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Statutory audit

Definition

An audit required by law or regulation, conducted by an independent external auditor, with the objective of expressing an opinion on whether an organisation's financial statements present a true and fair view. Mandatory for most companies above statutory size thresholds in most jurisdictions.

Related terms

Chain of custody
The documented chronological record of who collected, handled, transferred, and examined a piece of evidence. For digital evidence, chain of custody includes...
Forensic audit
An examination of an organisation's financial records and systems conducted specifically to gather evidence for legal proceedings. Distinguished from a regular audit...
ISA 240
International Standard on Auditing 240, 'The Auditor's Responsibilities Relating to Fraud in an Audit of Financial Statements,' issued by the IAASB. Sets...
Reasonable assurance
The high but not absolute level of assurance that a statutory auditor seeks to obtain before expressing an opinion. Reasonable assurance acknowledges...
True and fair view
The standard of financial statement presentation required by statutory audit frameworks in the UK, EU, India, and many Commonwealth jurisdictions. In the...

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