Internal audit is carried out. Features of internal audit in the organization. Question: how to regulate internal audit in a company

Each enterprise, regardless of the type of activity, needs an audit, which provides for a number of important activities.

This article will provide comprehensive answers to all questions.

The audit is independent and includes the collection, evaluation and analysis of data that indicate the functioning and financial position of a public, commercial or private enterprise (audited entity).

You can learn more about the list of required documents for opening an IP in more detail.

The results obtained make it possible to draw final conclusions (conclusion) on how correctly accounting is maintained, is truthful and reliable.

An independent audit provides only control over how the laws and norms of economic law are observed and whether there are any violations in tax legislation.

There is no purposeful detection of errors in the work of accountants(financiers).

Types and purpose of the audit

Depending on the purpose and goals There are two main types of audits:

• Mandatory audit- is held annually and without fail in compliance with the current law. It is carried out only by audit companies. Regulated by the state or carried out by court order.
• initiative or voluntary- carried out at the request of the client, in order to verify the reliability of accounting and tax accounting, and to assess financial risks. This will help you avoid penalties. But here the main thing is not to make a mistake in choosing an audit firm or a private person providing this kind of service.

The reasons for the audit may also be a change in the owner of the company or a change in the composition of the founders.

See more details on the schedule and procedure for conducting tax audits.

The main objective of the audit is to:

1. validation;
2. timely detection of violations and their elimination;
3. obtaining reliable information about the functioning of the enterprise and the state of accounting, maintaining documents.

After the audit, the audited entity is issued:

• conclusion - with a mandatory audit;
• a report on the audit with the conclusions and recommendations of specialists to improve accounting and activities - during voluntary audits and other types of audits.

Besides, there is an audit:

1. external - carried out by prior agreement between the client and the contractor, and is an independent examination of reliable reporting;
2. internal - is carried out by the economic entity's own forces for managerial control over activities, an increase in economic and financial indicators, and obtaining recommendations (advice) for improving and managing efficiency.

Stages of an audit

The audit procedure is carried out in accordance with the established rules. Conditional stages of the audit:

• Preparation (organization) and planning. The process is carried out in accordance with the current legislation and in accordance with the conditions stipulated in the contract for the provision of services. On the basis of the drawn up contractual agreement and the audit plan, the auditor is provided with all the necessary documentation, including accounting and tax reports, allowing to get a complete picture of all areas of financial and economic activities of the audited object. The accounting and internal control systems are studied and evaluated, the risks of the upcoming audit are determined and an audit plan is drawn up.
• Performance (implementation) of control procedures is to collect audit evidence, namely, testing controls for compliance, conducting a substantive audit.

  The result is the formulation of one's own opinion about the reliability of the facts and their compliance with the current regulations.

• Completion- preparation and execution of working documentation, drawing up an opinion (final document) on the reliability of financial statements with a summary of audit evidence. The information received as a result of the audit is brought to the management of the enterprise.

How is an audit carried out?

A feature of the audit is the time limit.

So a clear organization of the audit is required which is based on planning and programming. At the initial stage, the main goals and objectives are determined, the objects to be studied and the most effective analytical methods are selected.

During the events, important evidence is collected, which is the basis of the conclusion drawn up.

Before the start of the audit, a written request (an audit letter) is prepared in accordance with the standard.

Its form and content may have some features, but the indication of the purpose and scope of the audit, the responsibility of the management of the audited entity for the preparatory process and the provision of the necessary documentation are unchanged.

After everything is agreed upon, a bilateral agreement is concluded, which specifies all the conditions for the inspection.

When is a mandatory audit carried out?

According to the law obligatory audit to be carried out annually. The list of organizations includes:

• open joint stock companies (JSC);
• Insurance companies;
• participants in the securities market (professional) or organizations whose securities are admitted to circulation on trading stock exchanges;
• non-state pension funds or companies managing them;
• credit organizations;
• organizers of gambling;
• issuers of securities;
• enterprises whose revenue for the previous reporting year amounted to more than 400,000,000 rubles. or the amount of assets in the balance sheet for the previous reporting period exceeded 60,000,000 rubles.

The exceptions are agricultural cooperatives and unions, state (municipal) unitary enterprises.

Checks are carried out according to the following schemes:

1. in one stage - annual audit;
2. in stages - quarterly, for half a year or 9 months.

With a phased audit, it is much easier to identify violations in accounting and reporting in accordance with applicable regulations and rules.

