Introduction
Scope of this SA
1. This Standard on Auditing (SA) deals with the auditor’s responsibilities relating to opening balances when conducting an initial audit engagement. In addition to financial statement amounts, opening balances include matters requiring disclosure that existed at the beginning of the period, such as contingencies and commitments. When the financial statements include comparative financial information, the requirements and guidance in SA 7101also SA 3002 includes additional requirements and guidance regarding activities prior to starting an initial audit.
Page Contents
Effective Date
2. This SA is effective for audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after ……
Objective
3. In conducting an initial audit engagement, the objective of the auditor with respect to opening balances is to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence about whether:
(a) Opening balances contain misstatements that materially affect the current period’s financial statements; and
(b) Appropriate accounting policies reflected in the opening balances have been consistently applied in the current period’s financial statements, or changes thereto are properly accounted for and adequately presented and disclosed in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework.
Definitions
4. For the purposes of the SAs, the following terms have the meanings attributed below:
(a) Initial audit engagement – An engagement in which either:
(i) The financial statements for the prior period were not audited; or
(ii) The financial statements for the prior period were audited by a predecessor auditor.
(b) Opening balances – Those account balances that exist at the beginning of the period. Opening balances are based upon the closing balances of the prior period and reflect the effects of transactions and events of prior periods and accounting policies applied in the prior period. Opening balances also include matters requiring disclosure that existed at the beginning of the period, such as contingencies and commitments.
(c) Predecessor auditor – The auditor from a different audit firm, who audited the financial statements of an entity in the prior period and who has been replaced by the current auditor.
Requirements
Audit Procedures
Opening Balances
5. The auditor shall read the most recent financial statements, if any, and the predecessor auditor’s report thereon, if any, for information relevant to opening balances, including disclosures.
6. The auditor shall obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence about whether the opening balances contain misstatements that materially affect the current period’s financial statements by:
(a) Determining whether the prior period’s closing balances have been correctly brought forward to the current period or, when appropriate, any adjustments have been disclosed as prior period items in the current year’s Statement of Profit and Loss or have been restated (refer applicable financial reporting framework);
(b) Determining whether the opening balances reflect the application of appropriate accounting policies; and
(c) Performing one or more of the following: (Ref: A1–A4)
(i) Where the prior year financial statements were audited, perusing the copies of the audited financial statements including the other relevant documents relating to the prior period financial statements;
(ii) Evaluating whether audit procedures performed in the current period provide evidence relevant to the opening balances; or
(iii) Performing specific audit procedures to obtain evidence regarding the opening balances.
7. If the auditor obtains audit evidence that the opening balances contain misstatements that could materially affect the current period’s financial statements, the auditor shall perform such additional audit procedures as are appropriate in the circumstances to determine the effect on the current period’s financial statements. If the auditor concludes that such misstatements exist in the current period’s financial statements, the auditor shall communicate the misstatements with the appropriate level of management and those charged with governance in accordance with SA 4503.
Consistency of Accounting Policies
8. The auditor shall obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence about whether the accounting policies reflected in the opening balances have been consistently applied in the current period’s financial statements, and whether changes in the accounting policies have been properly accounted for and adequately presented and disclosed in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework.
Relevant Information in the Predecessor Auditor’s Report
9. If the prior period’s financial statements were audited by a predecessor auditor and there was a modification to the opinion, the auditor shall evaluate the effect of the matter giving rise to the modification in assessing the risks of material misstatement in the current period’s financial statements in accordance with SA 315.4
Audit Conclusions and Reporting
Opening Balances
10. If the auditor is unable to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the opening balances, the auditor shall express a qualified opinion or a disclaimer of opinion, as appropriate, in accordance with SA 705(Revised).5(Ref: A5)
11. If the auditor concludes that the opening balances contain a misstatement that materially affects the current period’s financial statements, and the effect of the misstatement is not properly accounted for or not adequately presented or disclosed, the auditor shall express a qualified opinion or an adverse opinion, as appropriate, in accordance with SA 705(Revised).
