Audit Reports Flashcards
Most authoritative guidance for the auditor of a nonissuer
General Guidance provided by a Statement on Auditing Standards
An auditor of a nonissuer must conduct the audit in accordance with….
ASB Standards.
Not required to do it for PCAOB Standards
Examples of Professional Skepticism
- Obtaining corroboration of management’s explanations through consultation with a specialist
- Using 3rd party confirmations to provide support for management’s representations
- Designing additional auditing procedures to obtain more reliable evidence in support of a particular financial statement assertion.
- Not inquiring PRIOR YEAR personnel about management’s honesty and integrity. Prior year is not relevant to current year audit for Fraud assessment.
Unmodified Opinion if:
- Justified departure from GAAP (otherwise misleading)
Words that auditors have a responsibility to consider:
“may”, “might”, and “could”
PCAOB was established by:
SOX 2002
Qualified opinion due to lack of sufficient audit evidence
The lack of evidence should be disclosed in the Auditor’s Responsibility paragraph and discussed in an explanatory paragraph before the opinion paragraph (Basis for Qualified opinion)
Audit documentation for substantial doubt
- The effect of the auditor’s conclusion on the auditor’s report
- The conclusions that gave rise to the substantial doubt
- The auditor’s conclusion about whether substantial doubt remains or is alleviated.
- No requirement for management’s opinion about the substantial doubt
To help against negative trends and financial difficulties (substantial doubt):
- Postpone expenditures (R&D)
- Increase ownership equity
- Negotiate reductions in required dividends being paid on preferred stock
- Lease rather than purchase (delay expenditures)
Reference US in both:
Accounting Principles and Accounting Standards
Qualified or Adverse opinion
- Inadequate disclosure of the substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern is a departure from GAAP
- Material Weakness in Internal Control
- Unjustified accounting change
- Fail to disclose information that is required by GAAP (Depending on the pervasiveness)
- Inadequate disclosures (Illegal Acts)
Qualified or Disclaimer opinion
Scope Limitations:
- Unable to determine the amounts associated with an employee fraud scheme.
- Refusal by the client to permit the auditor to confirm accounts receivable
- Refusal of management to sign a management rep letter (Disclaimer - Likely)
- Unable to obtain audited financial statements of a consolidated investee
A change in accounting principle
The use of emphasis-of-matter paragraph following the opinion paragraph in an unmodified report as long as the change was accounted for properly
Financial Difficulties
Usual trade credit from suppliers are denied
Lack of payment of preferred, cumulative dividends
What words to include in emphasis-of-matter paragraph for entities with substantial doubt?
“Going Concern”
“Substantial Doubt”
Group Engagement partner references component auditor’s work when:
The group engagement partner is unable to review the component auditor’s audit documentation
Unable to form an opinion on client’s opening inventory balances
Issue a unmodified report for Balance Sheet only.
Issue a disclaimer opinion on Statement of Income (Income Statement), Retained earnings, and Cash Flows.
Statement is a basic element of the auditor’s report under US auditing standards
“An audit includes evaluating significant estimates made by management”
Implicitly stated in Audit reports
Consistency
No explicit reference to “test basis”
Disclaimer Opinion
Auditor lacks independence (Qualified is not an option)
Qualified Opinion
- Restrictions on the scope of the audit
- Lack of sufficient appropriate audit evidence
- Company issues financial statements that purport to present financial position and results of operations but omits the related statement of cash flows (Inadequate disclosure)
- Reference to specialists if findings result in change to auditor’s report
- Departure from GAAP (If material, Adverse opinion)
Unmodified opinion with NO emphasis-of-matter paragraph
Material loss that is sufficiently supported and disclosed
-Uncertainty that is properly disclosed (Lawsuits) (probable but not estimable)
Unmodified opinion WITH emphasis-of-matter paragraph
- Existence of significant transactions with related parties
- A change in accounting principle
- Omission of supplemental information required by GAAP (Quarterly data required by SEC)
- Substantial doubt but disclosed
Qualified opinion due to inadequate disclosure phrase to use:
“Except for the omissions of the information described in the Basis for Qualified Opinion paragraph”
Substantial doubt was removed in the current period:
No repeat of prior year’s emphasis-of-matter paragraph and no description of the reasons or plans for recovery need to be included
Addressee of auditor’s report
The entity that engaged the auditor
No reference of component auditor in Group auditor’s report, which means:
The group auditor assumes responsibility for the work of the component auditor and should determine the type of work to be performed on the financial information of the component.
When an auditor is associated with the Financial Statement of a public entity but has not audited or reviewed such statements (Only required to read the FS for obvious material misstatements)
Disclaimer opinion
Confirming with 3rd parties the details of arrangement to provide or maintain financial support
Audit procedure to identify doubts about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern
Accounting change with NO material effect on the comparability of the financial statements
Auditor doesn’t not need to recognize the change in the current year’s audit report, therefore, doesn’t not need to refer to the consistency in the report
Reference to GAAS
Auditor’s responsibility paragraph
Reference to GAAP
Opinion Paragraph