This makes it possible to promptly eliminate all shortcomings and errors before the end of an independent audit and will positively affect the conclusion drawn up by a specialist.

Internal check

Internal auditing by the management of the enterprise is regulated. Such event is held for the purpose:

• identifying "holes" in the activities of the enterprise and to find ways to improve its efficiency and potential;
• determination of non-compliance of accounting and tax accounting with the current provisions;
• identifying risks associated with the control of various services, which result in fines, sanctions, reprimands, warnings, etc., leading to loss of money and image;
• preliminary preparation for external audit.

Conducting an internal audit contributes to the rational use of company resources, optimization of risks, preservation of assets and improvement of management activities.

It is these factors that are an indicator for the confidence of investors and stakeholders.

FAQ

What is a personnel audit?

Very often, work with personnel documents in companies is in a state of disrepair. The management remembers that it is necessary to put the documents in order when the prospect of control measures “shines”; To do this, they promptly organize an audit and correct all detected errors. However, the audit is not only carried out in such cases. You will now learn how a personnel audit is carried out and what is checked at the same time.

An audit is an inspection and evaluation of the activities of an organization by a professional specialist or an independent organization to identify existing risks of conflict situations, such as a labor dispute or claims from the State Labor Inspectorate.

Personnel documentation in the company plays an important role: it is required by the accounting department for calculating wages, vacation pay, for the employee to submit it to the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation or other organizations, for example, to use any benefits. Therefore, such documents must be maintained in strict accordance with the requirements of the law.

If the company is not large enough to have a special unit - the internal audit department, you can invite an auditor under a civil law contract - a specialist who checks personnel documentation submits a report on identified violations, gives recommendations on how to eliminate and prevent them.

In this case, the audit is carried out by a specialist who knows labor legislation well and has the skill to draw up personnel documentation. He appreciates:

1. completeness of the personnel documentation;
2. system of registration and storage of documentation;
3. local regulations;
4. employment contracts, additional agreements to them;
5. the procedure for maintaining work books.

Many companies do not devote much time to conducting internal control and internal audit, limiting themselves only to conducting mandatory audits, inventory or checking the implementation of budgets. However, failure to conduct an internal audit can lead to uncontrolled debt, litigation with counterparties and tax authorities, even liquidation of the company.

To date, Federal Law No. 402-FZ of 06.12.2011 “On Accounting” (hereinafter referred to as Federal Law No. 402-FZ) has provisions regarding internal control or internal audit, which has become mandatory.

Internal audit or internal control?

Organizations often put an equal sign between the concepts of internal audit and internal control, but it cannot be said that they are one and the same.

In Federal Law No. 402-FZ, the functions of internal control are enshrined in Art. 19 "Internal control": an economic entity whose accounting (financial) statements are subject to mandatory audit is obliged to organize and exercise internal control over accounting and preparation of accounting (financial) statements (except for cases when its head has assumed the responsibility for accounting).

As a general rule, all companies are required to organize and exercise internal control over the facts of economic life. Accounting (financial) statements that are subject to mandatory audit must be published together with the audit report, but this rule does not apply to small enterprises for which audit is not mandatory (they can organize internal control on their own).

Currently, the need for internal control is legally fixed, but internal audit is not.

Internal audit may be carried out:

• by a third party in the form of a voluntary audit or tax consulting;
• by the organization itself in the form of an audit of its own structural units.

Voluntary audit is carried out at the initiative of the organization itself, which wants to verify the accuracy of its financial statements. It is more difficult to justify the costs of such an audit, but here the Ministry of Finance of Russia came to the rescue of taxpayers. The financial department considers that the norms of sub. 17 p. 1 art. 264 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation do not contain restrictions on accounting for profit taxation purposes of the costs of conducting a voluntary audit. Expenses for any audit conducted in accordance with the provisions of Federal Law No. 307-FZ of December 30, 2008 (as amended on November 21, 2011) “On Auditing Activities” (hereinafter referred to as Federal Law No. 307-FZ), can be taken into account by companies in the expenses (letters of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated 06.06.2006 No. 03-11-04/3/282 “On the costs of a voluntary audit”, 01.26.2006 No. 03-03-04/2/17).

Internal control carried out by the company itself. The control- this is an objectively necessary component of the economic mechanism for any mode of production. Therefore, it is the company that independently carries out control measures that allow:

• avoid or reduce errors;
• avoid disputes with regulatory authorities;
• reduce the likelihood of discrepancies between planned indicators and actual ones;
• take measures to control accounts receivable and payable, etc.

