The standards apply to both financial and performance audits of government agencies.
Five general standards are included: The Yellow Book standards are used by auditors who examine the federal government, including the Government Accountability Office, various offices of inspectors general, and others.
Many local government performance auditors also use the yellow book standards.
In addition to financial audits, the Yellow Book standards cover Performance Audits, which evaluate the performance of a program or project against defined objectives, such as objectives for efficiency and effectiveness.
The Yellow Book standards provide auditors with a framework for behaving ethically.