• The payroll processing system violates the principle of segregation of duties. The same individual verifies the time cards, inputs payroll information into the master file, prints the checks, machine-signs the checks, distributes the checks, and prepares the payroll journal entry, which may lead to corruption.
• There is no authorization of employees’ time cards by a supervisor or other objective party, such as a timekeeper.
• The payroll checks are not pre-numbered nor are they properly stored. As a result, there is no audit trail to verify check usage.
• There is no control over the machine-signing of checks—no control of the signature plate by a second party or use of a log to record activity.
• The data processing department appears to have full access to the payroll files and checks, which could lead to sensitive payroll information being leaked.