A distinction must be made between internal and external audit. Features of internal and external audit are presented in table. one.

Legislation Russian Federation on accounting, no restrictions are established on the procedure, methods, procedures for exercising the specified internal control (information of the Ministry of Finance of Russia No. PZ-10/2012 “On the entry into force from January 1, 2013 of the Federal Law of December 6, 2011 No. 402 -FZ “On Accounting” There are also no restrictions on conducting an audit, so the company can combine these activities and conduct only internal control or internal control and audit activities.

Algorithm for conducting control measures

For the purposes of conducting control activities, the company may establish its own procedure for conducting internal control. Consider some recommendations by its organization:

1. The procedure for conducting internal control must be fixed in a local act or accounting policy for accounting purposes.

2. Since companies, before the introduction of internal control regulations, had to carry out an inventory, which is actually a part of internal control, it is advisable to time internal control measures with the inventory. The current regulatory legal acts do not provide for a mandatory inventory period. However, according to the Order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated June 13, 1995 No. 49 (as amended on November 8, 2010) “On Approval of the Methodological Guidelines for the Inventory of Property and Financial Liabilities”, the timeframe for the inventory should be determined in the order of the head of the organization on the formation of an inventory commission. Thus, the timing of the inventory and internal control must be indicated in the order for the implementation of relevant activities.

3. The timing of internal control, responsible persons should be established in the order of the head. It is advisable to create a commission responsible for internal control, which will directly verify economic activity, the correctness of accounting.

4. If the company has not previously carried out internal control measures, then it is advisable to apply the already developed methods that are used, for example, by auditors.

So, when conducting internal control, it is possible to use recommendations for audit organizations, individual auditors, auditors on auditing the annual financial statements of organizations for 2012 (attachment to the letter of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated 09.01.2013 No. 07-02-18 / 01).

5. The company can issue the results of internal control in different ways, and by issuing an act and a statement of results that were identified based on the results of internal control.

6. It should be remembered that there is not a single company that would not make mistakes when processing business transactions. These can be both minor errors and serious errors that affect the payment of taxes and fees. Therefore, it is very important to appoint persons who will be responsible not only for identifying such errors, but also for correcting them.

Of course, the implementation of internal control measures will require the development of special documents. But there is an indicative list of documents that it is advisable to develop for internal control:

• order to create a commission;
• an order to conduct control (indicating the timing and necessary measures;
• the necessary provisions in the accounting policy of the company in relation to the conduct of internal control or a separate provision in relation to internal control;
• the form of the act of internal control;
• an order to carry out corrective actions based on the results of internal control.

As a general rule, the more often internal control measures are taken, the fewer errors will be made. Companies can independently choose the sequence of internal audit, however, we will give a practical example of the implementation of internal control measures.

Types of internal audit activities

At the first stage of internal audit, it is necessary to check the constituent documents:

• compliance of the statutory documents with the requirements of the legislation;
• the presence of registered separate subdivisions, the correspondence of the legal address to the actual one;
• presence of local acts.

Also, as part of the verification of constituent documents, it is advisable check:

• minutes of the meeting of founders;
• documents confirming the contribution of shares by the founders to the authorized capital;
• register of shareholders, extracts from the register of shareholders.

The creation of enterprise funds must be carried out in accordance with the Charter of the enterprise and accounting policies. These documents must not contradict each other. At the same time, different funds can be created at different enterprises. In limited liability companies, be taken into account:

• reserve fund;
• other funds created in the manner and in the amount established by the charter of the company (Article 30 of the Federal Law of February 8, 1998 No. 14-FZ (as amended on December 29, 2012) “On Limited Liability Companies”).

When checking licenses, it is necessary to establish the terms of their validity for certain types of activities and check whether such activities were carried out after the expiration of the license.

In order to verify the documents confirming the authority, the following should be carried out: procedures:

• check the existence of a contract with the head of the enterprise and the compliance of the content of the contract with the current legislation;
• check the powers of attorney of persons who have the right to sign at the enterprise;
• check the accountability of persons in accordance with the structure of the enterprise;
• check the fact of certification of the head of the enterprise;
• check the availability of approved job descriptions in order to establish the distribution of duties and powers between employees involved in accounting and reporting;
• establish whether there are developed Regulations on structural units related to accounting and reporting. A clear division of powers will help minimize errors and risks associated with inspections by external auditors and tax inspections.

