Particularly in adverse economic environments, the going concern evaluation could be a significant undertaking for management. If conditions are changing rapidly, management’s evaluation may need to be updated frequently up through the date of issuance of the related financial statements. Management must also consider the likelihood, magnitude and timing of the potential effects of any adverse conditions and events.

For others, the impact may not be imminent but will need monitoring in view of the rapidly changing circumstances.
The presumption of going concern for the business implies the basic declaration of intention to keep operating its activities at least for the next year, which is a basic assumption for preparing financial statements that comprehend the conceptual framework of the IFRS.
All significant elements of management’s evaluation of the going concern assessment, including the reviews and approval thereof, should also be subject to the entity’s control environment.
Even if the company’s future is questionable and its status as a going concern appears to be in question – e.g. there are potential catalysts that could raise significant concerns – the company’s financials should still be prepared on a going concern basis.
When faced with such a requirement, candidates must be careful not to produce a list of generic audit procedures, but instead identify and highlight the factors from the scenario that may call into question the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern.
Among other syllabus requirements, candidates must ensure they are aware of the respective responsibilities of auditors and management regarding going concern.

In such a circumstance, the warning sentence penned to investors is roughly, “There is substantial doubt that the company can remain a going concern over the next twelve months.” Hence the term, going concern warning. Even if the company’s future is questionable and its status as a going concern appears to be in question – e.g. there are potential catalysts that could raise significant concerns – the company’s financials should still be prepared on a going concern basis. Usually, liquidation value is applied when investors feel a company no longer has value as a going concern, and they want to know how much they can get by selling off the company’s tangible assets and such of its intangible assets as can be sold, such as IP. A company or investor that is acquiring a company may compare that company’s going-concern value to its liquidation value in order to decide whether it’s financially worthwhile to continue operating the company, or whether it is more profitable to liquidate it. If managers or auditors believe that a company is at risk of going bust within 12 months, they are required to formally express that doubt in their financial accounts. In addition to IAS 1, IFRS 79 requires disclosure of information about the significance of financial instruments to a company, and the nature and extent of risks arising from those financial instruments, both in qualitative and quantitative terms.

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If the auditor concludes that the disclosures are inadequate, or if management have not made any disclosure at all and management refuse to remedy the situation, the opinion will be qualified or adverse. Many candidates fall into the trap of relying on ‘discussions with management/directors’ and ‘obtaining a written representation’. Candidates must appreciate that while discussion/inquiry is a valid audit procedure under ISA 500, Audit Evidence, such a procedure is always used in addition to other procedures – in other words, inquiry on its own will not generate sufficient appropriate audit evidence. Similarly ISA 580, Written Representations recognises that while written representations do provide necessary audit evidence, they do not provide sufficient appropriate audit evidence on their own about any of the matters with which they deal. This publication summarizes the new accounting standards with mandatory effective dates in the first quarter of 2024 for public entities, as well as new standards that take effect in annual 2023 financial statements for nonpublic entities. It is possible for a company to mitigate an auditor’s view of its going concern status by having a third party guarantee the debts of the business or agree to provide additional funds as needed.

For instance, the value of fixed assets (PP&E) is recorded at their original historical cost and depreciated over their useful life, i.e. the expected number of years in which the fixed asset will continue to contribute positive economic value. When Everton, a soccer club in England’s top division, had such a poor season that it risked being relegated to a lower, less lucrative league, it prompted a warning in its accounts. When a company publicly uses the term “going concern,” which a lot more are doing these days, it’s almost always bad news. Some or all of the services described herein may not be permissible for KPMG audit clients and their affiliates or related entities. While US GAAP has extensive guidance around going concern, IFRS Standards do not.

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In the AA exam candidates may be required to describe the audit procedures that the auditor should perform in assessing whether or not a company is a going concern. PwC refers to the US member firm or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates, and may sometimes refer to the PwC network. This content is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional advisors. BDO USA, P.C., a Virginia professional corporation, is the U.S. member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms.

Substantial doubt was raised but was alleviated by management’s plans (substantial doubt was alleviated)

For some companies, climate-related risks could give rise to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on their ability to continue as a going concern. These events may arise from physical risks such as the destruction of a manufacturing plant in a hurricane, or crop destruction due to forest fire, flood, drought or some other climate event. This could trigger, for example, litigation that results in significant penalties for exceeding emission targets or a shift in customer preferences that results in loss of a major customer. If an auditor issues a negative going concern opinion in the annual report, investors may have second thoughts about holding the stock of the company. A business valuation may be performed on the business in order to determine what it is actually worth.

