Audit support
Working paper preparation
Working paper preparation from Finbryn builds the lead schedules and reconciliations a Canadian CPA reviews, each one tied to the trial balance and reconcilable to your T2. Our accounting team maintains the file through review rounds and logs changes so a comment does not force a fresh rebuild.
Auditor request list
Illustrative client · August 2026
CAD
- Trial balance and general ledger exportDone
- Bank confirmations and statementsDone
- Receivables and payables listingsDone
- Fixed asset register with additionsIn progress
- Accruals and prepayments supportNext
Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.
A schedule that does not tie is not a working paper
We build lead schedules for every major balance sheet and income statement account, reconcile each to supporting detail, and cross-reference the figure back to its source, whether that is a bank statement, a lease agreement or a GST/HST return filed with CRA.
Capital asset continuity schedules show opening net book value, additions, disposals and CCA or depreciation for the period side by side, the format a Canadian reviewer expects rather than a single static balance with nothing behind it.
Handling review comments
A reviewing CPA's first pass almost always comes back with comments, whether on a revenue cutoff, a related-party disclosure or a note reconciliation. We update the specific schedule, keep the prior version in a revision log rather than overwriting it silently, and note what changed and why. That log matters when someone asks why a balance moved between drafts.
Format and consistency
We build to your CPA's preferred template when one exists, or a consistent internal format when it does not. File naming and version numbering stay consistent across the whole set, so nothing gets mistaken for a superseded draft mid-review.
Working papers sit downstream of audit-ready books and feed into internal controls documentation whenever a reviewer wants to see how a control, such as a monthly bank reconciliation sign-off, actually operates rather than just what the balance says.
Why the tie-out matters more than the layout
A reviewer tolerates a plain-looking schedule. What stalls a Canadian engagement is a figure that does not trace to anything, or a T2 filing that disagrees with the working trial balance. We check every number ties before a set goes out, so the questions that come back are about substance, not arithmetic.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Working paper preparation
Do you build in Excel or a specific working paper tool?
Most Canadian engagements run on Excel, cross-referenced to a trial balance export from QuickBooks Online, Xero or Sage 50. We match your reviewing firm's format when it uses a dedicated platform.
Can working papers reconcile to what we filed on our T2?
Yes. We tie the schedules to the return already filed, so a reviewer sees one consistent set of numbers rather than two versions to reconcile against each other.
How many rounds of review comments does this cover?
We update schedules through however many rounds the engagement needs, logging each revision instead of treating every round as a fresh build.
What exactly is included in working paper preparation?
Lead schedules for each major balance sheet and income statement account, and reconciliations tied out to the trial balance with variance explanations. This work runs inside Excel or QuickBooks Online, whichever your business already has in place, and it rolls into your regular monthly close rather than sitting off to the side as a separate, unreconciled process.
What happens to our working paper preparation records if we switch providers?
Everything stays inside your own Excel or QuickBooks Online account, so the full history transfers with the subscription, not with Finbryn. You can hand working paper preparation to another provider or bring it in-house at any point without losing a reconciliation or having to rebuild the file first.
Do you use a specific working paper template?
We can work from your auditor's preferred template or a standard set we maintain; either way the schedules tie directly back to the trial balance.
What happens when the auditor comes back with review comments?
We update the affected schedules and log the change, so the file stays clean for the next review round.
What software works with working paper preparation?
Working paper preparation runs inside Excel or QuickBooks Online, whichever you already use. If you are not yet set up in either, we can configure a file in your name so you keep ownership of it once the engagement is under way.
How do we get started with working paper preparation?
Getting started with working paper preparation begins with a short review of your current records and software access. Once that is done we confirm scope and timing in writing, and ongoing work begins on the schedule agreed with you.
Related services
- Audit supportAudit-ready booksMonthly and year-end books maintained with the support and schedules an external auditor expects to see on day one, so fieldwork starts without a scramble to reconstruct records.
- Audit supportInternal controls documentationFinancial process controls, such as who approves a payment or reconciles an account, written down and walked through with your team, so an auditor or funder can see how the numbers are actually produced.
Industries
Next step
Talk to the team that would run your books
A short call covers your setup, your software and what a first month would look like. You get a written scope and price after it.