Good morning. My question is regarding receiving BGL/Class generated feeds for shareholdings and dividend income for an SMSF and obtaining sufficient appropriate audit evidence. We have always been provided with the shareholding and dividend payment source documentation in addition to these feeds. We use the feeds (which show the fund name) and source documentation to do our third-party checks on ownership, existence and valuation. These reports in the past have always proved accurate when third party checks were done, and I have been assured by the accountants who use these feeds that they are accurate as they are fed directly from the share registries. The dividend reports are also reconciled in the software back to the holding reports and income comparison reports and so any discrepancy is picked up at this point. If I am can do 3rd party checks that confirm the existence, ownership and value of these shares, would the ATO consider this sufficient appropriate evidence for my audit workpapers? The reason for this question is that I have been asked by a client if we will accept the feeds as sufficient to work with, without supplying the source documents as they are not provided with them.
top of page
When you become a member of The Auditors Institute, you immediately gain access to expertise, advocacy for your profession and peace of mind.
Ask a question in our members-only forum or use the search function to find prior technical discussions on your topic. You can expect a response within 24-48hrs.
Disclaimer
The forum is made available by The Auditors Institute Ltd for the benefit of it’s members only, and its primary purpose is to facilitate education, training, and discussion between members. The information and answers provided within the forum are of a general nature and do not consider any specific circumstances, objectives, financial situation or needs related to the matter/s raised. The responses should not be construed as financial advice, and each Member should seek their own professional advice before making any decisions. The Auditors Institute Ltd and its representatives are not responsible for any actions taken based on the information provided in the forum.
bottom of page
Hi Anne
My view is that you should still confirm directly with the registries each year a sample of shareholdings. If you did this you would not need source documents in relation to these shares.
Yes BGL & Class get feeds from registries so that does provide audit evidence. Different auditors place differing levels of reliance on these feeds and the audit evidence they provide.
Class software each year gets a type I & II ASAE3402 audit report, being a review of the controls / tax information. A request can be made to Class to get a copy of these reports, refer:
https://support.class.com.au/hc/en-au/articles/360001440856
It would be great to get other forum members views re your query.
Thanks
SMSF AAA