An accounting audit is a type of financial check that is done externally to monitor a company’s accounting methods.  This check is used to verify financial information has been compiled in a manner that is in accordance with standard practices and there are no errors.  A specialized type of accounting firm, known as an auditing firm performs these external checks.  There are some industries that require companies to submit their books for auditing on an annual basis, to ensure nothing is being overlooked or erroneously reported, either intentionally or unintentionally.

Accounting audits play a very important role in the business world and there is a certain amount of finesse that goes into the process in order to verify the accounting process is done correctly yet the client company is pleased and an ongoing business relationship is established.  This is because if an auditing firm finds many errors and questionable items on a client company’s accounting records, it is very possible the company would opt to not use that firm’s services again.

On the other hand, if the auditing firm is too lax and does not properly analyze the data, the integrity of the financial accounts of the company being subjected to the audit cannot be guaranteed.  If the company were to suffer a major financial issue, the accounting audit would be called into question, and the reputation of the auditing firm would also be looked into.  The auditing firm may suffer just as much as the company being scrutinized since it may lose business from other companies because of these serious issues.

It is very important that accounting audits be conducted on a regular basis, in a proper manner, by a reputable company.  Being able to know for complete certainty that your financial records are complete, accurate, and up to date is extremely important in the business world.  This will help companies to quickly identify many serious situations that could crop up such as someone embezzling from the company, missing accounts, reporting errors, or internal fraud.

When a company takes the steps necessary to complete these types of audits, and the auditing firm completes them in the correct way, to a high standard, information can be accessed promptly, presented to organizations that request it, and it will not be questioned for authenticity or accuracy.  This level of care and trust can truly make or break a company; especially in today’s extremely competitive marketplace.