About us
Who we are
The Bundesrechnungshof is a supreme federal authority and is composed of ten divisions: nine audit divisions with almost 50 audit units, and one support division in charge of internal administrative functions. Some 1,050 staff members work at three duty stations – Bonn, Berlin and Potsdam. Our headquarters are located in Bonn. Our annual budget amounts to €192 million, which is just under 0.1 per cent of the federal budget.
What we do
Auditing, advising, reporting. These are our core functions. We audit the entire federal financial management. We report on major findings to parliament and the public, e.g. in form of our annual report. We thus support parliament in effectively scrutinising government action and budget implementation.
Furthermore, we provide advice to parliament and the government on the basis of our audit findings. We have the right to publish or make available our final audit findings unless doing so conflicts with legitimate third-party interests. By making our findings publicly available, we ensure, that our work is transparent not only to the government and parliament, but to all citizens and the media.
Our audit work and advice to parliament and government is aimed to help enhance public sector financial management, prevent adverse trends and ensure sustainable, agile and legitimate government structures for the common good.
Key areas of focus
- Federal finances
- Climate protection
- Energy transition
- Sustainability
- National economy
- Digital transition
- Health
- Health insurance schemes
- Pensions
- Labour and social affairs
- Building construction
- Road building
- Transport
- Deutsche Bahn
- Armed Forces
- Domestic security
- Education and research
- Funding
- International audit mandates
Our motivation
As supreme audit institution in Germany, it is our job to determine whether public finances have been properly and efficiently administered by the federal government. We closely monitor the use of taxes, help unravel problems and give recommendations. Our mission is to ensure the government‘s ability to act on the basis of sound finances.
Where we stand
The Bundesrechnungshof’s status and core functions are set forth in the German Constitution.
The Bundesrechnungshof, whose Members shall enjoy judicial independence, shall audit the accounts and examine the performance, regularity and compliance of federal financial management. (…) The Bundesrechnungshof shall report annually to both Houses of Parliament and to the Federal Government. (…)"