Audit When the Chief Accountant Changes
Recording the state of the books on the handover date
Go to the Voluntary Audit serviceChecked against the official source:
A change of chief accountant is the moment to record the state of the books through an independent review. Otherwise, a year later it will be impossible to establish whose decisions caused the errors, and the new accountant will inherit someone else's problems together with responsibility for them.
What a handover review gives you
- Account balances fixed as of the handover date
- A list of open areas and unresolved issues
- An assessment of the tax risks accumulated up to that point
- A clear starting point for the new chief accountant
Why it benefits both sides
For the departing accountant, the review confirms that the books were handed over in a defined state. For the incoming one, it is protection against claims for what happened before them. For the company, it is an understanding of what it has actually received.
When to carry it out
Ideally before the accountant actually leaves, while there is still a chance to ask them questions. A review after the person has already left almost always costs more: reconstructing the logic of someone else's entries without the author is much harder.
Handover step by step
- an order on the handover and a commission;
- a count of cash and inventory as of the handover date — a mandatory stocktake is required by Article 16 of the Law on Accounting, and the procedure is set by NAS No. 19 (national accounting standard);
- reconciliation with the budget on the personal tax accounts in the taxpayer's online account, and reconciliation statements with counterparties;
- handover of access: digital signature (EDS), online banking, accounting software, the taxpayer's online account;
- a handover act listing the documents and any discrepancies identified.
Who is responsible for past periods
The accounting policy and the organization of accounting are the responsibility of the company's head (paragraph 51 of NAS No. 1: the policy is adopted by the head's order). The handover act and an independent review fix the state of the books on the handover date, so that the new chief accountant is not held responsible for errors of past periods.
Record the state of your books
We will carry out a review as of the handover date and prepare a clear act on the state of the accounts.
Go to the Voluntary Audit serviceFrequently asked questions
Is such a review required by law?
No, it is a voluntary audit under Article 36 of ZRU-677 — the company carries it out by its own decision. It becomes mandatory only if it coincides with the annual audit required for the entities listed in Article 35.
Is a stocktake needed when the chief accountant changes?
This is a standard case for a stocktake: it records the actual existence of assets on the handover date (Article 16 of the Law on Accounting, NAS No. 19).
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