State Comptroller (Auditor of State)

The basics

Term

4 years, beginning Jan. 1 after the election. ^[6]

Term limit

No more than eight years in any twelve-year period (Ind. Const. Art. 6, Sec. 1). ^[7]

Who may stand

Party nominees are chosen at state conventions; must post a $10,000 official bond approved by the governor. ^{[6, 8]}

On the 2026 ballot

1 race in Indiana

What the law puts in this job

• Accounts for all state funds, disburses county, city, town and school tax distributions, pays the state's bills and pays state employees; administers the state deferred compensation plan (Hoosier START). ^{[1, 2]}
• Sits on the State Board of Finance with the budget director and the Treasurer of State, which has advisory supervision of the safekeeping of state funds. ^[3]
• Receives each county auditor's semiannual tax settlement statement and forwards it to DLGF; the Comptroller has no supervisory authority over county budgets (that is DLGF and the State Board of Accounts). ^{[4, 5]}

What the officeholder decides

• Paying local income tax and other distributions under the SEA 1-2025 structure that starts with tax year 2029 (county, municipal and fire/EMS rate components replace the levy-share formula); the Comptroller's office distributes, the State Budget Agency certifies amounts. ^[12]
• Reimbursing local governments for state tax changes (e.g., the 2026 gas tax holiday reimbursements approved by the State Board of Finance). ^[12]
• Transparency Portal content and the FY2027-FY2030 ACFRs; Hoosier START plan options. ^[12]
• FY2028-29 budget request for the office (technology modernization line). ^[12]

Who the officeholder answers to

• Voters; appropriations from the General Assembly; State Board of Accounts audit. ^[11]

What it pays, and who sets that

• 66% of a Supreme Court justice's salary (IC 4-2-1-1.5); reported as $145,876 for 2025. ^{[9, 10]}

What the state spends on it

• Operating appropriation for each of FY2026 and FY2027: $8.2 million (HEA 1001-2025). The agency's total of $1,929.1 million is mostly money passed through to local governments and the highway fund, not the cost of the office. ^[13]

Questions worth asking a candidate

Ours, not a questionnaire anyone answered. They come from what the job actually involves.

• What would you change on the Indiana Transparency Portal, and how would a resident use it?
• Local income tax distributions change after 2028 under SEA 1. What will your office do so counties, cities and schools get correct and timely payments?
• What controls would you add or keep over state payments and payroll?

Sources

Office research by Legal Insights (Oct. 13, 2026): Indiana Code 2026 edition, state agencies and county budgets. Nothing here rates an officeholder or candidate.