AICPA SOC 2 Graphic


A Strong Commitment to Excellence and Trust in Higher Education Payroll

CHESS is excited to announce that they’ve completed their annual SOC 1 Type 2 audit for Payroll Shared Services, covering the period from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. An independent review by Auditwerx confirmed CHESS’s ongoing commitment to the highest standards of internal control, security, and operational excellence for our member colleges and partners.

The SOC 1 Type 2 report evaluated the effectiveness of our controls related to payroll processing, risk assessment, security, and monitoring.

CHESS is pleased to share that the audit found no exceptions or deficiencies in any of the tested controls. This means that CHESS’s processes for onboarding member colleges, managing payroll transactions, and restricting access to sensitive information were all designed and operated effectively throughout the audit period.

Key highlights from this audit include:

  • Strong Governance: The CHESS Board of Directors and Senior Executive Management Team meet regularly to review strategy and oversee operations, ensuring accountability and clear communication across the organization.
  • Robust Security: Logical access to payroll data is strictly controlled through secure authentication and approval processes. Only authorized personnel can access or make changes, and all access is tracked and reviewed.
  • Effective Onboarding and Payroll Operations: While no new member colleges were onboarded during this period, the report confirms that CHESS has thorough procedures in place for setting up new clients and conducting test payroll runs before going live. Payroll runs for member colleges are processed only after the appropriate approvals are in place, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
  • Reliable Partnerships: CHESS’s business partners play important roles in hosting data, updating tax rates, and processing tax filings. Their controls are reviewed and monitored annually as part of CHESS’s oversight process.

Our continued focus on transparency, reliability, and compliance means that our partners can count on CHESS to deliver secure, timely, and accurate payroll services year after year. As a matter of fact, this audit is CHESS’s third clean audit in the past two years, making CHESS a trusted resource for higher education.