There are also a number of quantifiable, measurable indicators that auditors use to measure going concern. Companies with low liquidity ratios, high employee turnover, or decreasing market share are more likely to not be a going concern. “It is critical that we support our allies in their fight to defend democracy and provide humanitarian relief, but not at the expense of dismantling our asylum system while ultimately failing to alleviate the https://intuit-payroll.org/ challenges at our border,” Padilla said. Several progressive lawmakers in the House and the Senate have indicated they cannot support the bill because of its severe border security measures. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat of Washington and chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said the bill “throws immigrants under the political bus”. But other prominent Republicans, including Johnson, have already rejected the deal.

Step 2: Consider management’s plans if substantial doubt is raised

In essence, that means that there is no threat of liquidation for the foreseeable future, which is usually perceived as a period of time lasting for 12 months. When the financial statements are prepared for the annual report, it is the job of the Board of Directors to decide if the company is still a going concern. The Board must put this information into the footnotes included in the financial statements and state any factors that may threaten that status. Under IFRS Standards, management assesses all available information about the future, considering the possible outcomes of events and changes in conditions, and the realistically possible responses to such events and conditions. Events or conditions arising after the reporting date but before the financial statements are authorized for issuance should be considered. IAS 1 states that management may need to consider a wide range of factors, including current and forecasted profitability, debt maturities and replacement financing options before satisfying its going concern assessment.

A company remains a going concern when the sale of assets does not impair its ability to continue operation, such as the closure of a small branch office that reassigns the employees to other departments within the company. In order to avoid the entity’s credit rating suffering any further decline, the directors have refused to make disclosures in the financial statements and have prepared the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 20X2 on the going concern basis. Climate-related risks may have a significant impact on a company’s ability to continue as a going concern. For some, these risks may already trigger the immediate need for robust and company-specific disclosures.

Preparation of financial statements under this presumption is commonly referred to as the going concern basis of accounting. If and when an entity’s liquidation becomes imminent, financial statements are prepared under the liquidation basis of accounting (Financial Accounting Standards Board, 2014[1]). An adverse opinion states that the financial statements do not present fairly (or give a true and fair view). This opinion will be expressed regardless of whether or not the financial statements include disclosure of the inappropriateness of management’s use of the going concern basis of accounting. Management typically develops plans to address going concern uncertainties – e.g. refinancing of debt, renegotiating breached covenants, and sale of assets to generate sufficient liquidity to continue to meet its obligations as they fall due.

Accountants may also employ going concern principles to determine how a company should proceed with any sales of assets, reduction of expenses, or shifts to other products. Johnson has tried to advance a standalone bill providing funding for Israel, but the House blocked that legislation on Tuesday. McConnell has argued that, with the border bill probably dead, full service payroll the Senate should turn its attention to passing a funding package that would provide financial support to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan but would not address border security. The going concern approach utilizes the standard intrinsic and relative valuation approaches, with the shared assumption that the company (or companies) will be operating perpetually.

An entity prepares financial statements on a going concern basis when, under the going concern assumption, the entity is viewed as continuing in business for the foreseeable future. The term ‘foreseeable future’ is not defined within ISA 570, but IAS 1®, Presentation of Financial Statements deems the foreseeable future to be a period of at least 12 months from the end of the reporting period. Candidates attempting AA will need to have a sound understanding of the concept of going concern. Among other syllabus requirements, candidates must ensure they are aware of the respective responsibilities of auditors and management regarding going concern.

Although US GAAP is more prescriptive than IFRS Standards, we do not expect significant differences in the types of events or conditions management would consider when assessing going concern under both GAAPs. Going concern is important because it is a signal of trust about the longevity and future of a company. Without it, business would not offer nearly as much credit sales as suppliers, vendors, and other companies may not pay the company if there is little belief these companies will survive. If a company receives a negative audit and may not be a going concern, there are several implications. Companies that are not a going concern represent a significantly higher level of risk compared to other companies. In order for a company to be a going concern, it usually needs to be able to operate with a significant debt restructuring or massive financing overhaul.

The auditor evaluates an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period not less than one year following the date of the financial statements being audited (a longer period may be considered if the auditor believes such extended period to be relevant). If so, the auditor must draw attention to the uncertainty regarding the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern, in their auditor’s report. Separate standards and guidance have been issued by the Auditing Practices Board to address the work of auditors in relation to going concern. Management needs to evaluate whether it has adequate processes and internal controls in place to comply with the going concern evaluation requirements.

When management becomes aware of material uncertainties related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, those uncertainties must be disclosed in the financial statements. The terms ‘material uncertainties’ and ‘significant doubt’ are important – this standard phrasing is expected to be used in the basis of preparation note to the financial statements. Disclosures of material uncertainties that may cast doubt on a company’s ability to continue as a going concern as well as significant judgments involved in close-call scenarios may be more frequent as a result of COVID-19, given the continued economic uncertainty.