Audit
From PCSAR
The audit of the books is done once a year prior to the Annual General Meeting.
Contents |
Selection of auditors
The auditors are two members of general membership, preferably not members of the board. They are appointed by the board (bylaws section 16) and report to the membership.
The board should pass an appointment motion of this form:
Suggested motion: Moved by _______________, seconded by _______________ to appoint _______________ and _______________ to act as auditors for the Society for the financial year ending August 31, ________.
Preparing for the audit
(Administrator for Treasurer) Prior to the audit, the following information should be provided to the auditors:
- a copy of the previous year's auditors' report
- (please upload the 2015-2016 Auditors' Report to this page)
- a copy of the previous year's financial statements
- a copy of the current year's financial statements including
- balance sheet
- statement of income and expense
- the last bank statement prior to the year-end for all bank accounts
- the last bill/statement prior to the year-end for all monthly accounts (e.g. credit card, Telus bills, phone.com)
- the bank reconciliation statement
- a list of all transactions for the year (e.g. General Ledger report)
- a copy of the most recent inventory
- the authorization to spend, which would be either
- a copy of the current year's budget
- plus a copy of the minutes adopting and amending the budget and authorizing expenditure limits
- and any minutes authorizing expenditures over the budget
- or, a copy of all minutes for the year
- a copy of the current year's budget
- a draft copy of the current year's Auditors' Report, ready for signatures
During the audit
During the audit, the two auditors meet with the book keeper with all the financial records.
Together they verify that:
- the current year's balance sheet balances
- the totals of the income and expense sheet add up
- the difference between the current year's and previous year's balance sheet is the difference of the current year's income and expense
- the bank reconciliation statement matches the bank statement
- any regular bills that show a current balance (e.g. phone bills) match the balance reported in the books
- all expenditures are authorized by either the budget or board meeting motion
The auditors will probe certain transactions, asking to see the paperwork associated with them. These transactions should include:
- any transactions in the transaction list that seem odd.
- transactions in the bank reconciliation statement that are unusually old.
- a few random transactions
The auditors will review the previous year's auditors' report and check to see whether any of the concerns listed there should also be mentioned in the current year's report.
If there are concerns for the current year, the auditors will discuss with the book keeper whether the concerns can be addressed. If so, the auditors can reconvene after any additional information or changes has been provided.
After reviewing the books,
the auditors will prepare an auditors' report.
The auditors' report will state
whether they believe
the current year's financial statements
substantially reflects the financial state of the society.
If there are any outstanding reservations or concerns
the auditors' report should include those.
The auditors' report should be signed by both auditors.
After the audit
A copy of the auditors' report should be given to the book keeper and the board. Prior to or at the annual general meeting, the auditors' report (with the year end financial statements attached) should be sent to all members of the society.
