- Use by lenders and other outside parties
- Reporting requirement for certain governmental agencies
- When a formal report and the highest assurance is required
The audit is the highest level of assurance service that a CPA can perform and is intended to provide a user comfort on the accuracy of the financial statements. Burkhardt & Burkhardt, Ltd. will perform procedures in order to obtain “reasonable assurance” (defined as a high but not absolute level of assurance) about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.
In an audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of your business’s internal control and assess fraud risk. We are also required to corroborate the amounts and disclosures included in your financial statements by obtaining audit evidence through inquiry, physical inspection, observation, third-party confirmations, examination, analytical procedures and other procedures.
When performing an audit engagement, we are required to determine whether our independence has been impaired. Similar to a review, if our independence has been impaired, Burkhardt & Burkhardt, Ltd. cannot perform the audit engagement.
We will issue a formal report that expresses an opinion on whether the financial statements are presented fairly, in all material aspects, in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework. In addition, we are required to report to you any significant or material weaknesses in your system of internal control that are identified during the audit. By becoming aware of internal control weaknesses and discussing these with your CPA, you might be able to improve the way you do business.
As the highest level of assurance, an audit typically is appropriate and often required when you’re seeking complex or high levels of financing and credit. An audit also is appropriate if you’re seeking outside investors or preparing to sell or merge with another business.
- Use by lenders and other outside parties
- Reporting requirement for certain governmental agencies
- When a formal report and moderate assurance is required
The review service is one in which Burkhardt & Burkhardt, Ltd. performs analytical procedures, inquiries and other procedures to obtain “limited assurance” on the financial statements and is intended to provide a user with a level of comfort on their accuracy. The review is the base level of CPA assurance services. Similar to a compilation, we are required to determine whether our firm is truly independent. If we determine that we are not independent, our firm cannot perform the review engagement.
In a review engagement, Burkhardt & Burkhardt, Ltd. is required to understand the industry in which you operate — including the accounting principles and practices generally used in the industry. We are also required to obtain knowledge about you — including your business and the accounting principles and practices that you use — sufficient to identify areas in the financial statements where it is more likely that material misstatements may arise.
A review is substantially narrower in scope than an audit. A review does not contemplate obtaining an understanding of your entity’s internal control; assessing fraud risk; testing accounting records through inspection, observation, outside confirmation or the examination of source documents or other procedures ordinarily performed in an audit.
In a review engagement, Burkhardt & Burkhardt, Ltd. will issue a formal report that includes a conclusion as to whether, based on the review, we aware of any material modifications that should be made to the financial statements in order for them to be in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework.
A review typically is appropriate as a business grows and is seeking larger and more complex levels of financing and credit. It is also useful when you, as the business owner, are seeking greater confidence in your financial statements for the purpose of evaluating results and making key business decisions.
- Use by lenders and other outside parties
- Lender’s requirements for certain loans
- When a formal report is necessary but no assurance is required
Compilation of financial statements is a service where our role is more apparent to outside parties, and as such, the requirements for performing this service are more explicit. For example, if Burkhardt & Burkhardt, Ltd. is not independent from ownership, management and other circumstances in our relationship to you and your business, we are required to disclose the impairment to our independence in the compilation report. The compilation report is the first page before the actual financial statements and is written on the firm’s letterhead.
Burkhardt & Burkhardt, Ltd. is also required to read the financial statements in light of the financial reporting framework being used and will consider whether the financial statements appear appropriate in form and are free from obvious material misstatements.
However, we do not obtain any assurance for a compilation because we are not required to verify the accuracy or completeness of the information provided or otherwise gather evidence for the purposes of expressing an audit opinion or a review conclusion. The compilation report states that Burkhardt & Burkhardt, Ltd. did not audit or review the financial statements and accordingly does not express an opinion, a conclusion or provide any assurance on them.
A compilation is typically appropriate when initial or lower amounts of financing or credit are sought or there is significant collateral in place. Though no assurance is provided, outside parties may appreciate your association with an accounting firm, which is readily apparent in the formal compilation report.
Intended for:
- Business owner’s use to manage the business
- Documentation requirements
- When no formal report is necessary
If you decide to have Burkhardt & Burkhardt, Ltd. prepare your financial statements, we can do so in any frequency that is most useful for you. Typically, this service is performed in conjunction with bookkeeping or transaction processing services and can be monthly, quarterly or annually. The financial statements are prepared in accordance with an acceptable financial reporting framework. If you’re not sure which reporting framework to use, we can explain the pros and cons of each and the best fit for your entity.
The financial statement preparation service is primarily intended for your own use to have current information on the financial standing of your business and to make decisions accordingly. In essence this service is no different from what an in-house controller or CFO would provide to management in a larger company.
You can share your financial statements with outside parties but on each page, we will include a notice that “no assurance is provided” on the financial statements.
Because we will prepare your financial statements directly from the records you provide, Burkhardt & Burkhardt, Ltd. will not verify the accuracy or completeness of the information and is not required to issue a formal report on the financial statements.