AICPA proposes changes to auditor reporting standards

The American Institute of CPAs’ Auditing Standards Board has proposed amendments to three sets of auditing standards for special-purpose, single and summary financial statements.

For the exposure draft of the proposed Statement on Auditing Standards Amendments to AU-C Sections 800, 805, and 810 to Incorporate Auditor Reporting Changes from SAS No. 134, the board wants to conform Generally Accepted Auditing Standards to the new auditor reporting standards issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, which respectively require disclosure of any “critical audit matters” and “key audit matters” encountered during the course of an audit.

The proposed standard aligns:

AICPA building in Durham, N.C.

“As we continue to enhance the transparency of auditor reporting, we have extended the provisions of SAS No. 134 as they relate to providing insight into the basis for the auditor’s opinion,” said AICPA chief auditor Robert Dohrer in a statement. “Disclosure of the responsibilities of both entity management and auditors in these unique reporting circumstances is also important.”

The proposed standards will be combined with the reporting provisions of SAS No. 134, Auditor Reporting and Amendments, Including Amendments Addressing Disclosures in the Audit of Financial Statements, and other recently issued standards. In May, the AICPA Auditing Standards Board issued SAS No. 134 that updates the form and content of auditors’ reports on the financial statements of non-issuers.

The AICPA is asking for feedback on the exposure draft by Oct. 28. Comments can be sent to Sharon Macey at Sharon.Macey@aicpa-cima.com.