SINGAPORE

STANDARD SSA 230

ON AUDITING

Audit Documentation

SSA 230, Audit Documentation superseded the SSA of the same title in
April 2008.

SSA 230 was updated in January 2010 f ollowing a clarity consistency

review of various SSAs.

SSA 610 (Revised 2013), Using the Work of Internal Auditors gave rise
to conf orming amendments in SSA 230 in November 2013.

The new and revised auditor reporting standards gave rise to

conf orming amendments in this SSA in July 2015. SSA 720 (Revised),
The Auditor’s Responsibilities Relating to Other Information gave rise
to conf orming amendments in this SSA in November 2015. Thes e
amendments are ef f ective f or audits of f inancial statements f or
periods ending on or af ter 15 December 2016.

SSA 540 (Revised), Auditing Accounting Estimates and Related

Disclosures gives rise to conf orming amendments in SSA 230 in August
2019.
 SINGAPORE STANDARD ON AUDITING 230
AUDIT DOCUMENTATION
(Ef f ective f or audits of financial statements f or periods ending on or af ter 15 December 2016)

CONTENTS
Paragraph

Foreword

Introduction
Scope of this SSA 1

Nature and Purposes of Audit Documentation 2-3

Ef f ective Date 4

Objective 5

Definitions 6

Requirements

Timely Preparation of Audit Documentation 7

Documentation of the Audit Procedures Perf ormed and Audit Evidence Obtained 8-13

Assembly of the Final Audit File 14-16

Application and Other Explanatory Material

Timely Preparation of Audit Documentation A1

Documentation of the Audit Procedures Perf ormed and Audit Evidence Obtained A2-A20

Assembly of the Final Audit File A21-A24

Appendix: Specif ic Audit Documentation Requirements in Other SSAs

Singapore Standard on Auditing (SSA) 230, “Audit Documentation” should be read in conjunction
with SSA 200, “Overall Objectives of the Independent Auditor and the Conduct of an Audit in
Accordance with Singapore Standards on Auditing.”

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SINGAPORE
STANDARD SSA 230
ON AUDITING
Foreword
This Standard is based on International Standard on Auditing 230, with such amendments as were
considered appropriate f or local adoption.

Introduction
Scope of this SSA
1. This Singapore Standard on Auditing (SSA) deals with the auditor’s responsibility to prepare
audit documentation f or an audit of f inancial statements. The Appendix lists other SSAs that
contain specif ic documentation requirements and guidance. The specif ic documentation
requirements of other SSAs do not limit the application of this SSA. Law or regulation may
establish additional documentation requirements.

Nature and Purposes of Audit Documentation

2. Audit documentation that meets the requirements of this SSA and the specif ic documentation
requirements of other relevant SSAs provides:

(a) Evidence of the auditor’s basis f or a conclusion about the achievement of the overall
objectives of the auditor 1; and

(b) Evidence that the audit was planned and perf ormed in accordance with SSAs and
applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

3. Audit documentation serves a number of additional purposes, including the f ollowing:

• Assisting the engagement team to plan and perf orm the audit.

• Assisting members of the engagement team responsible f or supervision to direct and

supervise the audit work, and to discharge their review responsibilities in accordance
with SSA 220 2.

• Enabling the engagement team to be accountable f or its work.

• Retaining a record of matters of continuing signif icance to f uture audits.

• Enabling the conduct of quality control reviews and inspections in accordance with
Singapore Standard on Quality Control (SSQC) 1 3 or national requirements that are at
least as demanding 4.

• Enabling the conduct of external inspections in accordance with applicable legal,

regulatory or other requirements.

1
SSA 200, Overall Objectives of the Independent Auditor and the Conduct of an Audit in Accordance with Singapor e
Standards on Auditing, paragraph 11.
2
SSA 220, Quality Control for an Audit of Financial Statements, paragraphs 15-17.
3
SSQC 1, Quality Control for Firms that Perform Audits and Reviews of Financial Statements, and Other Assurance and
Related Services Engagements, paragraphs 32-33, 35-38, and 48.
4 SSA 220, paragraph 2.