Consistency of Accounting Policies
12. If the auditor concludes that:
(a) the current period’s accounting policies are not consistently applied in relation to opening balances in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework; or
(b) a change in accounting policies is not properly accounted for or not adequately presented or disclosed in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework,
the auditor shall express a qualified opinion or an adverse opinion as appropriate in accordance with SA 705(Revised).
Modification to the Opinion in the Predecessor Auditor’s Report
13. If the predecessor auditor’s opinion regarding the prior period’s financial statements included a modification to the auditor’s opinion that remains relevant and material to the current period’s financial statements, the auditor shall modify the auditor’s opinion on the current period’s financial statements in accordance with SA 705(Revised) and SA (Ref: Para. A6)
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Application and Other Explanatory Material
Audit Procedures
Opening Balances (Ref: Para. 6(c))
A1. The nature and extent of audit procedures necessary to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding opening balances depend on such matters as:
- The accounting policies followed by the entity.
- The nature of the account balances, classes of transactions and disclosures and the risks of material misstatement in the current period’s financial statements.
- The significance of the opening balances relative to the current period’s financial statements.
- Whether the prior period’s financial statements were audited and, if so, whether the predecessor auditor’s opinion was modified.
A2. If the prior period’s financial statements were audited by a predecessor auditor, the auditor may be able to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the opening balances by perusing the copies of the audited financial statements including the other relevant documents relating to the prior period financial statements such as supporting schedules to the audited financial statements. Ordinarily, the current auditor can place reliance on the closing balances contained in the financial statements for the preceding period, except when during the performance of audit procedures for the current period the possibility of misstatements in opening balances is indicated.
A3. For current assets and liabilities, some audit evidence about opening balances may be obtained as part of the current period’s audit procedures. For example, the collection (payment) of opening accounts receivable (accounts payable) during the current period will provide some audit evidence of their existence, rights and obligations, completeness and valuation at the beginning of the period. In the case of inventories, however, the current period’s audit procedures on the closing inventory balance provide little audit evidence regarding inventory on hand at the beginning of the period. Therefore, additional audit procedures may be necessary, and one or more of the following may provide sufficient appropriate audit evidence:
- Observing a current physical inventory count and reconciling it to the opening inventory quantities.
- Performing audit procedures on the valuation of the opening inventory items.
- Performing audit procedures on gross profit and cut-off.
A4. For non-current assets and liabilities, such as property plant and equipment, investments and long-term debt, some audit evidence may be obtained by examining the accounting records and other information underlying the opening balances. In certain cases, the auditor may be able to obtain some audit evidence regarding opening balances through confirmation with third parties, for example, for long-term debt and investments. In other cases, the auditor may need to carry out additional audit procedures.
Audit Conclusions and Reporting
Opening Balances (Ref: Para. 10)
A5. SA 705(Revised) establishes requirements and provides guidance on circumstances that may result in a modification to the auditor’s opinion on the financial statements, the type of opinion appropriate in the circumstances, and the content of the auditor’s report when the auditor’s opinion is modified. The inability of the auditor to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding opening balances may result in one of the following modifications to the opinion in the auditor’s report:
- A qualified opinion or a disclaimer of opinion, as is appropriate in the circumstances; or
- Unless prohibited by law or regulation, an opinion which is qualified or disclaimed, as appropriate, regarding the results of operations*, and cash flows, where relevant, and unmodified regarding state of affairs**.
Modification to the Opinion in the Predecessor Auditor’s Report (Ref: Para. 13)
A6. In some situations, a modification to the predecessor auditor’s opinion may not be relevant and material to the opinion on the current period’s financial statements. This may be the case where, for example, there was a scope limitation in the prior period, but the matter giving rise to the scope limitation has been resolved in the current period.
Notes:
1 SA 710, “Comparative Information-Corresponding Figures and Comparative Financial Statements”.
2 SA 300, “Planning an Audit of Financial Statements”.
3 SA 450, “Evaluation of Misstatements Identified During the Audit”, paragraphs 8 and 12.
4 SA 315, “Identifying and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement Through Understanding the Entity and Its Environment”.
5 SA 705(Revised), “Modifications to the Opinion in the Independent Auditor’s Report”.
* Statement of Profit and Loss.
** Balance Sheet.
