1. We are pleased to accept the instruction to act as auditor for your company and are writing to confirm the terms of our appointment. 2. The purpose of this letter, together with the attached terms and conditions, is to set out our terms for carrying out the work and to clarify our respective responsibilities.
Standard on Related Services (SRS) 4410, “Engagements to Compile Financial Information” should be read in the context of the “Preface to the Standards on Quality Control, Auditing, Review, Other Assurance and Related Services”1, which sets out the authority of the Engagement Standards.
Your designated audit firm will prepare the specific terms of engagement using the appropriate AICPA-issued engagement letter template. It should be noted that there are many terms for audit engagements that are deemed required by the AICPA and therefore unable to be negotiated.
The types of functions generally performed by the Chartered Accountant are varied. The more important ones amongst them are discussed below. This includes the writing up of accounts and the preparation of financial statements. It encompasses a wide area ranging from simple Book keeping to complex financial analysis.
The service provider typically prepares the Letter of Engagement, be it a law firm, accounting agency, consultancy, or any professional offering services.
An auditor's engagement letter most likely would include: management's acknowledgment of its responsibility for maintaining effective internal control. the auditor's preliminary assessment of the risk factors relating to misstatements arising from fraudulent financial reporting.
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.
The financial statement review engagement letter is designed to spell out the who, what and how of the review. It generally contains five parts: the introduction, the CPA responsibilities, the company responsibilities, the report and other matters. Like any contact it is a binding legal agreement if properly prepared.
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.
An accounting engagement letter is a comprehensive legal document that outlines and then details the terms of your business relationship with each client. Though it is generally shorter than a contract, it is legally binding and designed to reduce liability.