As accounts age, the probability that they will ultimately be collected is decreased. Hence, as a general rule, the larger the number of older accounts that are included in an organization’s AR file, the larger the allowance for doubtful accounts needs to be to reflect the risk. Historical trends in collection success also play an important part in estimating the bad debt losses for the period. A key issue for auditors to resolve, therefore, is whether the allowance calculated by the client is consistent with the composition of their organization’s AR portfolio and with prior years. In addition, the auditor needs to determine that the allowance is consistent with current economic conditions. For example, an organization entering into a period of economic decline may experience an increased percentage of bad debts relative to prior, more prosperous, years. Under such circumstances, a larger portion of past-due accounts may need to be included in the allowance calculation than had previously been the case. As a starting point in an attempt to gain assurance on these issues, the auditor may decide to recalculate the aging schedule.