Quality management of accounting and review services proposal released Thursday by the AICPA Accounting and Review Services Committee (ARSC) is designed to ensure consistency, where appropriate, with the proposed quality management standard for auditing services.
Thursday's post follows the February release of a trio of AICPA Auditing Standards Board (ASB) proposals designed to tailor audit firm quality management systems to the specific nature and circumstances of business. 'an individual firm and its missions.
One of the proposed standards is specific to the auditor's responsibilities for quality management at the engagement level for an audit of financial statements and the related responsibilities of the engagement partner.
The revisions proposed by ARSC are designed to ensure that certain concepts related to quality management, where applicable, are consistent between the auditing standards and the Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services ( SSARS).
The proposed ARSC standard would modify the following sections of SSARS No.21, Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services: Clarification and Recoding, as amended:
- Article 60 of the RA-C, General Principles for Engagements Performed in Accordance with Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services; and
- Article 90 of the RA-C, Review of financial statements.
"As a profession, we are committed to quality and continue to assess how we can support the delivery of quality services through changes in standards," said AICPA Chief Auditor Jennifer Burns, CPA, in a press release. "The ARSC is proposing changes that do exactly that - supporting the quality of SSARS commitments. These changes are also aligned with similar changes that are being considered by the ASB."
The ARSC proposes that the changes come into effect for SSARS missions for periods ending on or after December 15, 2024, which is the date that the ASB is currently considering for its proposed quality management standards.
The proposed SSARS also includes a technical correction to Article 90 of AR-C which is expected to come into force upon publication.
Comments can be submitted to [email protected] before January 31, 2022.