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Effective Date
4. This SSA is ef f ective f or audits of f inancial statements f or periods ending on or af ter 15
December 2016.

Objective
5. The objective of the auditor is to prepare documentation that provides:

(a) A suf f icient and appropriat e record of the basis f or the auditor’s report; and

(b ) Evidence that the audit was planned and perf ormed in accordance with SSAs and
applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Definitions
6. For purposes of the SSAs, the f ollowing terms have the meanings attributed below:

(a) Audit documentation – The record of audit procedures perf ormed, relevant audit
evidence obtained, and conclusions the auditor reached (terms such as “working
papers” or “workpapers” are also sometimes used).

(b) Audit f ile – One or more f olders or other storage media, in physical or electronic f orm,
containing the records that comprise the audit document atio n f or a specif ic
engagement.

(c ) Experienced auditor – An individual (whether internal or external to the f irm) who has
practical audit experience, and a reasonable understanding of :

(i) Audit processes;

(ii) SSAs and applicable legal and regulatory requirements;

(iii) The business environment in which the entity operates; and

(iv ) Auditing and f inancial reporting issues relevant to the entity’s industry.

Requirements
Timely Preparation of Audit Documentation
7. The auditor shall prepare audit documentation on a timely basis. (Ref : Para. A1)

Documentation of the Audit Procedures Performed and Audit Evidence

Obtained

Form, Content and Extent of Audit Documentation

8. The auditor shall prepare audit documentation that is suf f icient to enable an experienc ed
auditor, having no previous connection with the audit, to understand: (Ref : Para. A2-A5, A16-
A17)

(a) The nature, timing, and extent of the audit procedures perf ormed to comply wit h
the SSAs and applicable legal and regulatory requirements; (Ref : Para. A6-A7)

(b) The results of the audit procedures perf ormed, and the audit evidence obtained ;
and
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 (c) Signif icant matters arising during the audit, the conclusions reached thereon, and
signif icant prof essional judgments made in reaching those conclusions. (Ref :
Para. A8-A11)

9. In documenting the nature, timing and extent of audit procedures perf ormed, the auditor shall
record:

(a) The identif ying characteristics of the specif ic items or matters tested; (Ref : Para.
A12)

(b) Who perf ormed the audit work and the date such work was completed; and

(c) Who reviewed the audit work perf ormed and the date and extent of such review.
(Ref : Para. A13)

10. The auditor shall document discussions of signif icant matters with management , thos e
charged with governance, and others, including the nature of the signif icant matters
discussed and when and with whom the discussions took place. (Ref : Para. A14)

11. If the auditor identif ied inf ormation that is inconsistent with the auditor’s f inal conclusio n
regarding a signif icant matter, the auditor shall document how the auditor addressed the
inconsistency. (Ref : Para. A15)

Departure from a Relevant Requirement

12. If , in exceptional circumstances, the auditor judges it necessary to depart f rom a relev ant
requirement in an SSA, the auditor shall document how the alternative audit procedures
perf ormed achieve the aim of that requirement, and the reasons f or the departure. (Ref :
Para. A18-A19)

Matters Arising after the Date of the Auditor’s Report

13. If , in exceptional circumstances, the auditor perf orms new or additional audit procedures or
draws new conclusions af ter the date of the auditor’s report, the auditor shall document: (Ref:
Para. A20)

(a) The circumstanc es encountered;

(b) The new or additional audit procedures perf ormed, audit evidence obtained, and
conclusions reached, and their ef f ect on the auditor’s report; and

(c) When and by whom the resulting changes to audit documentation were made and
reviewed.

Assembly of the Final Audit File

14. The auditor shall assemble the audit document at io n in an audit f ile and complete the
administrative process of assembling the f inal audit f ile on a timely basis af ter the date of the
auditor’s report. (Ref : Para. A21-A22)

15. Af ter the assembly of the f inal audit f ile has been completed, the auditor shall not delete or
discard audit documentation of any nature bef ore the end of its retention period. (Ref : Para.
A23)

16. In circumstanc es other than those envisaged in paragraph 13 where the auditor f inds it
necessary to modif y existing audit documentation or add new audit documentation af ter the
assembly of the f inal audit f ile has been completed, the auditor shall, regardless of the nature
of the modif ications or additions, document: (Ref : Para. A24)
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 (a) The specif ic reasons f or making them; and

(b) When and by whom they were made and reviewed.

