Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Audit Working Papers
Audit Working Papers
a sufficient appropriate record of the basis for the auditors report, and
evidence that the audit was performed in accordance with ISAs and applicable
legal and regulatory requirements.
The auditor should prepare the audit documentation so as to enable an experienced
auditor, having no previous connection with the audit, to understand:
1.
the nature, timing, and extent of the audit procedures performed to comply
with ISAs and applicable legal and regulatory requirements
2.
the results of the audit procedures and the audit evidence obtained, and
3.
significant matters arising during the audit and the conclusions reached.
In documenting the nature, timing, and extent of audit procedures performed, the
auditor should record the identifying characteristics of the specific items or matters
being tested.
The auditor should document discussions of significant matters with management
and others on a timely basis.
If the auditor has identified information that contradicts or is inconsistent with the
auditors final conclusion regarding a significant matter, the auditor should document
how the auditor addressed the contradictions or inconsistency in forming the final
conclusion.
Where, in exceptional circumstances, the auditor judges it necessary to depart from
a basic principle or an essential procedure that is relevant in the circumstances of the
audit, the auditor should document how the alternative audit procedures performed
who performed the audit work and the date such work was completed, and
who reviewed the audit work and the date and extent of such review (3).
The auditor should complete the assembly of the final audit file on a timely basis
after the date of the auditors report.
After the assembly of the final audit file has been completed, the auditor should not
delete or discard audit documentation before the end of its retention period.
When the auditor finds it necessary to modify existing audit documentation or add
new audit documentation after the assembly of the final file has been completed, the
auditor should, regardless of the nature of the modifications or additions, document:
1.
2.
3.
when and for whom they were made, and (where applicable) reviewed
the specific reasons for making them, and
their effect, if any, on the auditors conclusions.
When exceptional circumstances arise after the date of the auditors report that
require the auditor to perform new or additional audit procedures, or that lead the
auditor to reach new conclusions, the auditor should document:
1.
2.
not practicable for the client staff to prepare the working paper, or for the
auditor to make copies of papers that the client staff (including internal auditors)
have prepared as part of their normal regular duties.
CONTENT
Each audit working paper must be headed with the following information:
The initials (signature) of the member of staff who prepared the working paper,
and the date on which it was prepared
In the case of audit papers prepared by client staff, the date the working
papers were received, and the initials of the audit team member who carried out
the audit work
The initials of the member of staff who reviewed the working papers and the
date on which the review was carried out
Each audit paper should meet the characteristics of a good working paper, as
detailed later in this article.
It should fully state the year/period end (eg 31 October 2006), so that the
working paper is not confused with documentation belonging to a different
year/period.
It should state the full extent of the test (ie how many items were tested and
how this number was determined). This will enable the preparer, and any
subsequent reviewers, to determine the sufficiency of the audit evidence
provided by the working paper.
The working paper should clearly and objectively state the results of the test,
without bias, and based on the facts documented.
The conclusions reached should be consistent with the results of the test and
should be able to withstand independent scrutiny.
It should be signed and dated by any person who reviews it, in order to meet
the quality control requirements of the review.
The reviewer of audit working papers should ensure that every paper has these
characteristics. If any relevant characteristic is judged absent, then this should result
in an audit review point (ie a comment by the reviewer directing the original preparer
to rectify the fault on the working paper).
CONCLUSION
Working papers provide evidence that an effective, efficient, and economic audit has
been carried out. They should therefore be prepared with care and skill. They should
be sufficiently detailed and complete so that an auditor with no previous experience
of that audit can understand the working papers in terms of the work completed, the
conclusions reached, and the reasoning behind these conclusions.
Notes
1.
ISA 230 (Revised) became effective for audits of financial information for
periods beginning on or after 15 June 2006. It resulted in conforming
amendments to ISA 200, ISA 330, and ISQC 1. These conforming amendments
are set out in the appendices to those standards.
2.
Those shown in bold in the text of the ISA.
3.
Paragraph 26 of ISA 220 establishes the requirement for the auditor to review
the audit work performed through review of the documentation, which involves
the auditor documenting the extent and timing of the reviews. Paragraph 25 of
IAS 220 describes the nature of a review of work performed.
4.
Each audit firm has its own file numbering and referencing system. Within
each system, the best way of numbering working papers is to file them serially in
each section and to cross-reference them. Where papers are intended to agree
with or support items appearing in the financial statements, or in other working
papers in the file, the auditor should normally prepare them so as to make such
agreements obvious without the necessity of further investigation and
reconciliation.