When reviewing common documents, one should also check on:

• orders to create internal commissions (for example, an order to create an inventory commission);
• final documents (acts) based on the results of inspections carried out by various regulatory authorities in the reporting period;
• orders for filling positions, conducting inventories and the results of inventories;
• analysis of certificates of registration with the tax authority, registration with the statistical authorities and relevant departments of extra-budgetary and environmental funds;
• orders that determine the list of persons entitled to sign financial documents, materials of audit commissions, internal audit, liability agreements;
• orders for the appointment of the head of the organization, financial director and chief accountant;
• analysis of the list of open settlement and currency accounts, as well as copies of notifications to the tax office about opening accounts;
• availability of a workflow schedule;
• analysis of the order of storage of documents reflecting business transactions. When conducting this analysis, it should be noted that documents in accordance with the Tax Code of the Russian Federation must be stored for four years, and for accounting - five years.

Accounting policy must be ordered. At the same time, it is advisable to separate accounting policies for accounting and taxation purposes.

As part of the measures to verify the accounting policy, it is advisable to check whether the accounting policy for tax purposes following:

1) forms of registers and the procedure for reflecting accounting data in them (Articles 313, 314 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);

2) date of receipt of income from income tax;

3) whether a list of income attributable to income related to production and sale, and non-operating income has been established in accordance with the statutory activities;

4) whether a method for evaluating purchased goods has been established (clause 1, article 268 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);

5) whether the methodology for evaluating the balances of finished products, goods shipped has been approved and whether the nature of production, meters of raw materials, meters of the volume of orders for the performance of work, the provision of services, the calculation procedure are indicated (Article 319 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);

6) whether the depreciation procedure is reflected;

7) whether a decision has been made to create a reserve for doubtful debts (Article 266 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation); if it is created, then the period for creating the reserve, the procedure for using the amount of the unused reserve should be determined;

8) the procedure for warranty repairs and maintenance of fixed assets, the reflection of expenses for the repair of fixed assets (Articles 260, 324 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);

9) decision to create a reserve for future expenses for vacation pay, payment of annual remuneration for length of service (Article 324.1 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);

10) the procedure for evaluating the balances of work in progress, finished products, goods shipped (Article 319 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);

11) option for calculating advance payments for income tax (clauses 2, 3 of article 286 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);

12) a method for assessing raw materials and materials, goods when they are written off for production and sale (clause 8, article 254 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);

13) determination of direct and indirect costs (clause 1 of article 318 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation and subparagraph 1 of clause 1 of article 254 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation), including a list of materials that are a necessary component in the production of goods, works, services; a list of positions of employees involved in the process of production of goods, performance of work, provision of services; a list of fixed assets used in the production of goods, works, services;

14) determination of methods for writing off the value of securities as expenses when they are disposed of (Article 280 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation);

15) determination of the procedure for accounting for intangible assets.

When checking, it is necessary check following:

• assets and liabilities existed at the end of the reporting period (availability);
• assets and liabilities as of the end of the reporting period (rights and liabilities);
• business transactions and (or) events during the reporting period (existence);
• missing assets, liabilities, transactions, events or undisclosed items not recorded in the accounts in accordance with accounting rules;
• assets and liabilities are carried at their respective carrying amounts;
• the amounts of business transactions and (or) events are accounted for properly, and income and expenses are attributed to the relevant periods (accuracy);
• items of financial statements are disclosed, classified and described in accordance with the accepted basis for the preparation of accounting (financial) statements (presentation and disclosure).

It is also important to check the original documents. According to Art. 9 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, all primary documents must contain mandatory details. Mandatory details primary accounting document are:

1) Title of the document;

2) date of preparation of the document;

3) the name of the economic entity that compiled the document;

5) the value of the natural and (or) monetary measurement of the fact of economic life, indicating the units of measurement;

6) the name of the position of the person (persons) who (who) made (completed) the transaction, operation and responsible (responsible) for the correctness of its registration, or the name of the position of the person (persons) responsible (responsible) for the correctness of registration of the event;

7) signatures of persons.

When checking fixed assets, check following data:

• accounting registers for account 01 "Fixed assets", account 02 "Depreciation of fixed assets";
• acts of acceptance and transfer of fixed assets;
• inventory cards for fixed assets;
• contracts for the sale of fixed assets;
• data of analytical and synthetic accounting on account 01 "Fixed assets" and account 02 "Depreciation of fixed assets".