***

Application and Other Explanatory Material

Timely Preparation of Audit Documentation (Ref: Para. 7)

A1 Preparing suf f icient and appropriate audit documentation on a timely basis helps to enhanc e
the quality of the audit and facilitates the effective review and evaluation of the audit evidenc e
obtained and conclusions reached bef ore the auditor’s report is f inalized. Documentation
prepared af ter the audit work has been perf ormed is likely to be less accurate than
documentation prepared at the time such work is perf ormed.

Documentation of the Audit Procedures Performed and Audit Evidence

Obtained

Form, Content and Extent of Audit Documentation (Ref: Para. 8)

A2 The f orm, content and extent of audit document atio n depend on f actors such as:

• The size and complexity of the entity.

• The nature of the audit procedures to be perf ormed.

• The identif ied risks of material misstatement.

• The signif icance of the audit evidence obtained.

• The nature and extent of exceptions identif ied.

• The need to document a conclusion or the basis f or a conclusion not readily

determinable f rom the documentation of the work perf ormed or audit evidence
obtained.

• The audit methodology and tools used.

A3 Audit documentation may be recorded on paper or on electronic or other media. Examples of

audit documentation include:

• Audit programs.

• Analyses.

• Issues memoranda.

• Summaries of signif icant matters.

• Letters of conf irmation and representation.

• Checklists.

• Correspondence (including e-mail) concerning signif icant matters.

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 The auditor may include abstracts or copies of the entity’s records (f or example, signif icant
and specif ic contracts and agreements) as part of audit documentation. Audit documentation,
however, is not a substitute f or the entity’s accounting records.

A4 The auditor need not include in audit documentation superseded draf ts of working papers and
f inancial statements, notes that ref lect incomplete or preliminary thinking, previous copies of
documents corrected f or typographical or other errors, and duplicates of documents.

A5 Oral explanations by the auditor, on their own, do not represent adequate support f or the work
the auditor perf ormed or conclusions the auditor reached, but may be used to explain or
clarif y inf ormation contained in the audit documentation.

Documentation of Compliance with SSAs (Ref: Para. 8(a))

A6 In p rinc ip le, c o mp lianc e wit h t he req uirement s o f t his S S A will res ult in t he aud it
documentation being suf f icient and appropriate in the circumstances. Other SSAs contain
specif ic documentation requirements that are intended to clarif y the application of this SSA in
the particular circumstances of those other SSAs. The specif ic documentation requirements
of other SSAs do not limit the application of this SSA. Furthermore, the absence of a
documentation requirement in any particular SSA is not intended to suggest that there is no
documentation that will be prepared as a result of complying with that SSA.

A7 Audit documentation provides evidence that the audit complies with the SSAs. However, it is
neither necessary nor practicable f or the auditor to document every matter considered, or
prof essional judgment made, in an audit. Further, it is unnecessary f or the auditor to
document separately (as in a checklist, f or example) compliance with matters f or which
compliance is demonstrated by documents included within the audit f ile. For example:

• The existence of an adequately documented audit plan demonstrates that the auditor
has planned the audit.

• The existence of a signed engagement letter in the audit f ile demonstrates that the
auditor has agreed the terms of the audit engagement with management or, where
appropriate, those charged with governance.

• An auditor’s report containing an appropriately qualif ied opinion on the f inancial

statements demonstrates that the auditor has complied with the requirement to
express a qualif ied opinion under the circumstances specif ied in the SSAs.

• In relation to requirements that apply generally throughout the audit, there may be a
number of ways in which compliance with them may be demonstrated within the audit
f ile:

○ For example, there may be no single way in which the auditor’s prof essional
skepticism is documented. But the audit documentation may nevertheles s
provide evidence of the auditor’s exercise of prof essional skepticism in
accordance with the SSAs. For example, in relation to accounting estimates,
when the audit evidence obtained includes evidence that both corroborates
and contradicts management’s assertions, documenting how the auditor
evaluated that evidence, including the prof essional judgments made in
f orming a conclusion as to the suf f iciency and appropriateness of the audit
evidence obtained.

