“Eating time” can lead to inaccurate budgeting for future audits. Managers, as they prepare
the budget for an audit, often use prior years’ audits as a guide. Managers will see that the job
was completed in a shorter time in previous years and prepare his/her budget accordingly. Staff accountants on future audits will have pressure to complete audit segments in less time than is realistic, and this can become a cycle, with each year’s budget becoming tighter and less realistic. This can cause undo stress and problems for future staff accountants. In the end, eating time is dishonest in that it is an action intended to deceive the users of the time budget report. Skipping audit steps can have very serious consequences. By not completing the audit steps, material misstatements may slip past the auditors. The auditors may then issue an inappropriate audit opinion, which can be very costly. Skipped audit steps make great ammunition for plaintiffs’ attorneys.