In general, a Stock audit means physical verification of the inventory/stock. It can involve the valuation of the stock as well, but it usually depends on the scope and terms of the term of the engagement letter of the assignment. When heading forward, it is very crucial to keep in consideration the sole purpose for which the audit is being conducted because the different audits may have a different approach which would ultimately depend on the ultimate objective of the organisation.
In other words, a stock audit is a statutory process that every company/business should get performed at least once in a particular financial year. As far as the stock audit procedure is concerned, the stock audit process in India involves physical counting of different inventories and presenting the premises and verifying the same with computed inventory maintained by the company. The reason and purpose behind executing this are to correct the discrepancies present in the book stock when compared to physical stock bypassing necessary adjustment entries. SAAAR is among the best stock auditors in India, providing independent audit services.
Reasons to Perform Stock Audit
Let us understand few reasons to perform stock audit in India:–
- To update the opening stock details in Shopper.
- To identify the discrepancy between the book stocks, also called computed stock and physical stock.
- To update the actual physical stock as book stock.
- To ensure the adequate preservation and handling of stocks.
Benefits of Stock Audit
- Direct impact on costs and bottom line
- Prevent pilferage and fraud
- Identifies slow-moving stock, obsolete stock, dead stock and scrap
- Third-party independent opinion, especially for agent warehouses
- Identifies the gap in the current inventory management process
- Enable accurate valuation of inventory
- Identification of slow-moving stock, obsolete stock, dead stock and scrap
- Avoidance of pilferage and fraud
- Instant information about the value of inventory
- Cost reduction and bottom-line
- Reduction in gaps in the present inventory management process
Stock Audit services in India is a domain of expertise, specialisation and core competence for SAAAR Wealth Advisors We Provide stock audit assurance Services in India to various multinational companies. Inventories and physical assets like raw materials, finished goods are very critical assets and need to be systematised and organised management as a large number of companies are operating across the borders through multiple locations and channel partners, making asset management a challenge. We aim at delivering focused and unique services to companies catering for their needs to keep their physical assets checked intact. Reach us at info@saaar.co.in for any stock audit assignments.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is required to get the stock audit done?
An efficient inventory management process can reduce the frequency, length, and complexity of audits. Hence, every business organisation must perform a stock audit to update and ensure that the physical and computed stock are properly matched. The stock audit helps to maintain inventory accuracy, spot causes of shrinkage, and ensure that the entity always has the correct quantity of stock at the right time leading to the smooth running of the business.
A stock audit has a significant role for organisations that conduct business through the internet; as in e-commerce, sales can occur anywhere across the globe and are thus more unpredictable.
Also, a stock audit makes the inventory management process easier for the entities that deal with different suppliers and vendors.
- What are all documents necessary for Stock Audit?
Documents required for stock audit are:
* Stock Statement as on date of verification
* Provisional Balance Sheet and Trial Balance as on date of verification
* Latest audited financial statements
* Records of stock insurance policy, if any
* Invoices of purchases and sales
* Stock Register
* Documents related to the constitution of the business
* Debtors and Creditors list for the latest six months
* Declaration on the method of valuation of closing stock
* List of obsolete and deadstock
* Any other document as required
- What steps are involved in a stock audit?
Usually, the following steps are involved in a stock audit:
* Evaluating which items to audit: The first step in the stock audit is evaluating which items are to be audited. Higher-risk stock items should be assessed more frequently. It is known as ABC Analysis. High-value items are grouped under ‘Category A’, mid-tier under ‘Category B’ and low values under ‘Category C’. ABC analysis can also help to manage a stockroom better and save time.
* Creating an audit schedule: The second step is to map out an auditing schedule. The time to carry out the audit should be chosen, keeping in mind that it is least effective for the normal business flow but also happens at a good frequency to ensure those high-value items are accounted for. The procedures and policies of buying and shipping items should also be considered while making the audit schedule.
* Physical verification of inventory: It is the procedure of counting every inventory item. At this step, using technology, like a bar code scanner, should be considered to physically count each item and reconcile the same with the general ledger.
* Collecting the necessary documents: At this stage, all the relevant and important documents must be collected and made sure that they are genuine.
* Conducting the audit: This stage involves carrying out the stock audit through various verification methods such as analytical procedures, layering, inventory transition analysis, etc. In this step, the invoices are matched with the actual prices of the products to check if the items were billed correctly and were sold to the correct customer and on the correct dates.
* Recording the findings: All the results till this stage must be duly recorded and documented as it would help discover gaps in compliance, if any, and look at opportunities to fix the same.
* Reconciling items: If there is any inconsistency between inventory counts as per the entity’s records and the actual numbers on the warehouse shelves, then it must be found out why there are differences between these two figures and adjustments must be made to the records to reflect this analysis.
- Is stock audit required under any statute?
No, a stock audit is not required under any law.
- Who is authorised to sign the stock audit report?
Since the stock audit is not mandatorily required under any law, a stock auditor has no prescribed qualifications. Hence, any expert such as a Chartered Accountant, a Cost Accountant, or any other professional can carry out a stock audit, and he will be authorised to sign the stock audit report.