If the company has intangible assets, it is also necessary to check the correctness of their reflection and registration of such assets, and when checking cash, the following control measures should be taken:

• assessment of the state of synthetic and analytical accounting for settlement accounts;
• assessment of the quality of reflection of business transactions in accounting;
• verification of compliance with Decrees of the President of the Russian Federation and Decrees of the Government of the Russian Federation, Regulations of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation;
• information on current accounts in Russian rubles operating in the audited period;
• bank statements and documents attached to them;
• accounting registers for account 51 "Settlement account".

When analyzing settlements with counterparties, it is advisable to check following data:

• accounting registers for account 60 "Settlements with suppliers and contractors", account 62 "Settlements with buyers and customers", account 76 "Settlements with various debtors and creditors";
• contracts for the supply of products, goods, performance of work, provision of services;
• contracts with other debtors and creditors;
• primary documents confirming the fact of delivery of products, goods, performance of work, provision of services by suppliers;
• Documents on payment by buyers of goods and services.

As part of the audit of the execution of budgets and plans, it is necessary to check the following:

• availability of developed plans and budgets;
• the level of implementation of budgets and plans;
• adjustments to budgets and plans;
• business planning aimed at the development of the company.

In addition, attention must be paid to HR audit:

1) availability of employment contracts, staffing, orders for employment, dismissal;

2) carrying out certification of workplaces;

3) availability of vacation schedules;

4) compliance with labor laws.

Of course, this is not a complete list of information that should be checked during an internal audit. In general, it is advisable to establish all types of internal control measures and the timing of their implementation in a local act regulating the procedure for conducting internal audit.

Some types of errors that may be identified as a result of an internal audit

The reason for non-fulfillment of the plans set in the organization is often inadequate cash discipline or the lack of accounting for receivables and payables.

Example 1

In 2012, accounts payable were identified at the beginning and end of the period (Table 2).

From 01/01/2012, the procedure for issuing cash against a report is regulated by the Regulation on the procedure for conducting cash transactions with banknotes and coins of the Bank of Russia on the territory of the Russian Federation, approved by the Bank of Russia on 10/12/2011 No. 373-P.

Within a period not exceeding three working days after the date of expiration of the period for which cash was issued under the report, or from the day of going to work, the accountable person is obliged to present to the chief accountant or accountant, and in their absence, to the manager, an advance report with attached supporting documents. However, often the management takes the money under the report and forgets to report on the amounts spent.

The same thing happens in terms of tracking the execution of contracts with counterparties. For example, companies often have accounts receivable or payable.

In order to identify the debt, it is necessary to check account 60 “Settlements with suppliers and contractors”. So, a common mistake is the receivables formed as a result of the advance payment. In this case, the work may not be performed, and the goods may not be delivered.

Let's take a simple example.

Example 2

In 2012, accounts payable were identified at the beginning and end of the period (Table 3).

In this case, there are significant risks of non-recognition of debt for tax purposes. Such debt cannot be included in the expense in the absence of an agreement. In the Decree of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the West Siberian District of August 28, 2007 No. F04-5734 / 2007 (37452-A03-15) in case No. A03-16023 / 2006-21 (Determination of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation of November 26, 2007 No. case to the Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation), the court indicated that it was impossible to attribute the written-off receivables to non-operating expenses, since payment documents in the absence of relevant agreements are not grounds for recognizing such a debt as an expense.

The company must take measures to return the advance or to force the counterparty to deliver the goods. At the same time, the company may form a reserve for doubtful debts in the part of receivables that exceeds the amount of its accounts payable to the same counterparty (letter of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated 06.08.2010 No. 03-03-06/1/528).

Another mistake is lack of acts of reconciliation of mutual settlements.

The act of reconciliation with this counterparty was not provided for verification. At the same time, the act of reconciliation of settlements (the act of reconciliation of mutual settlements) is a document that confirms debt obligations. According to paragraph 1 of Art. 9 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, all business transactions must be documented by supporting documents that serve as primary accounting documents. Due to the fact that the reconciliation of settlements is not a transaction, the act of reconciliation in itself is not a basis for collecting debt from the debtor (Resolutions of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the North Caucasus District dated September 10, 2008 No. F08-5395 / 2008, Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Central District dated July 1, 2003 No. A36-268/8-02). At the same time, the signing of the reconciliation act may have certain legal consequences (for example, it may indicate the recognition of a debt by the debtor).

A common mistake is the presence of expenses for the formation of an intangible asset, which is not reflected in the accounting in the future. For example, a company orders a site from a third-party organization, but in the future does not reflect the work of this site in any way, although in fact the site works and makes a profit, that is, the costs are justified.

