Chapter Four The Audit of Accounting Information Systems
Chapter Four The Audit of Accounting Information Systems
Chapter Four The Audit of Accounting Information Systems
This part examines the audit of cash. For the audit of cash much reliance is placed on
third party confirmation of cash balance.
You should bear in mind that the control of cash is of prime importance in any business.
The overall objective of the audit of cash is to determine that cash is fairly presented in
conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. In most audits, the primary
assertions that generate audit risk for cash are existence, completeness, right and
obligation, and presentation and disclosure.
Because of their liquidity, these assets represent the most vulnerable of all the
company’s assets. On the other hand, they are the most easily verified, because they
can be confirmed directly by third parties or by physical counts.
The overall objective of the audit of cash is to determine that cash is fairly presented in
conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.
Cash receipts resulted from a variety of activities. For example, cash is received from
revenue transactions, short and long term borrowings, the issuance of stock, and the
sale of marketable securities, long term investments, and other assets. The scope of this
section is limited to cash receipts from cash sale and collection from customers on credit
sales. The basic internal controls over cash receipts include the following:
Authority to collect cash should be clearly defined.
Collections should be recorded when received.
The collector’s cash receipts should be reconciled to the eventual banking.
Receipts should be banked immediately.
Each day’s receipts should be recorded promptly in the cashbook.
Sales ledger account should have not access to the cash.
The processing of receipts from cash and credit sales involves the following cash
receipts functions:
- Receiving cash receipts.
- Depositing cash in bank.
- Recording the receipts.
A major risk in processing cash receipts transactions is the possible theft of cash before
and after a record of cash is made. Thus, control procedures should provide reasonable
assurance that documentation establishing accountability is created at the moment cash
is received and that the cash is subsequently safeguarded.
To ensure that only valid transactions are entered, physical access to the accounting
records or computer terminals used in recording should be restricted to authorized
personnel.
These functions should not be performed by the same department or individual. The
basic internal controls over cash disbursements include:
Unused checks should be held in a secure place.
The person who prepares checks should have no responsibility over
purchase ledger or sales ledger.
Checks should be signed only when evidence of a properly approved
transaction is available.
These checks should be evidenced by signing the supporting documents.
Check signatories should be restricted to the minimum practical number.
The level and location of cash floats should be laid down formally.
Cash should securely hold.
There should be restricted access to the floats.
All expenditure should require a voucher system signed by a responsible
official, not the petty cashier.
Vouchers should be produced before the check is signed for
reimbursement.
A maximum amount should be placed on a petty cash payment to
discourage normal purchase procedures being by passed.
Periodically the petty cash should be reconciled by an independent
person.
The following audit program indicates the general pattern of work performed by the
auditors in the verification of cash.
A. Consider internal control for cash.
1. Obtain an understanding of internal control for cash.
2. Assess control risk and design additional tests of controls for cash.
3. Perform additional tests of control for those controls, which the auditors
plan to consider in their assessment of control risk.
B. Substantive tests
Obtain analyses of cash balances and reconcile to the general ledger.
Send standard confirmation forms to banks to verify amounts on deposit.
Obtain or prepare reconciliation’s of bank accounts as of the balance sheet
date and consider the need to reconcile bank activity for additional
months.
Obtain a cut off bank statement.
Count and list cash on hand.
Verify the client’s cutoff of cash receipts and disbursements.
Trace all bank transfers for the last week of audit year and first week of
following year.
Investigate any cheques representing large or unusual payments to related
parties.
Determine proper financial statement presentation and disclosure of cash.
3.2.1 Introduction
This part examines the audit of sales and receivables. You should bear in mind in the
audit of receivables that receivables are a product of the sales cycle and therefore the
control objectives of the sales cycle are relevant. Receivable is a general term that may
refer to many types of receivables whose origin and nature may be different.
Receivables include amounts due from customers, employees, and affiliates on open
accounts, notes, and loans and accrued interest on such balances.
The sales and collection cycle including the receiving of orders from customers are
delivery and billing of merchandise to customers, and the recording and collection of
receivables. Receivables from customers include both accounts receivable and various
types of notes receivable.
It is important to differentiate the origin and nature of receivables to ensure their
appropriate classification and valuation.
