Your accountancy function is a vital part of your business’s processes, but it can be hugely time consuming. At Edwards, we can provide audit and accountancy services to help boost the efficiency of your business, identifying opportunities for improvement and getting to know your processes inside and out. We can also help you better appraise the performance of your business and explain the numbers in a way you can understand.
We provide a wide range of accounting and financial auditing services, including:
- Business Systems
- Business Turnaround
- Company Secretarial
- Corporate Finance
- Corporate Restructuring
- Payroll
- Pension Scheme Audit
- Solicitors
What is an audit?
As a business, it’s hugely important to keep your financial records as accurate as possible. An audit is an examination of your financial information by an independent professional, to form an opinion as to whether your financial statements show a true and fair view.
Accuracy of your financial statements refers to whether the information provided in your balance sheet, income statement and supporting notes are correct.
At Edwards, we undertake numerous statutory audits, which can also identify the strengths and weaknesses of your systems and processes and give you the opportunity to improve them.
When is an audit required?
An audit is a statutory requirement for your company if two of the following apply:
- The company has an annual turnover of more than £10.2 million;
- The company has total assets of more than £5.1 million; or
- The company has more than 50 employees
How an audit is conducted
An audit is conducted through the examination of financial records. This examination is directed by UK audit standards and rules to ensure the audit is being performed effectively. Once the process is complete, auditors prepare their audit report for inclusion in your financial statements that details their overall findings and their assessment of your financial information. Statutory audits are usually completed annually, depending on the type of business.
Why does my business need accountancy services?
Even for the most experienced professionals, accountancy tasks that don’t fall under the scope of an audit can be a time consuming process. Using the services of a Chartered Accountant can allow you to focus more on the day-to-day running of your company.
Accountancy services from experienced specialists can assist you in filing your statutory annual accounts, which as a business you must provide to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and Companies House. They can also assist you with producing the information needed for filing tax returns and generally keeping your annual accounts in line with current legislation. This can help you save both time and money in the long run by reducing the burden on your team and removing the need for hiring additional members of staff.
How can we help?
Our audit and accounts teams thrive on providing an informative and courteous service, meeting stringent deadlines and maintaining an excellent standard of communication. In addition we can provide other services such as small business advisory and pension schemes audits.
At Edwards, we ensure that our teams are professional, courteous and helpful at all times. We also prioritise getting to know you and your business, so wherever possible, the same team will be assigned to you year-on-year. This will give you peace of mind that you are dealing with professionals who truly know your business inside and out.
Contact our specialists:
FAQs
There are situations where a company may want to voluntarily have an external audit, and those where it is required to.
Standard private limited companies are required to have a statutory audit should they meet two of the following criteria:
- A turnover of more than £10.2 million
- Assets totalling more than £5.1 million
- Currently employing more than 50 people
If your company does not meet the criteria necessary to require an audit, you may still choose to have one as it can help ensure that your financial reports are accurate and compliant, adding extra confidence to key stakeholders and other users of the accounts.
An audit is an examination of your financial information by an external independent body to understand whether the financial statements of your business reflect a true and fair view. This will include the performance of a series of standard audit procedures on your balance sheet and income statement figures (plus supporting notes) to ensure your financial statements are materially correct.
At Edwards, our statutory audit will do the above while also identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your financial systems and processes, providing you with recommendations on how to improve them should areas for improvement be identified.
Some businesses may be exempt from UK audits regardless of size or turnover, as outlined above. There are four situations in which a company may not require an audit. These are:
- Dormant companies
- Small stand-alone companies
- A small member of a small group
- A subsidiary of a UK parent company providing a parental guarantee
There are also situations where you must have an audit, regardless of your size or turnover. These include:
- Public companies
- Corporations that have shares traded on a regulated market
- Recognised banks or insurance companies, and investment firms that are part of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID)
If you are unsure whether your business is exempt from the requirement for an audit, get in touch with a qualified professional today.
Yes – if you are asked by shareholders who own at least 10% of your shares, you must arrange for an audit to be carried out on your accounts. The audit can be requested by a single shareholder with a greater than 10% share in your company, or by a group who total 10%.
This request must be made in writing and sent to the registered office address of the company, and it must be received at least one month prior to the end of the financial year.