Example 3

In 2012, accounts payable were identified at the beginning and end of the period (Table 4).

Quite often, companies purchase real estate objects located on the territory of the Russian Federation from non-residents of the Russian Federation - foreign organizations that are tax registered in Russia due to the presence of real estate, and transfer VAT to them as part of the fee. And you shouldn't do it. Article 161 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation establishes that when goods, works and services are purchased on the territory of the Russian Federation from foreign persons who are not registered with the Russian tax authorities as taxpayers, the VAT tax base is determined by tax agents.

At the same time, the obligation of a tax agent arises only in relation to foreign persons who are not registered with the tax authorities as taxpayers (clause 1, article 161 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation).

Often, companies under contracts, the price of which is expressed in foreign currency or in conditional monetary units (c.u.), but is payable in rubles, charge VAT on exchange rate differences arising at the end of the reporting period in accounting. But this is not entirely true. If such an agreement is concluded, exchange rate differences will arise in accounting, and for tax purposes they will be recognized as sum differences. The procedure for calculating VAT in the event of exchange rate or sum differences is not established in the Tax Code of the Russian Federation.

There may also be errors associated with settlements with employees. For example, the amount of the bonus paid by the holiday, for example, by March 8, may be erroneously included in the expenses. However, paragraph 2 of Art. 255 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation provides that labor costs for profit tax purposes include, in particular, accruals of a stimulating nature, including bonuses for production results, allowances for tariff rates and salaries for professional excellence, high achievements in work and other similar indicators . From this norm, the Ministry of Finance of Russia concludes that expenses in the form of payments in connection with professional holidays, significant dates, personal anniversaries and other similar payments do not meet the requirements of Art. 252 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, since they are not related to the production results of employees (letters dated February 22, 2011 No. 03-03-06 / 4/12, July 21, 2010 No. 03-03-06 / 1/474).

This is not a complete list of errors that can be identified as a result of an internal audit. But it is precisely during its implementation that it is possible to detect and identify problems that arise in the company in a timely manner, quickly eliminate them, and, consequently, achieve the maximum economic effect from the company's activities.

Conclusion

Internal audit is not mandatory for companies, although Federal Law No. 402-FZ has recently been amended with regard to the conduct of internal control measures. However, a company that does not conduct any control or audit activities should be aware of the significant risks that may arise. According to statistics, companies that pay more attention to internal audit achieve greater success in meeting plans and budgets.

E. V. Shestakova, General Director of Actual Management LLC, Ph.D. legal Sciences

Organization audit is a set of measures to assess the reliability of financial statements and their compliance with legal requirements. The check ends with the formulation of a conclusion about the correctness of accounting at the enterprise. Let's take a closer look at the features organizing and conducting an audit.

Classification

There are various types organization audit. Classification is carried out according to different features. Depending on the category, they distinguish independent, internal, state.

In the first case, the audit is carried out by a third-party company in accordance with an agreement concluded with the management of the enterprise. Behind organization of internal audit responsible for a special service operating in the structure of the company. State verification is carried out by authorized state structures.

Depending on the profile of the enterprise, the audit can be general, insurance, banking, etc.

Also, the checks are voluntary and mandatory. In the first case, the initiator is the head of the enterprise. It also determines the timing and scope of the audit.

Organizations subject to mandatory audit specified in the legislation.

Normative base

concept organization audit, duties, responsibilities, rights, requirements for certification of companies carrying out inspections are enshrined in Federal Law No. 307.

In addition, in accordance with the said normative act, federal auditing standards have been adopted. They fix the procedure for performing the check, uniform norms for the procedure. The rules are the same for all participants in the audit activity.

The standards explain the principles of verification, the procedure for issuing a conclusion. They define the methodology, depth, scope audit organizations.

In addition to domestic, there are also international standards. They establish requirements for the quality of the audit, define goals, provide lists of necessary documentation and rules for issuing conclusions.

Instructions for auditors

Accounting verification can be carried out by specialized organizations or private specialists. The latter are subject to a number of requirements. A private auditor must, firstly, be a member of an accredited self-regulatory organization. In addition, they must have:

• higher legal or economic education;
• at least three years of work experience as an assistant auditor or chief accountant;
• auditor's certificate (issued based on the results of passing a special exam).

