Audit & Review-Engagement Preparation for Canadian Organizations
Ready schedules, PBC coordination and practitioner liaison — prepared throughout the year so your audit or review becomes a confirmation, not a scramble.
We prepare & support; your licensed practitioner assures · Audit & review readiness · Strong in the non-profit sector
Make the engagement easy — and your year-end calm
Audits and reviews run long for one reason: the working file isn't ready when the practitioner arrives. Schedules get built during fieldwork, reconciliations don't tie, and adjustments pile up. Preparation flips that — Pulse CPA assembles the schedules, reconciliations and evidence your auditor or reviewer will ask for in advance, so fieldwork is fast and the outcome is clean.
An important distinction: Pulse CPA provides preparation and support. Your independent, licensed practitioner performs the assurance engagement — whether that's an audit or a review engagement. We make that engagement efficient by delivering a complete, tied-out working file and acting as the liaison during fieldwork.
And not every organization needs a full audit. Many non-profits qualify for a less extensive (and less costly) review engagement, or can waive both, depending on their statute and size — we help you confirm what you actually need before you pay for more than required.
This is for you if…
- You're facing a first-time audit or review and aren't sure what's required
- Last year's engagement ran long, cost more than expected, or produced a list of adjustments
- You're unsure whether you need an audit, a review engagement, or neither
- Your practitioner's PBC (prepared-by-client) list fills you with dread
- You're a charity or NPO with restricted funds and a T3010 or T1044 to reconcile
- A funder, lender or board now requires audited or reviewed statements
The working file your practitioner will ask for
Prepared, tied to the trial balance and ready to test.
Core Schedules
- Bank, investment and clearing reconciliations
- Capital asset continuity (cost, additions, disposals, amortization)
- Prepaids, accruals and deferred revenue schedules
- Debt and lease continuity
Non-Profit Specific
- Deferred and restricted contribution roll-forwards by fund
- Grant and donor tracking tied to agreements
- T3010 (registered charities) or T1044 (NPOs) prepared from finalized figures
- Fund-balance reconciliations
Compliance & Payroll
- Payroll reconciled to T4 summary and CRA remittances
- HST/GST reconciliations
- A subsequent-events log maintained through year-end
- Support for related-party and commitment disclosures
Fieldwork Support
- PBC list coordination and tracking
- Direct liaison with your auditor or reviewer
- Responses to practitioner queries during fieldwork
- Board and finance-committee support
What you get from a readiness engagement
Whether as a focused pre-engagement project or maintained year round.
- A complete, indexed working file tied to the trial balance
- Every material balance supported by a schedule and source evidence
- The correct, reconciled CRA filing — T3010 for charities, or T1044 for NPOs
- A coordinated PBC list, tracked to completion
- A single point of contact for your auditor or reviewer during fieldwork
- Far fewer adjusting entries — and a shorter, less costly engagement
The 90-day readiness method
Earlier is better, but most organizations can get ready in a focused 90-day window.
Scope check
First we confirm what you actually need — audit, review engagement, or neither — based on your ONCA/CNCA status, revenue and funder requirements, so you don't over-buy assurance.
Days 1–30 · Foundation
Complete reconciliations through year-end, clean the chart of accounts, segregate restricted funds, and confirm opening balances tie to last year's statements.
Days 31–60 · Workpapers
Build the schedules the practitioner will request — fund roll-forwards, capital continuity, payroll and HST reconciliations, and a donor/grant confirmation list.
Days 61–90 · Fieldwork readiness
Prepare draft statements and note disclosures, brief the board and finance committee, and walk your team through the cycles that will be tested.
During & after
We coordinate the PBC list and answer queries during fieldwork, then review the management letter with you and turn each point into next year's improvement.
Audit vs. review engagement vs. our role
Three different things people lump together. Clarity here saves money and protects everyone.
| Audit | Review engagement | Pulse (preparation) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it provides | Reasonable assurance | Limited assurance | A ready, tied-out file |
| Effort & cost | Highest | Lower than an audit | Reduces both |
| Who performs it | Licensed auditor | Licensed practitioner | Pulse, for management |
| Often required when | Larger / public-benefit / funder-required | Mid-size, by statute or choice | Either — we prep for both |
| Independence | Independent of you | Independent of you | Works for you |
What good preparation buys you
A shorter engagement
A ready file means faster fieldwork and lower audit or review fees.
Fewer adjustments
Issues caught and booked by management, not flagged by the practitioner.
A clean outcome, calmly
The engagement confirms work already done well.
The right level of assurance
You pay for an audit, a review, or neither — based on what you actually need.
Built for Reliable, Senior-Reviewed Delivery
CPA oversight on every file
A preparer step and a separate CPA review on every cycle — senior judgment where it matters, not junior work left unchecked.
Structured monthly close
A documented close calendar, reconciliations and a review checklist mean reporting arrives on schedule, every period.
Continuity & coverage
Shared cloud records and standardized workflows mean your finances never depend on a single person being available.
Fixed-fee, scope-confirmed
Transparent monthly pricing confirmed after a short scope review — no hourly surprises and no end-of-month uncertainty.
Secure, governed technology
Permission-based cloud access, approved systems and human review keep your data confidential and controlled.
One accountable contact
An engagement contact who knows your file — not a call centre or a rotating cast of juniors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you perform our audit?
No. Pulse CPA provides audit and review preparation and support — clean reconciliations, schedules, PBC coordination and liaison. Your independent, licensed practitioner performs the assurance engagement. Keeping these roles separate is both good practice and a professional requirement.
Do we even need an audit, or would a review engagement do?
Often a review is enough. Under Ontario's ONCA, a public benefit corporation can use a review engagement between $100,000 and $500,000 in revenue (and can waive both below $100,000); an audit is required above $500,000. Federally, the CNCA requires an audit for soliciting corporations above $250,000. Funders and bylaws can require more. We confirm what you actually need first.
We're a charity — do you understand non-profit engagements?
Yes. Restricted and deferred fund accounting under ASNPO, fund roll-forwards, the T3010 and board reporting are core to our non-profit work.
Can you prepare our T3010 or T1044?
Yes — the T3010 for registered charities and the T1044 for NPOs that meet the filing thresholds, prepared from finalized figures so they reconcile. Both are due within six months of fiscal year-end.
When should we start preparing?
About 90 days before fieldwork; earlier for a first-time engagement. The earlier we start, the less disruptive year-end becomes — see our free playbook.
Will this lower our fees?
Often, yes. Practitioners price partly on effort; a complete, tied-out file reduces fieldwork hours and adjustments, which typically shortens the engagement.
Can you work with our existing auditor?
Yes. We coordinate directly with whichever firm performs your audit or review and act as the liaison for their requests.
Can you keep us audit-ready all year?
Yes — many clients maintain schedules every month through our controllership service, so readiness is continuous rather than a yearly project.
Turn audit season from a scramble into a sequence.
Tell us about your upcoming audit or review and we'll first confirm what you actually need — then map a readiness plan. We respond within one business day.