Learn the difference between secretarial audit and financial audit and why both are essential for your company's compliance. Vakilsearch offers expert assistance in conducting both audits.

In the world of business, audits are essential to ensure that companies comply with various regulations and guidelines. However, not all audits are created equal. In particular, two types of audits that are often confused with each other are secretarial audit and financial audit. In this blog, we will explore the Secretarial Audit vs. Financial Audit and why it matters for your company.

What is a Secretarial Audit?

A secretarial audit is an independent and objective review of a company’s compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and guidelines. The primary focus of a secretarial audit is to ensure that a company’s secretarial and regulatory compliance framework is in line with the relevant laws and regulations.

Why is the Secretarial Audit Important?

A secretarial audit is important for several reasons, including:

• Compliance: Secretarial audit helps to ensure that companies comply with applicable laws and regulations. It helps to identify non-compliance issues and ensures that companies take corrective action to address these issues.
• Transparency: Secretarial audit promotes transparency by ensuring that companies maintain accurate and up-to-date records of their meetings, resolutions, contracts, and agreements.
• Fraud Prevention: Secretarial audit helps to identify and prevent fraud by ensuring that the company’s internal controls and processes are effective.
• Better Decision-making: Secretarial audit provides useful insights into a company’s compliance and governance framework. It helps to identify areas for improvement and enables better decision-making.

What is a Financial Audit?

A financial audit, on the other hand, is an independent and objective examination of a company’s financial statements and accounting records. The primary focus of a financial audit is to determine whether the financial statements are accurate and whether they reflect the company’s financial performance accurately.

Why is Financial Audit Important?

A financial audit is important for several reasons, including:

• Compliance: Financial audit helps to ensure that companies comply with accounting standards and regulations. It helps to identify non-compliance issues and ensures that companies take corrective action to address these issues.
• Transparency: Financial audit promotes transparency by ensuring that the company’s financial statements are accurate and reliable.
• Investor Confidence: Financial audit helps to increase investor confidence in a company’s financial statements by providing assurance that they are accurate and reliable.

Why Does it Matters for Your Company?

It is important for companies to understand the difference between secretarial audit and financial audit and why they both matter. By conducting secretarial audits, companies can ensure that they comply with applicable laws and regulations and promote transparency and good governance. By conducting financial audits, companies can ensure that their financial statements are accurate and reliable, which can increase investor confidence and help them make better business decisions.

Vakilsearch’s Role in Secretarial Audit

At Vakilsearch, we provide secretarial audit services to help companies comply with applicable laws and regulations. Our team of company secretaries is well-versed in the various regulatory requirements and can help companies identify and address any non-compliance issues. We also provide financial audit services to help companies ensure the accuracy and reliability of their financial statements. With our comprehensive audit services, companies can ensure compliance, transparency, and investor confidence.

Scope and Purpose of Secretarial Audit

Secretarial audit is conducted to check compliance with legal and regulatory requirements related to corporate laws, securities laws, and other laws applicable to the company. The purpose of the secretarial audit is to ensure that the company complies with the applicable laws and regulations, maintains proper records and registers, and has effective systems and processes in place for compliance.

The Scope of Secretarial Audit Includes:

• Review of the company’s compliance with the Companies Act, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) regulations, and other applicable laws and regulations
• Review of the minutes of the meetings of the board of directors, shareholders, and committees to ensure proper recording and disclosure of decisions and actions
• Review of the company’s statutory registers and records, such as registers of members, directors, charges, investments, contracts, and agreements
• Review of the company’s policies and procedures related to compliance, governance, risk management, and internal controls
• Identification of non-compliance issues and recommendations for corrective action

Scope and Purpose of Financial Audit

Financial audit is conducted to check the accuracy and completeness of the financial statements of the company. The purpose of a financial audit is to provide assurance to the stakeholders of the company, such as shareholders, creditors, and investors, that the financial statements present a true and fair view of the company’s financial performance and position.

The Scope of Financial Audit Includes:

• Examination of the company’s financial statements, such as balance sheet, profit and loss account, cash flow statement, and notes to accounts
• Verification of the transactions and balances recorded in the financial statements
• Review of the company’s accounting policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the applicable accounting standards and regulations
• Identification of errors and irregularities in the financial statements and recommendations for corrective action

Difference Between Secretarial and Financial Audit

Although both secretarial and financial audits are important for companies, there are some key differences between them, below given are the points about Secretarial Audit vs. Financial Audit:

• Scope: The scope of secretarial audit is broader than financial audit, as it covers compliance with legal and regulatory requirements in addition to financial reporting.
• Purpose: The purpose of secretarial audit is to ensure compliance with laws and regulations and to improve corporate governance, while the purpose of financial audit is to provide assurance on the accuracy and completeness of the financial statements.
• Auditor: Secretarial audit can only be conducted by a qualified company secretary in practice, while financial audit can be conducted by a qualified chartered accountant or a certified public accountant.
• Frequency: Secretarial audit is conducted annually, while financial audit is conducted annually or quarterly depending on the size and nature of the company.
• Reporting: Secretarial audit report is submitted to the board of directors and filed with the Registrar of Companies, while financial audit report is submitted to the shareholders and filed with the stock exchange and other regulatory bodies.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion to Secretarial Audit vs. Financial Audit, both secretarial audit and financial audit play a critical role in ensuring the compliance and transparency of a company’s operations. While financial audit focuses on the company’s financial statements and transactions, secretarial audit focuses on the company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

It’s essential for companies to conduct both audits regularly to ensure that they are operating legally, transparently, and ethically. By partnering with a professional firm like Vakilsearch, companies can get expert assistance in conducting secretarial audits and financial audits, ensuring that they are compliant with all relevant laws and regulations.

Vakilsearch offers a comprehensive range of services, including secretarial compliance, accounting and bookkeeping, tax compliance, and more. With Vakilsearch’s assistance, companies can focus on their core business activities and leave the audit process to the experts.