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.
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 auditor may decide not to send a new engagement letter each period. However, the following factors may make it appropriate to send a new letter: Any indication that the client misunderstands the objective and scope of the audit. Any revised or special terms of the engagement.
Letters of engagement are mandatory. On accepting an appointment, the practitioner must send the client a letter of engagement. This forms the basis of a contractual relationship between the practitioner and the client.
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.