Concurrent Audit Services — Practical Overview
Concurrent audit is a continuous review — typically monthly — of high-volume operations of banks, NBFCs, and large corporate entities. Unlike statutory audit which addresses year-end financial statements, concurrent audit addresses transaction-level integrity in near real time, focusing on operational controls, compliance with internal policy, and exception identification.
Regulatory and Statutory Framework
RBI Master Directions on concurrent audit prescribe scope, periodicity, reporting protocols, and auditor empanelment requirements for banks. For NBFCs and corporates, concurrent audit scope is determined by board-approved policy, typically aligned with Standards on Internal Audit (SIA) issued by ICAI.
Process and Documentation Requirements
The end-to-end process typically involves: (a) initial fact-finding and document collection — incorporation documents, financial statements, board resolutions, and any prior filings on the matter; (b) regulatory analysis — identification of applicable provisions, exemptions, and procedural prerequisites; (c) drafting of the substantive deliverable — whether a report, application, certificate, or representation; (d) obtaining necessary internal approvals from the company's board or shareholders; (e) submission to the regulatory authority with supporting evidence; (f) follow-up on queries and rectifications; (g) post-completion compliance maintenance and record-keeping. Our concurrent audit reports follow a standardised format covering scope coverage, exception observations, recurring issue tracking, control weakness root-cause, and recommended actions with management responses.
Common Pitfalls and How We Avoid Them
From our litigation and assessment experience, the most frequent issues that escalate into adverse outcomes are: (a) inadequate documentation supporting the technical position taken; (b) inconsistency between disclosures across different statutory filings (income tax, ROC, GST); (c) failure to obtain timely contemporaneous evidence (board minutes, valuer reports, contracts); (d) reliance on form over substance — the Indian regulatory regime increasingly looks through form to economic substance; (e) missed limitation periods for filings, replies, or appeals. Our engagement methodology builds in checks against each of these failure modes from kick-off.
Why CA V. Viswanathan and Virtual Auditor
The combination of FCA, ACS, CFE, and IBBI Registered Valuer credentials under one practice — IBBI/RV/03/2019/12333 — is rare, and is precisely the breadth needed for engagements that span direct tax, indirect tax, corporate law, FEMA, and valuation simultaneously. Our practice has been operating since 2012 with offices in Chennai, Bangalore, and Mumbai, and serves clients across India through secure document-room workflows, named partner ownership, and weekly status updates. Engagements are scoped on fixed-fee terms wherever the work permits, with full transparency on inclusions and exclusions.
Engagement Process and Next Step
Free 30-minute consultation with CA V. Viswanathan to scope your specific requirement, identify the right approach, and provide a written fixed-fee quote within 24 hours. Engagements typically commence within 3-5 working days of acceptance, with kickoff document checklist shared upon engagement letter signing. References from comparable engagements available on request, subject to confidentiality. Call +91 99622 60333 or email support@virtualauditor.in to schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between concurrent audit and internal audit?
Concurrent audit checks transactions at or near the time they occur, mainly in banks, with a narrow, rule-based scope. Internal audit is broader and periodic: it evaluates risk management, internal controls and governance across the organisation and reports to the audit committee.
Which entities require concurrent audit?
Virtual Auditor provides expert advisory on this through our FCA + ACS + CFE + IBBI Registered Valuer practice. Contact us at +91 99622 60333 or visit virtualauditor.in for detailed guidance specific to your situation.
What does RBI say about concurrent audit?
Virtual Auditor provides expert advisory on this through our FCA + ACS + CFE + IBBI Registered Valuer practice. Contact us at +91 99622 60333 or visit virtualauditor.in for detailed guidance specific to your situation.
How often are concurrent audit reports submitted?
Monthly in most banks, with serious irregularities reported immediately. Some banks also require a quarterly consolidated report and a rectification status of earlier observations.
What is the scope of concurrent audit?
For a bank branch it typically covers cash, advances and documentation, KYC and AML checks, deposits, remittances, clearing, foreign exchange, treasury transactions and compliance with the bank's circulars, as laid down in the bank's concurrent audit policy under RBI guidelines.
Which audit or review applies, and what will the work actually cover?
Every company needs a statutory audit of its financial statements by a chartered accountant appointed under section 139 of the Companies Act, reporting under section 143 and, where it applies, the CARO 2020 order and on internal financial controls. An LLP needs an audit when its turnover exceeds ₹40 lakh or its contribution exceeds ₹25 lakh. A tax audit is needed when business turnover or professional receipts cross the income-tax limits. An internal audit is required for prescribed classes of companies (section 138). A statutory auditor cannot also provide certain other services to the same company (section 144). We confirm which audits apply, agree the scope and timetable in an engagement letter, and list the records needed.