○ Similarly, that the engagement partner has taken responsibility for the direction,
supervision and perf ormance of the audit in compliance with the SSAs may be
evidenced in a number of ways within the audit documentation. This may include
documentation of the engagement partner’s timely involvement in aspects of the

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 audit, such as participation in the team discussions required by SSA 315
(Revised) 5.

Documentation of Significant Matters and Related Significant Professional Judgements (Ref:

Para. 8(c))

A8 Judging the signif icance of a matter requires an objective analysis of the f acts and circumstances.
Examples of significant matters include:

• Matters that give rise to signif icant risks (as def ined in SSA 315 (Revised)) 6.

• Results of audit procedures indicating (a) that the f inancial statements could be
materially misstated, or (b) a need to revise the auditor’s previous assessment of the
risks of material misstatement and the auditor’s responses to those risks.

• Circumstances that cause the auditor signif icant dif ficulty in applying necessary audit
procedures.

• Findings that could result in a modif ication to the audit opinion or the inclusion of an
Emphasis of Matter paragraph in the auditor’s report.

A9 An important f actor in determining the f orm, content and extent of audit documentation of
signif icant matters is the extent of prof essional judgment exercised in perf orming the work
and evaluating the results. Documentation of the prof essional judgments made, where
signif icant, serves to explain the auditor’s conclusions and to reinf orce the quality of the
judgment. Such matters are of particular interest to those responsible f or reviewing audit
documentation, including those carrying out subsequent audits when reviewing matters of
continuing signif icance (f or example, when perf orming a retrospective review of accounting
estimates).

A10 Some examples of circumstances in which, in accordance with paragraph 8, it is appropriate

to prepare audit documentation relating to the use of prof essional judgement include, where
the matters and judgements are signif icant:

• The rationale f or the auditor’s conclusion when a requirement provides that the auditor
‘shall consider’ certain inf ormation or f actors, and that consideration is signif icant in
the context of the particular engagement.

• The basis f or the auditor’s conclusion on the reasonableness of areas of subjective

judgements made by management.

• The basis f or the auditor’s evaluation of whether an accounting estimate and related
disclosures are reasonable in the context of the applicable f inancial reporting
f ramework, or are misstated.

• The basis f or the auditor’s conclusions about the authenticity of a document when
f urther investigation (such as making appropriate use of an expert or of conf irmation
procedures) is undertaken in response to conditions identif ied during the audit that
caused the auditor to believe that the document may not be authentic.

• When SSA 701 7 applies, the auditor’s determination of the key audit matters or the
determination that there are no key audit matters to be communicated.

5 SSA 315 (Revised), Identifying and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement Through Understanding the Entity and Its
Environment, paragraph 10.
6
SSA 315 (Revised), paragraph 4(e).
7
SSA 701, Communicating Key Audit Matters in the Independent Auditor’s Report
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A11 The auditor may consider it helpf ul to prepare and retain as part of the audit documentation
a summary (sometimes known as a completion memorandum) that describes the signif icant
matters identif ied during the audit and how they were addressed, or that includes cross-
ref erences to other relevant supporting audit documentation that provides such inf ormation.
Such a summary may f acilitate ef f ective and ef f icient reviews and inspections of the audit
documentation, particularly f or large and complex audits. Further, the preparation of such a
summary may assist the auditor’s consideration of the signif icant matters. It may also help
the auditor to consider whether, in light of the audit procedures perf ormed and conclusions
reached, there is any individual relevant SSA objective that the auditor cannot achieve that
would prevent the auditor f rom achieving the overall objectives of the auditor.

Identification of Specific Items or Matters Tested, and of the Preparer and Reviewer (Ref:
Para. 9)

A12 Recording the identif ying characteristics serves a number of purposes. For example, it
enables the engagement team to be accountable f or its work and f acilitates the investigation
of exceptions or inconsistencies. Identif ying characteristics will vary with the nature of the
audit procedure and the item or matter tested. For example:

• For a detailed test of entity-generated purchase orders, the auditor may identif y the
documents selected f or testing by their dates and unique purchase order numbers.

