The staff of the American Institute of CPAs, the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants and the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board have jointly released guidance on the use of specialists in COVID-19 environment, including some considerations involving the use of specialists when auditing financial statements during the pandemic.
The staff guidance, released Tuesday, aims to help accountants and auditors determine when there might be a need to use the services of a specialist to help them perform specific tasks and other professional activities within their own organizations, as well as when they serve their clients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The publication discusses some of the ethical considerations for accountants to think about when using a specialist, along with some of the circumstances that indicate a need for a specialist when auditing financial statements.
The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced many accountants and auditors to work remotely, as well as curtailed travel to client locations, particularly those located abroad, when travel restrictions remain in place in many countries.
Casey Jorgensen is the head of the Dynasty Institute for Adaptive Leadership (DIAL) at Dynasty Financial Partners, where she helps leading wealth management firms improve efficiency, growth and margins.
She played a key role in expanding DIAL's programs and the Dynasty Women's Network. Previously, she was a business development strategist at Raymond James, focusing on advisor coaching and succession planning. Her insights have also appeared in Barron's and AdvisorHub, and she's a frequent speaker at industry events. She is also active in her community and holds a BA in business administration, CFP, whole family advisor associate and registered corporate coach designations.
Einat Steklov is the CEO and co-founder of Kashable.
With more than a decade of experience in a variety of executive roles at high-growth technology companies, Angus McDonald is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Cover Genius overseeing the global expansion and development of Cover Genius across industries.
Before Cover Genius, Angus was the VP of International Business Development at iClick Interactive, and Head of Publisher Partnerships at Yahoo!. Angus has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Technology Sydney and is a passionate contributor to rural and youth wellbeing programs through personal efforts and those of CG Gives, the philanthropic arm of Cover Genius.
The guidance points out that the pandemic could also pose threats to ethical standards, and accountants may find it challenging with the changing laws and regulations pertaining to COVID-19. They may come under pressure to breach the principles of professional competence, due care and professional behavior. “Those who perform audits of financial statements may face additional challenges as well, including considerations related to auditor independence,” said the document. During the pandemic, accountants also might not have access to the usual resources they have at their offices to ensure competent performance, and they may need to turn to outside specialists to help them perform certain tasks or undertake some engagements.
The publication was developed by the staff of the AICPA under the auspices of a working group formed by the IESBA and national ethics standard setters from Australia, Canada, China, South Africa, the U.K. and the U.S. The working group was chaired by IESBA deputy chair Richard Fleck with the goal of developing implementation support resources to help accountants effectively apply the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) when facing circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic. IESBA and IAASB staff also provided their input. The working group plans to develop more COVID-19 guidance in the weeks ahead.
