Every fall, CPAs are busy preparing for audit season, which generally runs from January to April each year. This includes meeting with clients, assigning staff and scheduling fieldwork.

Likewise, organizations with calendar year ends should prepare for audit fieldwork. A little prep work this fall can help facilitate the process, minimize adjustments and surprises, and add more value to the audit process. Here are four ways to gear up for your audit.

1. Disclose operational changes

Internal and external changes may bring opportunities and risks that could affect your auditor’s procedures. So it’s important to identify all recent developments of importance and discuss them with your auditor before fieldwork begins.

Examples of noteworthy internal events or transactions include:

• Major asset acquisitions or divestitures,
• New or expanded product lines,
• Relocation or a new lease for commercial space,
• Application for new debt (or refinanced debt),
• Addition (or retirement) of owners and other key employees,
• Losses and business interruptions from natural disasters, fraud, or cyberattacks,
• Acquisition (or loss) of a key customer or supplier, and
• A change in accounting software.

Your auditor will also want to hear about external changes, such as pending lawsuits and tax audits, new sources of competition, and new regulations. When in doubt, tell your auditor.

2. Ask questions about gray areas

All transactions for the year should be entered into your accounting system before the start of fieldwork. But your accounting personnel might not know exactly how to report certain items. There have been several major changes to the federal tax code and U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in recent years.

If your staff is uncertain how to account for a particular transaction or when a new rule goes into effect, it’s a good idea to ask for help before closing the books at year-end. Doing so will help minimize inquiries and the need to make adjusting journal entries during fieldwork.

3. Review last year’s audit

Start by looking at last year’s adjusting journal entries and management points. You should have taken steps to correct whatever problems were found last year. For example, if your controller forgot to record accrued payroll and vacation last year, double-check that accruals have been done for 2023. Likewise, if your auditor suggested that you needed stronger internal controls over purchasing, you could make last-minute changes before year end, such as segregating ordering and vendor payment duties between two employees or cross-checking vendor vs. employee addresses.

You should also anticipate requests for documentation and inquiries from auditors. Chances are you’ll create many of these schedules — such as accounts receivable aging reports and fixed asset listings — when you reconcile your general ledger. Consider compiling an audit binder before the start of fieldwork to expedite the process. It also helps to designate an internal liaison to field the audit team’s inquiries. Often, this is the company’s CFO or controller, but it can be anyone who’s knowledgeable about the company’s operations and accounting systems.

In addition, each account balance should have a schedule that supports its year-end balance. Amounts reported on these schedules should match the financial statements. Be ready to explain and defend any estimates that underlie account balances, such as allowances for uncollectible accounts, warranty reserves or percentage of completion.

4. Adopt a positive frame of mind

Some in-house accounting personnel see audit fieldwork as a painstaking disruption to their daily operations. They may begrudge having to explain their business operations and accounting procedures to outsiders who will highlight mistakes and weaknesses in financial reporting.

Although no one likes to be questioned or critiqued, audits shouldn’t be adversarial. Your external auditor is a resource that can provide assurance about your financial reporting to lenders and investors, offer fresh insights and accounting expertise, and recommend ways to strengthen internal controls and minimize risks. Financial statement audits should be seen as a learning opportunity and an investment in your organization’s future.

Preparing for your auditor’s arrival not only facilitates the process and promotes timeliness, but also engenders a partnership between in-house and external accounting resources.

 

Interested in learning more? Contact us to talk to one of our Audit professionals.

© 2023

Does your business work on projects that take longer than a year to complete? Recognizing revenue from long-term projects usually requires use of the “percentage-of-completion” method. Here’s an overview of when it’s required and how it works.

Completed contract vs. percentage-of-completion

Homebuilders, developers, creative agencies, engineering firms, and others who perform work on long-term contracts typically report financial performance using two methods:

1. Completed contract. Under this method, revenue and expenses are recorded upon completion of the contract terms.
2. Percentage-of-completion. This method ties revenue recognition to the incurrence of job costs.

If “sufficiently dependable” estimates can be made, companies must use the latter, more-complicated method, under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). And, if your business uses the percentage-of-completion method for financial reporting purposes, you’ll usually need to follow suit for tax purposes.

The federal tax code provides an exception to using the percentage-of-completion method for certain small contractors with average gross receipts of $25 million or less over the last three years. This amount is adjusted annually for inflation. For 2023, the inflation-adjusted figure is $29 million.

Percentage-of-completion estimates

In general, companies that use the percentage-of-completion method report income earlier than those that use the completed contract method. To estimate the percentage complete, companies typically compare the actual costs incurred to expected total costs. Alternatively, some may opt to estimate the percentage complete with an annual completion factor.

The IRS requires detailed documentation to support estimates used in the percentage-of-completion method. In addition, the application of the percentage-of-completion method may be complicated by job cost allocation policies, change orders, and changes in estimates.

Balance sheet effects

The percentage-of-completion method can also affect your balance sheet. If you underbill customers based on the percentage of costs incurred, you’ll report an asset for costs in excess of billings. Conversely, if you overbill based on the costs incurred, you’ll report a liability for billings in excess of costs.

For example, suppose you’re working on a $1 million, two-year project. You incur half of the expected costs in Year 1 ($400,000) and bill the customer $450,000. From a cash perspective, it seems like you’re $50,000 ahead because you’ve collected more than the costs you’ve incurred. But you’ve actually underbilled based on the percentage of costs incurred.

So, at the end of Year 1, you’d report $500,000 in revenue, $400,000 in costs, and an asset for costs in excess of billings of $50,000. If you had billed the customer $550,000, however, you’d report a $50,000 liability for billings in excess of costs.

Getting assistance

Although the percentage-of-completion method is complicated, if your estimates are reliable, it can provide more current insight into financial performance on long-term contracts. Contact us to help train your staff on how this method works — or we can perform the analysis for you.

© 2023