• For a procedure requiring selection or review of all items over a specif ic amount f rom
a given population, the auditor may record the scope of the procedure and identif y the
population (f or example, all journal entries over a specif ied amount f rom the journal
register).

• For a procedure requiring systematic sampling f rom a population of documents, the

auditor may identif y the documents selected by recording their source, the starting
point and the sampling interval (f or example, a systematic sample of shipping reports
selected f rom the shipping log f or the period f rom 1 April to 30 September, starting with
report number 12345 and selecting every 125th report).

• For a procedure requiring inquiries of specific entity personnel, the auditor may record
the dates of the inquiries and the names and job designations of the entity personnel.

• For an observation procedure, the auditor may record the process or matter being
observed, the relevant individuals, their respective responsibilities, and where and
when the observation was carried out.

A13 SSA 220 requires the auditor to review the audit work perf ormed through review of the audit
documentation 8. The requirement to document who reviewed the audit work perf ormed does
not imply a need f or each specif ic working paper to include evidence of review. The
requirement, however, means documenting what audit work was reviewed, who reviewed such
work, and when it was reviewed.

Documentation of Discussions of Significant Matters with Management, Those Charged with

Governance, and Others (Ref: Para. 10)

A14 The documentation is not limited to records prepared by the auditor but may include other
appropriate records such as minutes of meetings prepared by the entity’s personnel and
agreed by the auditor. Others with whom the auditor may discuss signif icant matters may
include other personnel within the entity, and external parties, such as persons providing
prof essional advice to the entity.

Documentation of How Inconsistencies have been Addressed (Ref: Para. 11)

8
SSA 220, paragraph 17.
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A15 The requirement to document how the auditor addressed inconsistencies in inf ormation does
not imply that the auditor needs to retain documentation that is incorrect or superseded.

Considerations Specific to Smaller Entities (Ref. Para. 8)

A16 The audit documentation f or the audit of a smaller entity is generally less extensive than that
f or the audit of a larger entity. Further, in the case of an audit where the engagement partner
perf orms all the audit work, the documentation will not include matters that might have to be
documented solely to inf orm or instruct members of an engagement team, or to provide
evidence of review by other members of the team (f or example, there will be no matters to
document relating to team discussions or supervision). Nevertheless, the engagement partner
complies with the overriding requirement in paragraph 8 to prepare audit documentation that can
be understood by an experienced auditor, as the audit documentation may be subject to review
by external parties f or regulatory or other purposes.

A17 When preparing audit documentation, the auditor of a smaller entity may also f ind it helpf ul
and efficient to record various aspects of the audit together in a single document, with cross-
ref erences to supporting working papers as appropriate. Examples of matters that may be
documented together in the audit of a smaller entity include the understanding of the entity
and its internal control, the overall audit strategy and audit plan, materiality determined in
accordance with ISA 320 9, assessed risks, signif icant matters noted during the audit, and
conclusions reached.

Departure from a Relevant Requirement (Ref: Para. 12)

A18 The requirements of the SSAs are designed to enable the auditor to achieve the objectives
specif ied in the SSAs, and thereby the overall objectives of the auditor. Accordingly, other than
in exceptional circumstances, the SSAs call f or compliance with each requirement that is
relevant in the circumstances of the audit.

A19 The d o c ument ation req uirement ap p lies o nly t o req uirement s t hat are relev ant in t he
circumstances. A requirement is not relevant 10 only in the cases where:

(a) The entire SSA is not relevant (f or example, if an entity does not have an internal
audit f unction, nothing in SSA 610 (Revised 2013) 11 is relevant); or

(b) The requirement is conditional and the condition does not exist (f or example, the
requirement to modif y the auditor’s opinion where there is an inability to obtain
suf f icient appropriate audit evidence, and there is no such inability).

