“Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.”

If you listen closely, you can hear it. It’s not the wind; it’s the collective sigh of thousands of finance professionals opening a PBC (Provided by Client) list that looks longer than a CVS receipt.

Audit season is officially here.

For many CFOs” the annual audit often feels less like a health check and more like a root canal. But the audit is just a project management challenge in a suit. Use these tips to survive with your sanity intact.

1. Own the PBC List (Don’t Let it Own You)

Triage that request list immediately.

• The 48-Hour Rule: Clear 50% of the easy items (bank statements, board minutes) in two days to build “goodwill equity.”
• Assign Owners: If HR owns payroll files, they own that line item. Don’t play hero.

2. The “No Surprises” Policy

Auditors hate surprises. If you have a messy revenue issue or a mid-year pivot, tell them upfront. Proactively drafting a memo on complex transactions shifts the talk from “we found a mistake” to “we analyzed the GAAP impact.”

3. Designate a Liaison

Chaos breeds questions. Designate one person as the “Audit Liaison.” Every file and answer goes through them to prevent conflicting information and keep the team focused on their day jobs.

4. Manage the Human Element

Auditors are often sleep-deprived juniors.

• Daily Check-ins: Set a 4:00 PM meeting to review open items. This stops them from pinging your team every ten minutes.
• Ask “Why?”: If a request seems deep, ask what risk they’re testing. You might have a simpler report that satisfies the requirement.

5. The Post-Game Review

Once the final opinion is signed, don’t just collapse into a nap. Spend one hour documenting what went wrong. Did a specific reconciliation take three days? Automate it for next year. Was a certain schedule a nightmare to pull? Change the way you track it in your ERP now.

The Bottom Line: You aren’t just surviving an audit; you’re validating the integrity of the company you’ve helped build. Keep your cool, keep your files organized, and remember: April is here.

What’s the one “audit nightmare” or weirdest request you’ve ever received that made you question everything?

#TheAccidentalCFO #AuditSeason #inersec #AccountingLife #WorkSmarter