Audit support
Working paper preparation
Working paper preparation from Finbryn means lead schedules and reconciliations cross referenced to your trial balance, in the format a UK registered auditor actually reviews. Our accounting team keeps the file through each review round, logging what changed and why, so auditor comments do not force a rebuild from scratch.
Auditor request list
Illustrative client · August 2026
GBP
- 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.
Building a set an auditor can actually rely on
A good UK working paper set stands or falls on one thing: can every figure on it be traced back to the trial balance without a phone call. Lead schedules for cash, debtors, creditors, fixed assets and equity each carry the opening position, the year's movement and the closing balance, cross referenced back to source detail rather than typed in from memory.
Provisions, accruals and lease liabilities under FRS 102 get their own roll forward, showing how the opening figure moved to the closing one and why, since that movement is usually the first thing a reviewer questions.
What happens after review comments land
A registered auditor rarely accepts a first draft outright. When comments come back, we amend the schedule in question, keep the earlier version in a dated revision log rather than deleting it, and note the reason for the change against it. That log answers the question a second reviewer asks: why does this number differ from last quarter's draft.
The 2026 FRS 102 transition year
Companies moving onto the amended FRS 102 standard for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026, covering the new revenue recognition model and leases coming onto the balance sheet, get a separate transition schedule showing the old basis, the adjustment, and the new basis side by side. Burying that adjustment inside the ordinary schedule set is how transition years turn into the longest audit a company has.
Template and version control
Where your audit firm has its own preferred layout, we build to it. Where it does not, we hold a consistent internal format across the whole set, with file names and version numbers that make it obvious which draft is current.
This work follows on from audit-ready books and often leads into internal controls documentation once a reviewer wants to see how a control is actually evidenced, not only what the number is.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Working paper preparation
What software do you build the schedules in?
Usually Excel, cross referenced to a trial balance exported from Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage. Where your audit firm runs its own working paper platform, we build inside that instead.
How many rounds of auditor comments does this cover?
As many as the engagement runs to. Every round gets logged against the affected schedule rather than treated as a one-off fix.
Do you scale the working papers down for an independent examination?
Yes. An independent examination needs a lighter schedule set than a full statutory audit, and we build to what the examiner is actually asking for.
Are working papers reusable from one audit year to the next?
The structure and roll-forward logic carry over, so each year's schedule builds on the last rather than starting blank, while the figures themselves are refreshed for the new period. This is what shortens preparation time in year two compared with a first-year audit built from scratch.
Can working papers support both an internal review and the external audit?
Yes, the same underlying schedules can support a management review or a lender's request as well as the external audit, since the reconciliation and support behind a balance does not change depending on who is asking, only the format of the covering summary might.
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
- Startups and VC-backed companiesBookkeeping and reporting for early-stage, venture-backed companies watching burn, runway and investor reporting closely.
- SaaSBookkeeping and reporting for subscription software businesses tracking recurring revenue, deferred revenue and burn.
- Real estate and property managementBookkeeping for property owners and managers tracking income, expenses and reserves at the level of each individual property.
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.