Free consult & free copy of book

E-Myth – “Why most small businesses don’t work & what to do about it”

Contact Us

Stars

Most 5 star CPA Google reviews in Canada

Read Reviews

Chartered Professional Accountants E Myth

1 Fixed Monthly Fee - Planning | Accounting | Taxes | Consulting

Helping Canadian businesses beat the odds!

Accounting Outsourcing | Are Audited Financial Reviews Absolutely Necessary


Financial institutions used to require entrepreneurs get them audited financial statements in order to secure financing says accounting outsourcing. However, this is becoming less and less the case as banks and financial institutions relax their positions lending to entrepreneurs based on notice to reader statements. The reason for this is because banks are discovering that is more important to discover the financial health of the business currently, rather than based on last yearís finances.

The difference between a notice to reader financial statement and an audited financial statement says accounting outsourcing is simply the level of confirmation that the accountant uses to verify the numbers. For a notice to reader statement, the chartered professional accountant will verify that the balance sheet balances, and that the numbers are arithmetically correct. In the audited financial statement, the accountant must actually confirm the numbers is accurate, my using a variety of testing techniques and actually verifying with the bank, and Accounts Receivable that the numbers are actually correct so that the information in the audited financial statement is completely accurate. Because it takes significant more time and effort to complete an audited financial review, it costs significantly more money.

The reason why financial institutions have relaxed their position, is because in order for business owners to provide audited financial statements from their accountant, they are unable to use the same accountant to provide good interim statements says accounting outsourcing. If banks relax their requirements, they ensure that the notice to reader statement is adequate, they can use the same accountant and then provide a good interim financial statements that are more valuable to the banks.

If the business owner needs to provide audited financial statement as well as interim statements, that would necessitate them going to two different accountants in order to provide the information, not only is difficult, itís often not possible for entrepreneurs to find accountant who is willing to work with them on a one-off basis to provide interim statements on an account the are not familiar with. Accounting outsourcing says this is a reason why many financial institutions have relaxed their requirements and are allowing notice to reader statements.

Even though many financial institutions have relaxed their requirements, many business owners are making the assumption that what was required a few years ago is still acquired today. Accounting outsourcing says that this is not necessarily the case, and all entrepreneurs should verify with their bank whatís required. Even if the bank requests an audited financial statement as well as an interim statement, business owners should request their chartered professional accountant to speak to the bank to determine if this is absolutely necessary.

How banks determine the financial viability of the business has changed in recent years, requiring entrepreneurs to provide interim financial statements, making the year-end financial statements they need to provide less important, and allowing business owners to provide notice to reader statements instead of audited financial statements says accounting outsourcing.

When an entrepreneur is approaching a financial institution in order to secure a loan, they should understand that requirements from the bank have changed in recent years says accounting outsourcing. Because of this, entrepreneurs should not assume they know what a bank is wanting, even if they are approved for a loan just a few years ago. When they are applying for a loan, they should hear what the bank is requesting, and then verify with their chartered professional accountant that is what is necessary to avoid doing additional work that may not be acquired.

There are three different financial statements that accountant may provide for their client, and a bank generally requires one of them when they are approving the loan. The notice to reader financial statement is the most common financial statement to create, and is the most inexpensive. An accountant ensures that the balance sheet balances, and that the numbers are arithmetically correct. Accounting outsourcing says that reviewed financial statements contain the same information, but accountant tests the reasonability of the numbers to verify they are believable. It takes more time than a notice to reader statement, and is reflected in the amount of money accountant bills. Audited financial statements are where the accountant actually confirms all of the numbers as accurate. They do this by verifying numbers with the banks, and even using the Accounts Receivable listing to verify the amount that are still outstanding are accurate and are still coming to the business.

Financial institutions require a financial statement in order to determine the health of the business, and they used to require either a review or an audited financial statement to verify the accuracy of the numbers they were using. However, the company outsourcing says that things are starting to find that they are getting a better idea of the financial viability of the business based on good interim statements that a business provides rather than financial statements of the previous year. This is because lots can happen in the business in a short amount of time, banks want to ensure that the business theyíre loaning money to is as healthy financially as they can be.

The reason why banks would relax their positions on audited or reviewed financial statements because they are also asking for interim statements is because when an accountant is preparing food or audited financial statement on behalf of their client, they are not able to provide interim statements is accounting outsourcing. The reason for this is because the chartered professional accountants fiduciary duty is to the bank, and must remain impartial and objective while working on the audit or review. Because of that requirement of Objectivists, the accountant is not able to provide an interim statement and be considered objective. Therefore, banks who are also requesting good interim statements are relaxing the requirement for the financial statement from audited or reviewed to notice to reader. This allows business owners to give the financial institutions what they need to get there loan.