The Finance Department is vested with the responsibility of managing the public finances of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It has an important role in the preparation of the State Budget and presenting it to the Legislature every year. The Finance Department being the custodian of the State Exchequer has the overall responsibility of balancing receipts and payments and has to ensure that debt obligations are also met. The Finance Department makes critical scrutiny of the proposals of the Departments and evaluates the proposals with reference to needs, cost effectiveness, budget provisions, financial procedure, etc., keeping in mind the importance of balancing receipts and expenditure and achieving the fiscal objectives of the Government.

The following seven departments are under the administrative control of Finance Department

i. Treasuries and Accounts Department

ii. Local Fund Audit Department

iii. Small Savings Department

iv. Government Data Centre

v. Co-operative Audit Department

vi. Internal Audit and Statutory Boards Audit Department

vii. Directorate of Pension