What Does an Audit Engagement Letter Typically Include? Introduction and Purpose. Scope of the Audit. Auditor's Responsibilities. Client's Responsibilities. Audit Limitations. Applicable Standards. Fees and Payment Terms. Confidentiality and Data Security.
The engagement letter documents and confirms: the auditor's acceptance of the appointment; the objective and scope of the audit; the extent of the auditor's responsibilities to the client; and. the form of any reports.
Engagement letters set expectations for both the client and the party providing the service, it specifies the exact service or task to be performed by the firm and the information to be provided by the client. All engagement letters also generally contain various deadlines for each sub-task.
To help you protect yourself and mitigate risk, these eight critical elements should be included in every engagement letter. CLIENT NAME. SCOPE OF SERVICES. CPA FIRM RESPONSIBILITIES. CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES. DELIVERABLES. ENGAGEMENT TIMING. TERMINATION AND WITHDRAWAL. BILLING AND FEES.
Engagement letters set the terms of the agreement between two parties and include details such as the scope, fees, and responsibilities, among others. Some of the benefits of engagement letters are that they are legally binding documents, they reduce misunderstandings, and they set clear expectations.
It is in the interests of both the entity and the auditor that the auditor sends an audit engagement letter before the commencement of the audit to help avoid misunderstandings with respect to the audit.
The audit engagement letter is typically prepared by the auditor conducting the audit. It serves as a crucial document outlining the terms and responsibilities involved in the audit process.
When Should an Engagement Letter Be Sent? Engagement letters need to be presented to the client at the beginning of the relationship before work commences. They should also periodically be reissued, especially when the scope of services changes or if the business changes its prices.
When should the engagement letter be sent and signed? The audit engagement letter should be sent after verbal confirmation of the appointment of you as the auditor and ideally signed before the start of any audit work.
The internal auditor and the auditee should agree on the terms of the engagement before commencement. The agreed terms would need to be recorded in an engagement letter.