Is an engagement letter required for a review?

Technical answer: Under SSARS 19 the documentation for a compilation and review should include an engagement letter.

Which type of documentation is required for a review engagement?

Review Engagement Documentation Requirements Engagement letter. Financial statements. Accountant’s review report. Communications with management or others regarding fraud or noncompliance with laws or regulations.

How do you write an audit engagement letter?

Accordingly, it’s important to properly document the agreement for services prior to starting work on an audit.

  1. Identify the scope of services to be rendered.
  2. Establish the timeline for performing audit fieldwork.
  3. Clearly establish the professional fee structure.
  4. Disclaim any obligation regarding fraud detection.

What is a review engagement statement?

A review engagement is a type of engagement that provides a limited level of assurance that a company’s financial statements comply with the applicable financial reporting framework. It gives users limited assurance on the accuracy or correctness of financial statements.

How often should engagement letters be updated?

There is no requirement for engagement letters to be renewed for each year of audit and each audit firm will have their own policies for establishing any reissue of engagement letters.

Why do you need an engagement letter?

The letter details the scope of the agreement, its terms, and costs. The purpose of an engagement letter is to set expectations on both sides of the agreement. An engagement letter is a less formal than a contract, but still a legally-binding document that can be used in a court of law.

What is the difference between an audit and a review engagement?

While an audit is meant to give some assurance that the financial statements are free of material misstatements, a review engagement is only meant to ascertain whether or not the financial statements are believable or plausible.

What is the difference between a notice to reader and review engagement?

Typically, a review engagement is requested by stakeholders in a company (bank, shareholders, etc.) to ensure that the amounts within the financial statements is plausible. Whereas in a Notice to Reader, there is no assurance provided, a review engagement provides a low level of assurance from the CPA.

What is included in an engagement letter?

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.

What are the contents of an engagement letter?

Now that we’ve covered terms-and-conditions, here are the sections that most engagement letters include:

  1. Identification. You should properly identify who will receive your services.
  2. Scope of services.
  3. Period of engagement.
  4. Fee structure.
  5. Responsibilities.
  6. Professional standards.
  7. Confirmation of terms.

What are the types of review engagements?

Review engagements are services rendered by practitioners that provide a low level of assurance. There are various types of review engagements. These may fall into two categories, including attestation and direct engagements. Both of these form review engagements and provide limited assurance.

What is the difference between a review engagement and an audit?