'Audit Materiality - It's Practices; Does It Meet the Expectations of Stakeholders??

Abstract

The concept of materiality is one of the most critical aspects in auditing both in terms of calculations and how it is interpreted in financial statements auditing. The Financial Accounting Standards Board acknowledges this by stating If presentations of financial information are to be prepared economically on a timely basis and presented in a concise intelligible form, the concept of materiality is crucial. Notwithstanding its importance, the concept does not appear to be well understood nor the implications of its application in practice. This report examines the relevance of materiality judgments in financial statements auditing. Methods of calculating materiality are described. Research on materiality is reviewed, and the paper concludes with some suggestions for future research and for policy makers. The report discussed about the current materiality guidelines for external auditors and practices used by the auditors for calculating materiality in case of financial statements audit. A critical evaluation has been made from various perspectives of materiality calculation and both from quantitative and qualitative views. The process has been started by examining the context in which materiality is relevant, and the problems arising from applying the concept in practice. Definitions of materiality from legal, accounting and stock exchange sources are compared. The relevance of materiality to various accounting situations is discussed. Methods of calculating quantitative thresholds are described and illustrated. Prior research is reviewed, focusing on materiality thresholds, and on the materiality judgments of auditors, preparers and financial statement users. It also concludes with some suggestions for future research and for policy makers concerning this best kept accounting secret.