The legislation also establishes a number of requirements for audit firms. The organization must be, firstly, commercial, and secondly, formed in any form, with the exception of OJSC. The staff of such a company must have at least three specialists. At the same time, at least 51% of its authorized capital must be owned by auditors or other similar organizations.

Subject of verification

AT organizations to be audited at the initiative of the head, control is exercised only on issues specified in the contract. For example, a check can be performed in relation to only cash transactions, accounting for fixed assets, intangible assets or current assets, settlements with counterparties or the budget. Accordingly, the specialist will evaluate the correctness of execution of only certain categories of documents.

AT organizations subject to mandatory audit, all financial documentation and accounting statements are checked. In this case, the company must provide all available papers that are related to its business activities. Since this is carried out by representatives of state structures, it is impossible not to fulfill their requirements.

Mandatory verification

For most companies, an audit is not mandatory. As a rule, government agencies are involved in checking the accounting records of large companies, including those using public funds. Mandatory audit is aimed at reducing the risk from the actions of unscrupulous firms, ensuring the protection of the interests of citizens and the state. It is usually performed once a year.

List of enterprises subject to mandatory inspection

Annual organization accounting audit carried out if:

• The enterprise is a joint-stock company. It should be noted that in accordance with the latest amendments to the legislation, the audit is carried out in relation to all business entities, regardless of the type, type of activity, financial indicators. Accordingly, the audit is performed both in CJSC and OJSC.
• The company's shares are listed on the stock exchange.
• The enterprise publishes or submits its reports to the competent state bodies. The exception in this case are state institutions.
• The organization is a credit, insurance, clearing, non-state fund or uses financial resources of the population.
• The volume of profit for the previous year exceeded 400 million rubles. or an asset in the balance sheet at the end of the period is more than 60 million rubles.

This list is not closed. Other cases of conducting a mandatory audit may be fixed in the legislation. It should be noted that only audit firms have the right to check these entities.

Timing

The duration of the verification period for voluntary audit of the organization's activities determined in the contract. The term depends on:

• Enterprise scale.
• Availability of representative offices, branches.
• duration of activity.
• The scope of the check.
• Accounting quality.

If a mandatory inspection is carried out, the time limit is set by law and regulations. As practice shows, in this case, on average, it takes 1-2 weeks. There are cases of longer checks, but they rarely last more than two months.

Stages

The audit involves 4 interrelated stages:

• Preliminary acquaintance with the enterprise.
• Planning.
• The main stage (actual verification).
• Formulation of conclusions.

preliminary activity

At this stage, the auditor examines the constituent documentation, assesses the risks based on:

• The specifics of the enterprise.
• Indicators of the financial situation, production growth rates.
• Personnel turnover.
• Accountant Qualifications.

Test planning

This stage is considered one of the key in the activities of the auditor. Planning includes 3 stages:

1. Conclusion of an agreement with the customer. During this stage, the terms, the cost of the audit, the number of specialists are discussed.
2. Planning. It includes the definition of a validation strategy.
3. Development of an assessment program. During this stage, measures are formulated, sections of reporting are indicated that are subject to deep and superficial verification.

Process progress

During the direct study of the documentation and its evaluation, the auditor must adhere to the requirements and standards. The specialist will:

• Collection of evidence, i.e. primary documents reflecting the facts of transactions, information from third parties, etc.
• Evaluation of the results of the sample.
• The study of reporting indicators.
• Assessment of the degree of materiality.
• Determination of audit risk.
• Evaluation of the compliance of the financial transactions performed with the requirements of the legislation.
• Other actions necessary to formulate sound conclusions.

Registration of the conclusion

Upon completion of the audit, the auditor draws up an official reasoned document. In it, he expresses his opinion on the compliance of reporting with legislative requirements.

The conclusion is necessary for internal and external users to form their own idea of ​​the financial position of the enterprise. The information in this document contributes to making the right management decisions.

The conclusion could be:

• unmodified. It is also called positive. In such a document, the auditor indicates the absence of violations in the company's financial statements.
• Modified. This type of conclusion is divided, in turn, into 2 subspecies: an opinion with a reservation and a negative conclusion. The first is compiled if the specialist has identified some violations, but they do not have a significant impact on the reliability of reporting documents. Accordingly, a negative conclusion is formed if the violations are significant.

In addition, the auditor may refuse to express an opinion on the audited documents. This situation is possible if the specialist did not receive the necessary evidence during the audit. For example, the assessment was carried out in relation to only one area of ​​reporting, the organization refused to provide documentation, etc.

