Audit support
Working paper preparation
Working paper preparation from Finbryn builds the lead schedules and reconciliations an EU auditor reviews, each one cross-referenced to your trial balance. Our accounting team maintains the file through review rounds and logs every change, so revised schedules do not turn into a fresh file each round.
Auditor request list
Illustrative client · August 2026
EUR
- 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.
What a working paper actually needs
A schedule that does not tie to the trial balance is not a working paper, it is a formatted guess. We build lead schedules for every major account, reconcile them to supporting detail, and cross-reference each figure back to its source.
Roll-forward schedules for accruals, provisions and fixed assets show the opening balance, the period's activity and the closing balance side by side, in the format most EU audit firms expect rather than a single static figure.
Handling review comments
An auditor's first pass almost always comes back with comments. We update the affected schedule, keep the prior version in a revision log rather than overwriting it, and note what changed and why. That log matters when a reviewer asks why a figure moved between drafts.
Local GAAP and IFRS cross-references
Where a group reports consolidated results under IFRS while an individual member state entity's statutory accounts run under local GAAP, we keep a mapping between the two sets of schedules, so a reconciling item is visible rather than buried in two disconnected files.
Format and consistency
We work from your audit firm's preferred template when one exists, or a consistent internal format when it does not. File naming and version numbering stay consistent across the set, so nothing gets mistaken for an outdated draft mid-review. Working papers sit downstream of audit-ready books and often feed internal controls documentation when a reviewer asks how a control actually operates.
When the request is a review, not a full audit
Plenty of EU entities, particularly smaller ones filing under a simplified local-GAAP regime, undergo a limited review rather than a full statutory audit. The schedule set is smaller, but the same discipline applies: every figure needs a source, and every roll-forward needs an opening balance that matches last period's closing one.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Working paper preparation
Do you build working papers in Excel or a dedicated audit platform?
Most engagements run on Excel cross-referenced to the trial balance export from your accounting software. If your audit firm uses a specific platform, we work inside that format instead.
How do you handle a group reporting under both IFRS and local GAAP?
We keep a mapping between the consolidated IFRS schedules and each entity's local-GAAP working papers, so reconciling items are visible rather than hidden.
How many review rounds does this cover?
We update schedules through as many rounds as the engagement needs, logging each revision rather than treating every round as a fresh build.
Can you prepare working papers for a limited review rather than a full statutory audit?
Yes. A limited review uses a smaller set of schedules than a full audit, and we scope the working papers to match what your reviewing firm actually requests.
Do working papers include the underlying support documents, or just the schedules?
Both. Each schedule links back to the invoice, contract or bank statement it is built from, so a reviewer can trace a number to its source without sending a separate follow-up request for the original document.
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.