Updated July 14, 2023
Definition of Audit Report Types
Audit reports comprise the auditor’s opinion over the status of the company’s financial statements. In other words, audit reports are an appraisal of the company’s complete business activities.
It contains an independent auditor’s opinion over the financial statement, a reference towards the financial reporting framework (GAAP/ IFRS) used while preparing the financial accounts. In many countries, publicly traded company companies are required by law to get their audit done by an independent auditor once a year.
Explanation
The issuance of an audit report is the conclusion of the audit process of the company. An audit report is of great relevance because investors base their investment decision on the audit result of the companies. In addition to this, companies that are looking to improve their internal controls also find audit report information very beneficial.
Apart from the investors, audit reports are also used by the board of directors to make business decisions and by other stakeholders like government bodies, banks, etc. The Board of directors and shareholders use the audit report to assess the transparency of financial statements and the efficiency of the management. Whereas government bodies use audit reports to assess the completeness and accuracy of tax declaration. The audit report usually covers the period of the last 12 months of the company. In a way, the audit report is a measure of the company’s financial worth for a specific period of time.
Types of Audit Report
Four types of audit reports can issue to the company based upon the auditor’s opinion. The audit report is prepared based upon examining the company’s financial statements by the auditors. The four types of audit reports include unqualified audit reports, qualified audit reports, adverse audit reports, and disclaimer audit reports.
- Unqualified Opinion or Unqualified Audit Report: In other words, it is a clean audit report that means that the company’s financial statements are free from any material misstatements and provide a true and fair view of its financial position. But for a complete audit report to be reliable, it should be issued by the independent auditors performing the audit. This is the best type of audit report issued by the auditors in favor of a company and indicates the genuineness of a company’s financial statements.
- Qualified Opinion or Qualified Audit Report: Qualified audit report is somewhat similar to an unqualified report, but auditors could not issue an unqualified opinion due to a specific transaction or due to the fact that financial statements were not prepared in accordance with the GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles). Apart from this, no material misstatements were found in the financial records. Auditors will include an additional paragraph in their audit report detailing why they could not issue an unqualified opinion or audit report.
- Adverse Opinion or Adverse Audit Reports: Auditors issue an audit report or opinion when they find material misstatements in the company’s financial statements. These material misstatements impact the complete financial statements; therefore, stakeholders, investors, or the government cannot trust the financial statements. Auditors will generally provide the details of misstatements found in their audit report and the effect of the same so that stakeholders can be conscious while analyzing the financial statements independently. But shareholders, lenders, or other stakeholders generally do not accept these audit reports. Whenever the auditors issue an adverse opinion on the company’s financial statements, they must correct its financial statement and complete the re-audit. An adverse audit report is the worst audit opinion the auditors can issue.
- Disclaimer of opinion or Disclaimer Audit Report: Auditors issue a disclaimer audit report or opinion when they cannot perform audit activities falling under their scope to understand the true nature of transactions or find sufficient evidence to substantiate the account balances. In other words, they cannot express a definitive opinion over the company’s financial statements. This generally happens when there is an absence of proper financial records or auditors does not get sufficient support from the management. This type of report creates a negative reputation for the company in the market.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, we can now understand the different types of audit reports issued by the auditors and the basis upon which they form their opinions. Audit reports are a kind of assurance given over the company’s financial soundness. It also helps internal management improve their internal controls in the business. It helps shareholders and the board of directors assess the integrity and efficiency of the internal management. Finally, it also assists investors in making their investment decisions.
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