Organization of internal audit

Any leader is interested in ensuring proper control over the efficiency of the structural divisions of the company and the conscientiousness of the performance of their duties by their employees. The most important element of management is on-farm

The goals of control are:

• Minimizing risks and maximizing the profit of the organization.
• Improving the efficiency of decisions regarding the use of enterprise resources.

Internal audit is an activity regulated by local documents related to the control of various areas of the company's work.

To implement this task, an audit service is being formed at the enterprise. The number of its employees depends on the volume and nature of inspections. In small enterprises, internal audit can be carried out by 1-4 employees. In large firms, the staff of the audit department is quite large. At the same time, the duties of individual employees may go beyond accounting. For example, employees can conduct appraisal, technological, environmental audits, etc.

Key conditions

Proper organization of audit at the enterprise is impossible without the implementation of a set of measures, including:

• Drawing up projects for the organization of internal audits by industry and areas of work. They should clearly indicate the specific functions of responsible persons, the rules for their interaction with other departments and the management of the enterprise, the status of internal auditors, their responsibilities, duties, rights.
• Establishment of qualification requirements for employees of the audit service.
• Development and definition of rules for the implementation of standards, guidelines, norms in the activities of the audit department.
• Drawing up programs for advanced training and training of internal auditors.
• Forecasting the need for staff.

Varieties of internal audit

The most common division of the audit into operational, financial reporting and compliance with legal requirements.

In addition, there are checks:

• Organizational and technological.
• Functional.
• Control systems.
• Types of activity.

A functional audit is performed to evaluate efficiency and performance. For example, verification can be carried out in relation to transactions performed by an employee or unit in the context of its function.

Organizational and technological audit involves the evaluation of the work of various parts of the management system. In the course of such a check, the technological or organizational feasibility of their presence and functioning is established.

Cross-functional audit is aimed at assessing the quality of certain functions. For example, the efficiency of production and sales, the effectiveness of the relationship and interaction of departments responsible for these areas of work are analyzed.

Internal audit is a regulated internal activity of the organization, created to analyze and evaluate the functioning of the company. Internal audit procedures allow you to determine the effectiveness of the company. In addition, this type of audit helps managers achieve their goals and improve the performance of their organization.

The purpose of internal audit is to help the managerial level solve certain tasks on a daily basis. At the same time, the difference between the external and internal types of audit is that the first controls the objectivity and correctness of the second. During the internal audit process, a consistent, systematic approach is applied regarding the analysis of effectiveness and improvement of the quality of management.

Internal audit is a help:

• in internal control
• in risk management
• in corporate governance

Internal auditors check management links, provide managers with the necessary reasoned proposals to help eliminate deficiencies in management. In addition, they give recommendations on improving the efficiency of company management. assesses the functioning of the company from different angles, provides reasoned methods for improvement.

Today, a functional, cross-functional, organizational and technological audit of activities is used, as well as an audit for compliance with regulations. In each specific case, a comprehensive and complete survey, analysis of a specific structure, functions of the company or its type of activity is carried out.

Interest in this type of audit is due to several reasons. First of all, it is the need and desire of the company's managers to streamline business processes, which thereby allows significant savings. In addition, the board of directors or another supervisory body needs internal audit as an objective and free informant. For a developing market, internal audit is especially relevant. Internal audits allow the owners of the organization to keep abreast of current affairs, while calmly transferring control to professionals.

Internal audit is a necessary tool for owners to control the activities of hired managers

The decision regarding the need for internal audit is made by the owners. Such checks are necessary not only for the owners of the organization, but also for management. The goal of managers is to manage business processes, achieving the required performance indicators with the least losses.

The success of this task depends significantly on the following factors:

• Does the manager have all the necessary information required to make the best management decisions?
• Is an effective system for monitoring the implementation of decisions made available?

Often, due to the rapid growth in the size of enterprises and the increase in the complexity of management processes, owner-managers can assume 100% that the business is under their control. However, they often do not have enough physical strength to control all processes in full.

Using the services of qualified specialists, consumers get the opportunity to more effectively analyze, control and manage the enterprise.

Internal audit services include:

• previous assessment of the internal control environment
• organization of the functioning of the audit service
• recommendations with an independent assessment of the work of the audit service

Drawing conclusions, it can be noted that internal audit is an integral part of the control system of any organization. It evaluates the overall performance of the system. This is a kind of feedback role that makes this system stable, allowing it to change based on certain circumstances. One of the best competitive advantages is internal audit.