Audit objectives
The audit objectives for the receivables and sales relate to obtain to sufficient competent
evidence about each significant financial statement assertion that pertains receivables
and sales transactions and balances.
Figure 1.3 Selected specific audit objectives for receivables and sales
Rights and and cash resulting from sales balance sheet date represents
Valuation All sales, cash receipts and sales Accounts receivable represent
adjustments transactions are correctly gross claims, On customers at
journalized, summarized, and posted. the balance sheet date. The
allowance for uncollectible
accounts represent a reasonable
estimate.
a. Orders.
- The orders should be checked against the
customer’s account.
- All orders received should be recorded on pre –
numbered sales order documents.
- All orders should be authorized before goods are
dispatched.
b. Dispatch.
- Dispatch notes should be pre - numbered and a
register kept of them to relate to sales invoices and
orders.
- Goods dispatch notes should be authorized as
goods leave.
c. Invoicing
- Sales invoices should be authorized by a responsible
official.
- Sales invoices should be checked for prices and
calculations by a person other than the one
preparing the invoice.
d. Receivables.
- A receivable ledger control account should be
prepared and checked to individual sales ledger
balances.
- Receivables ledger personnel should be
independent of dispatch and cash receipt functions.
- Statements should be sent regularly to customers.
e. Bad debts.
- The authority to write off a bad debt should be
given in writing and adjustments made to the
accounts receivable ledger.
- The use of court action or write – off of a bad debt
should be authorized by an official independent of
the cash receipts function.
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3.2.6 Audit program for receivables and sales transactions
The following audit procedures are typical of the work done in the verification of notes,
accounts receivable, and sales transaction.
A. Consider internal control for receivables and sales.
B. Substantive tests
1. Obtain an aged trail balance of trade accounts receivable and analyses of
other accounts receivable and reconcile to ledgers. When trial balances or
analyses of accounts receivable are furnished to the auditors by the client’s
employees, some independent verification of the listings is essential.
2. Obtain analyses of notes receivable and related interest.
3. Inspect notes on hand and confirm those not on hand with holders.
4. Confirm receivables with debtors.
5. Receive the year-end cutoff of sales transactions.
6. Perform analytical procedures for accounts receivable, sales, notes
receivable, and interest revenue.
7. Verify interest earned on notes and accrued interest receivable.
8. Evaluate the propriety of the client’s accounting for receivables and sales.
9. Determine adequacy of allowance for uncollectible accounts.
10. Ascertain whether any receivables have been pledged.
11. Investigate fully any notes or accounts receivable from related parties.
12. Evaluate financial statement presentation and disclosure.
Inventories are major items on the balance sheet, i.e. in total assets, especially in the
current asset section. Inventories play also a very significant and important role in
preparation of income statement and determination of net income or loss.
The auditors’ have the following objectives in the examination of inventories and
purchases.
i. To consider internal control over inventories and purchases.
ii. To determine the existence of inventories, and the client’s ownership
of these assets.
iii. To establish the completeness of inventories and purchase
transaction.
iv. To establish clerical accuracy of records and supporting schedules for
inventories and purchases.
v. To determine that the valuation inventories is based on appropriate
methods.
vi. To determine the statement presentation of inventories is adequate,
including disclosure of classification of inventories, accounting
records and any inventories pledged as collateral for loans.
Although inventory records may vary considerably from client to client, the control
objectives of a sound system of internal control over inventories are the same in all
cases, namely:
o Authorization and purchase procedures.
o Control over goods inwards.
o Inventory records substantiated by physical counts.
Internal control procedures for inventories affect nearly all the functions involved in
producing and disposing of the company’s products, purchasing, receiving, storing,
issuing, processing, and shipping are the physical functions directly connected with
inventories. The basic internal control procedures are the following:
The following audit procedures for the verification of inventories and purchases may be
used by auditors:
(2) Assess control risk and design additional tests of control for inventories
and purchases.
After obtaining an understanding of the client’s internal control over inventories and
purchases, the auditors perform their initial assessment of control risk for the various
financial statement assertions.
Tests directed toward the effectiveness of controls help to evaluate the client’s internal
control and to determine the extent to which the auditors are justified in reducing their
assessed level of control risk for the assessments about the inventory and purchase
accounts.
B. Substantive test.