Field notes

Preparing branch expense files before external auditors arrive

13 March 2026

Organised folders and documents ready for inspection

Start with last year’s management letter points on expenses. If entertainment support or dual approval was raised before, assume those categories will be sampled again.

Build one index per branch: claim reference, amount, approver, and voucher location. Auditors move faster when the chase list is already written in their language.

Missing receipts should be chased early, not during fieldwork week. A polite internal deadline two weeks ahead of the auditor start date keeps branch managers from scrambling.

We do not rewrite history. The goal is organised evidence of what occurred—not a cosmetic rewrite that collapses under the first follow-up question.