Once an audit firm in Dubai completes the stages of external audit of a firm, the auditor compiles all findings, insights, and opinions of how the company's financial statements are reported into an audit report.
A qualified auditor report details the opinion of the chartered accountants who conducted the audit on the dependability of the company's accounts.
Under generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS), the format of an audit report is fixed. Nevertheless, certain modifications are permitted based on the auditor's needs and the audit fieldwork circumstances.
Types of Opinion on Audit Reports
Independent auditing firms in Dubai, also known as external auditors, are responsible for expressing their opinion that indicates reasonable assurance was obtained from the company’s issued financial statements and they're free from any material misstatement, either from error or fraud and that they’re fairly presented according to relevant accounting standards.
There are different types of opinions in audit reports and we’ll discuss them in detail below. Lenders and investors of companies necessitate a clean report prior to making an investment. A publicly listed company also has to attach an audit report to financial statements.
Unqualified Opinion
This is the most common type of report issued by auditing firms in Dubai. This is also a kind of audit report that businesses anticipate getting. There are no negative comments in an unqualified opinion which is considered a clean report/opinion, and there are no disclaimers about any provisions or the entire audit process.
An unqualified report or clean opinion indicates the auditors are pleased with the financial reporting of the organization. The company's operations, according to the audit firm in Dubai, are in total compliance with all the corporate governance principles and the applicable legislation. The company, external auditors, lenders or investors, and the general public all believe that such a report is free of substantial misrepresentations or material misstatements.
Qualified Opinion
When an auditor is unsure about a particular procedure or transaction, an organization may be offered by the auditor a qualified opinion or qualified audit report rather than an unqualified report or clean opinion. Qualified opinions are typically not acceptable to investors since they project an unfavourable view of a company's financial situation.
Auditors write qualified opinions in the same way they write unqualified opinions but with the exception of stating why they are unable to offer an unqualified report. The company's records were not presented in accordance with GAAP, which is a common reason for auditors providing a qualified opinion or qualified auditor report.
Adverse Opinion
Auditors who are dissatisfied with the audited organization's financial statements or have found a high degree of significant misstatements or irregularities are aware that this may cause investors and local authorities to doubt or even reject the company's accounts. An auditor that provides an adverse opinion is considered by the users of the company's financial statements as a major red flag. Financial reports with gross misstatements with a potential for the existence of fraud are frequently the subject of an adverse report.
Adverse opinions are indeed a red flag that the company's financial records were not prepared in accordance with GAAP. This judgment is taken seriously by financial institutions, lenders, and investors, who will refuse to do business with the organization.
Disclaimer of Opinion
When an audit firm in Dubai issues what's called the disclaimer of opinion audit report, they are indicating that they will not be expressing any opinion on the audited financial statements. Auditors may issue this type of opinion if they believe the company has hampered their capacity to perform a complete audit or if they have not received adequate answers to their questions during the audit fieldwork.
It's possible that they weren't given the chance to decipher the true nature of certain transactions or obtain sufficient proof to support accurate financial reporting. Auditing firms in Dubai who aren't given the opportunity to watch and observe company operations or evaluate specific procedures may feel unable to voice a firm opinion, thus they believe a disclaimer is appropriate. The disclaimer of opinion, according to most, is a rather harsh position. As a result, the company's image suffers.
You may also like: Top Roles And Responsibilities Of Internal Auditors in UAE
Top Auditing Firm in Dubai
Auditing firms in Dubai utilize a variety of reports in order to inform the public about a company's transparency, credibility, and accountability. Companies are under pressure from external auditors to change financial reporting procedures and incorporate practices such as cybersecurity healthcare governance in order for them to be transparent and accurate. Unqualified reports are highly valued by businesses, investors, and the general public.
For most businesses conducting business in the UAE, it’s mandatory for financial statements to undergo the external audit process. External auditors will then issue the audit report containing any of the four kinds of opinions mentioned above, depending on the nature of the misrepresentation or misstatement that was detected by the auditors. To help ensure your company is audit-ready, speak with the seasoned auditors today!
Kasun Liyanage is an Audit Manager with over 7 years of experience dealing with diversified corporate clients. He not only manages the team’s work schedule but also is an expert in handling audit areas such as external audits and fraud investigation, Internal control benchmarking and best practices and well as preparation of financial statements and IFRS compliance.
