
Seven local government entities in South Carolina recently received national awards for online transparency. The group of seven - two cities, two counties and three school districts - received Sunny Awards from Sunshine Review, a national nonprofit that advocates government transparency. Issued annually, the Sunny Awards honor the most transparent government websites in the nation. (April 26, 2013)
Beaufort County, North Charleston Join Spending Transparency Movement (PDF)
Beaufort County and the City of North Charleston have joined the spending transparency movement, becoming two of the latest local governments in South Carolina to make their check registers and credit card transactions available for public viewing online. Beaufort County is at least the 12th county in the state to embrace online spending transparency. North Charleston increases the number of municipalities in South Carolina that have done so to at least 16. (April 19, 2013)
SC Military Base Task Force to Distribute $200,000 in Base-Preservation Funding (PDF)
State Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, who serves as chairman of the SC Military Base Task Force, expressed great appreciation to the General Assembly for appropriating these funds to support the efforts of the Task Force and the state’s four military communities. (March 7, 2013)
Military Base Task Force to Release Study on Economic Impact of Military in SC (PDF)
The study details a multibillion-dollar impact supporting tens of thousands of jobs, concentrated in the state’s four military communities: Beaufort, Charleston, Columbia and Sumter. SC Comptroller Richard Eckstrom, chairman of the Task Force, will lead a news conference to unveil the study. (Nov. 8, 2012)
State Ends Fiscal Year 2012 with $14.7 Million Revenue Shortfall (PDF)
After closing the state’s books for fiscal year 2012, SC Comptroller Richard Eckstrom found that surplus revenues for the year were $14.7 million less than the General Assembly anticipated would be available. As a result, several projects in a budget proviso for fiscal 2013 cannot be funded. (Aug. 29, 2012)
Joint Resolution Authorizes Comptroller to Pay State Expenses Pending Adoption of Budget (PDF)
Comptroller Richard Eckstrom announced that the measure grants him authority to approve payment of the fiscal year 2013 recurring expenses of state government at levels appropriated for fiscal year 2012. (June 28, 2012)