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.
Karen Abramson is CEO of Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting, a global provider of information, software, and integrated workflow solutions for tax, accounting, finance, audit, risk and compliance professionals. As CEO of the global division, she leads Wolters Kluwer tax and accounting operations worldwide, with activities across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Previously at Wolters Kluwer, she served as president and CEO of the Medical Research business unit and general manager of the Corsearch business unit. Before her tenure at Wolters Kluwer, Abramson held various leadership positions with MemberWorks, Inc. and Thomson Corporation.
Neil brings over 25+ years of business and technical experience in various product and business development roles in technology companies specializing in software solutions for Insurtech, Fintech, Telecoms, Real Estate, Geospatial and Telematics. Neil has held senior management positions in both start-up and corporate entities and is comfortable with merger & acquisition environments. Neil is currently the chief strategy officer for Arturo.ai, a property intelligence company.
Jonathan Rogers, co-managing partner, leads the strategic growth of the Wealth Advisor Alliance and the operations of its parent RIA, Forum Financial Management. He supports financial advisors across the Wealth Advisor Alliance and Forum communities.
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.