Matters Arising after the Date of the Auditor’s Report (Ref: Para. 13)

A20 Examples of exceptional circumstances include f acts which become known to the audito r
af ter the date of the auditor’s report but which existed at that date and which, if known at that
date, might have caused the f inancial statements to be amended or the auditor to modify the
opinion in the auditor’s report 12. The resulting changes to the audit documentation are
reviewed in accordance with the review responsibilities set out in SSA 220 13, with the
engagement partner taking f inal responsibility f or the changes.

Assembly of the Final Audit File (Ref: Para. 14-16)

9
SSA 320, Materiality in Planning and Performing an Audit.
10
SSA 200, paragraph 22.
11
SSA 610 (Revised 2013), Using the Work of Internal Auditors, paragraph 2.
12
SSA 560, Subsequent Events, paragraph 14.
13
SSA 220, paragraph 16.
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A21 SSQC 1 (or national requirements that are at least as demanding) requires f irms to establish
policies and procedures f or the timely completion of the assembly of audit f iles 14. An
appropriate time limit within which to complete the assembly of the f inal audit f ile is ordinarily
not more than 60 days af ter the date of the auditor’s report 15.

A22. The completion of the assembly of the f inal audit f ile af ter the date of the auditor’s report is an
administrative process that does not involve the perf ormance of new audit procedures or the
drawing of new conclusions. Changes may, however, be made to the audit documentation
during the f inal assembly process if they are administrative in nature. Examples of such
changes include:

• Deleting or discarding superseded documentation.

• Sorting, collating and cross-ref erencing working papers.

• Signing of f on completion checklists relating to the f ile assembly process.

• Documenting audit evidence that the auditor has obtained, discussed and agreed
with the relevant members of the engagement team bef ore the date of the auditor’s
report.

A23 SSQC 1 (or national requirements that are at least as demanding) requires f irms to establish
policies and procedures f or the retention of engagement documentation 16. The retentio n
period f or audit engagements ordinarily is no shorter than f ive years f rom the date of the
auditor’s report, or, if later, the date of the group auditor’s report 17.

A24 An example of a circumstance in which the auditor may f ind it necessary to modif y existing
audit documentation or add new audit documentation af ter f ile assembly has been completed
is the need to clarif y existing audit documentation arising f rom comments received during
monitoring inspections perf ormed by internal or external parties.

14
SSQC 1, paragraph 45.
15
SSQC 1, paragraph A54.
16
SSQC 1, paragraph 47.
17
SSQC 1, paragraph A61.
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 Appendix
(Ref: Para. 1)

Specific Audit Documentation Requirements and Guidance in Other

SSAs
This appendix identif ies paragraphs in other SSAs that contain specif ic documentation requirements .
The list is not a substitute f or considering the requirements and related application and other
explanatory material in SSAs.

• SSA 210, Agreeing the Terms of Audit Engagements – paragraphs 10-12

• SSA 220, Quality Control for an Audit of Financial Statements – paragraphs 24-25

• SSA 240, The Auditor’s Responsibilities Relating to Fraud in an Audit of Financial Statements
– paragraphs 44-47

• SSA 250, Consideration of Laws and Regulations in an Audit of Financial Statements –

paragraph 29

• SSA 260 (Revised), Communication with Those Charged with Governance – paragraph 23

• SSA 300, Planning an Audit of Financial Statements – paragraph 12

• SSA 315 (Revised), Identifying and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement through
Understanding the Entity and Its Environment – paragraph 32

• SSA 320, Materiality in Planning and Performing an Audit – paragraph 14

• SSA 330, The Auditor’s Responses to Assessed Risks – paragraphs 28-30

• SSA 450, Evaluation of Misstatements Identified During the Audit – paragraph 15

• SSA 540 (Revised), Auditing Accounting Estimates and Related Disclosures – paragraph 39

• SSA 550, Related Parties – paragraph 28

• SSA 600, Special Considerations—Audits of Group Financial Statements (Including the Work
of Component Auditors) – paragraph 50

• SSA 610 (Revised 2013), Using the Work of Internal Auditors – paragraph 36

• SSA 720 (Revis ed ), The Auditor’s Responsibilities Relating to Other Information –

paragraph 25

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