What auditors don’t do
For a clear picture of the role of external auditors, it helps to understand what you should not expect auditors to do. The emphasis is on “independent.”
First and foremost, auditors do not take responsibility for the financial statements on which they form an opinion. The responsibility for financial statement presentation lies squarely in the hands of the company being audited.
Auditors are not a part of management, which means the auditor will not:
✎ Authorize, execute or consummate transactions on behalf of a client
✎ Prepare or make changes to source documents
✎ Assume custody of client assets, including maintenance of bank accounts
✎ Establish or maintain internal controls, including the performance of ongoing monitoring activities for a client
✎ Supervise client employees performing normal recurring activities
✎ Report to the board of directors on behalf of management
✎ Serve as a client’s stock or escrow agent or general counsel
✎ Sign payroll tax returns on behalf of a client
✎ Approve vendor invoices for payment
✎ Design a client’s financial management system or make modifications to source code underlying that system
✎ Hire or terminate employees
This list is not all-inclusive. But, in short, the auditor may not assume the role and duties of management.
In practical terms, there are a number of tasks you should not expect your auditor to perform.
✎ Analyze or reconcile accounts
✎ “Close the books”
✎ Locate invoices, etc., for testing
✎ Prepare confirmations for mailing
✎ Select accounting policies or procedures
✎ Prepare financial statements or footnote disclosures
✎ Determine estimates included in financial statements
✎ Determine restrictions of assets
✎ Establish value of assets and liabilities
✎ Maintain client permanent records, including loan documents, leases, contracts and other legal documents
✎ Prepare or maintain minutes of board of directors meetings
✎ Establish account coding or classifications
✎ Determine retirement plan contributions
✎ Implement corrective action plans
✎ Prepare an entity for audit
Your external auditor may perform some of these duties under guidelines of the American Institute of CPAs, Department of Labor, Government Accountability Office, Securities and Exchange Commission or Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. However, these same guidelines may preclude the auditor from performing some of these functions.
- See more at: http://www.grfcpa.com/resources/publications/auditor-responsibilities/#sthash.guiTYFz3.dpuf