Cutoff
procedure
Accounting cutoff procedures restrict accounting information
from being included in the company’s general ledger after a
specific date. Cutoff procedures ensure the integrity of the small
business’s accounting process.
Business owners can restrict access to accounting
information to enforce cutoff procedures. Accounting software
packages are a common tool for enforcing this procedure. Business
owners can usually create individual employee login profiles to
access the accounting software. Once the end of the accounting
period passes, business owners can restrict employees from entering
new information into the accounting system. Access restrictions
also ensure employees cannot change information previously recorded
into the accounting system.
The sending of bank confirmation is important to auditing of
cash for the following reasons:
(a) Direct confirmation of bank balances gives the auditor
independent, third-party evidence.
(b) The bank letter may reveal details of security, borrowings
and contingent liabilities which need to be disclosed in the
financial statements.
(c) Information obtained from bank confirmation requests assists
the auditor in discharging his responsibilities to obtain
sufficient appropriate audit evidence by providing external
evidence in relation to such matters as the existence, completeness
and valuation of assets and liabilities.
(d) The auditor may need to carry out additional tests on
matters after reviewing the replies from banks.
Nature of possible mistatements that could result are
- Suppose there was a deposit-in-transit on the year-end bank
reconciliation that was not received by the bank by the
cut-off-date. The possible cause could be that the person
disbursing thedeposit put the wrong date on the disbursement or it
happened on aweekend when the bank was closed.
- If this happens, it could endup being an unrecorded deposit and
the misstatement could come from the company recording the
deposit.
- The balances shown in financial statements in ''cash and cash
equivalents" will be not recorded properly and can be
missapproprated.
- The balances of sundary debtors are reduced as they have paid
the amount to the firm in form of cheques , the accounting
professionals can defalcate the amount.