As the holiday season comes to an end, in many cases this can mean your accounting firm will soon be knocking on the door to begin your company’s compilation, review or audit. A few steps taken after year-end can make this process smooth for both parties. Reconciling accounts and posting journal entries prior to providing a trial balance to the engagement team can reduce follow-up questions and proposed adjustments. Communicating any changes in the business or unusual transactions during the year can also assist the engagement team in understanding any fluctuations they identify during the engagement.

For audit engagements, the engagement team will provide testing selections for various areas. Providing timely support for these transactions can keep the engagement moving and avoid delays. Our teams strive to improve efficiency each year and are always open to suggestions. Let your engagement team know if you have ideas that could improve the process. We have implemented Suralink in recent years which provides an online interactive request list. Our clients have found this helpful in tracking items needed throughout the engagement. If we are not using this feature on your engagement and you are interested, ask you contact at CSB and they will be happy to set that up for you.

A smooth engagement ultimately comes down to good communication from both parties. We believe that few items mentioned can help these engagements stay on schedule and provide less inconvenience for you. We look forward to working with our clients in 2025. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to you CSB contact.