To maintain public confidence in the work of charities, charity law requires most charities to have an external scrutiny of their accounts. Provided a charity is not required by law or its governing document to have an audit then trustees may choose a simpler and less expensive form of external scrutiny called an independent examination.

• An independent examination is a simpler form of scrutiny than an audit but it still provides trustees, funders, beneficiaries, stakeholders and the public with an assurance that the accounts of the charity have been reviewed by an independent person.
• At Times Accountant, an independent examination involves a review of the accounting records, kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records.
• An independent examination also involves a review of the accounts and the consideration of any unusual items or disclosures identified.
• Independent examination is very important to maintain public confidence in the work of charities so just according to charity law that set out reporting, filing and external scrutiny obligations on trustees.
• As long as a charity is not required by law or its governance documentation to have a full audit of its accounting then trustees may elect for the second and less expensive form of scrutiny
• Our independent examination is carried out by an individual, who has a sound knowledge and possess excellent skills in it.
• The role of examiner does require the understanding of what accounts are, what they are intend to do and some analytical skills.
• An independent examiner is required to confirm that no evidence has been found that suggests certain things that have not been done by the charity.
• Times Accountant is an association of people who carry out independent examination, providing support and information to its members, charities and other interested parties.
• We are offering independent examinations of charity accounts and reports, as well as the preparation of these accounts in accordance with provisions of the Company’s Act, Charities Act and UK Accounting Standards.
• If you are under the examination threshold we can offer advice on all aspects of running your charity.
• We provide a detailed examination with a comprehensive review of the results for the year and give recommendations to organizations on any weaknesses identified on our reviews.
• At Times Accountant, an Independent Examination will include:
• Review of the accounting records kept by the charity
• Comparison of the accounts presented with those records.
• Consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts