2. Property, plant and equipment
Tangible assets with a service life of more than one year that are used in the operation of the business and are not acquired for the purpose of resale
Three major subgroups:
Land
Buildings, machinery, equipment and land improvements
Natural resources

3. Objectives for the Audit of Property, Plant and Equipment
1. Use the understanding of the client and its environment to consider inherent risk, including fraud risks, related to property, plant, and equipment.
2. Obtain an understanding of internal control over property, plant, and equipment. 7 3

4. Objectives cont.
Assess the risks of material misstatement and design tests of controls and substantive procedures that:
Substantiate the existence of property, plant, and equipment
Establish the completeness of recorded property, plant, and equipment
Verify the cutoff of transactions affecting property, plant, and equipment
Determine that the client has rights to recorded property, plant, and equipment
Establish the proper valuation or allocation of property, plant, and equipment and the accuracy of transactions affecting property, plant, and equipment
Determine that the presentation and disclosure of property, plant, and equipment are appropriate

5. Audit Approach—Current Accounts Versus Noncurrent Account
Cash
Securities
Accounts Receivable
Inventories
Accrued Liabilities
Accounts Payable
Short-Term Notes
Property, Plant
& Equipment
Intangible Assets
Long-Term Liabilities
Owner’s Equity Accounts
High turnover accounts
Audit approach—audit the balance
Low turnover accounts
Audit approach—audit the changes in the accounts 10 12

6. Controls Over Plant and Equipment
Use of a plant and equipment capital budget
Maintenance of a subsidiary ledger
A system of authorizations
Analysis of variances from budgeted expenditures
A statement of policy distinguishing between capital and revenue expenditures
A requirement that purchases of plant and equipment are subjected to normal purchasing procedures
Periodic physical inventories
A system of retirement authorization and documentation 6 2

7. Audit Documentation Working papers
Summary analysis that emphasizes changes during the year under audit
Analyses of additions and retirements for the current year
Analyses of repairs and maintenance expense accounts
Tests of depreciation

8. Initial Audits Beginning balances
Substantiated by review of predecessor firm’s working papers
If not previously audited, a complete historical analysis of property accounts is needed
Thorough review of all major charges and credits to property accounts

9. PPE Audit Steps (1 of 3)
A. Use the understanding of the client and its environment to consider inherent risks, including fraud risks, related to property, plant, and equipment.
B. Obtain an understanding of internal control over property, plant, and equipment.
C. Assess the risks of material misstatement and design further audit procedures.
D. Perform further audit procedures—tests of controls.
1. Nature of tests of controls.
2. If necessary, revise the risks of material misstatement based on the results of tests of controls.

10. PPE Audit Steps (2 of 3)
E. Perform further audit procedures—substantive procedures for property, plant, and equipment. 1. Obtain a summary analysis of changes in property owned and reconcile to ledgers. 2. Vouch additions to property, plant, and equipment during the year. 3. Make a physical inspection of major acquisitions of plant and equipment. 4. Analyze repair and maintenance expense accounts. 5. Investigate the status of property, plant, and equipment not in current use. 6. Test the client’s provision for depreciation. 7. Investigate potential impairments of property, plant, and equipment. 8. Investigate retirements of property, plant, and equipment during the year.

11. PPE Audit Steps (3 of 3) E. Perform further audit procedures (cont.)
9. Examine evidence of legal ownership of property, plant, and equipment.
10. Review rental revenue from land, buildings, and equipment owned by the client but leased to others.
11. Examine lease agreements on property, plant, and equipment leased to and from others.
12. Perform analytical procedures for property, plant, and equipment.
13. Evaluate financial statement presentation and disclosure for plant assets and for related revenue and expenses.

13. Summary of Substantive Tests of Property, Plant, and Equipment9 5

14. Vouch Additions (1 of 2) Specific steps:
a. Review changes during the year in construction in progress and examine supporting work orders, both incomplete and closed.
b. Trace transfers from the Construction in Progress account to the property accounts, observing propriety of classification. Determine that all completed items have been transferred out of the account.
c. On a test basis, vouch purchases of property, plant, and equipment to invoices, deeds, contracts, or other supporting documents. Recompute extensions, footings, and treatment of discounts. Make certain repairs and maintenance expenses were not improperly capitalized.

15. Vouch Additions (2 of 2)
Specific steps (cont.) d. Investigate all instances in which the actual cost of acquisitions substantially exceeded authorized amounts. Determine whether such excess expenditures were analyzed and approved by appropriate officials. e Investigate fully any debits to property, plant, and equipment accounts not arising from acquisition of physical assets. f. Determine that the total cost of any plant and equipment assets purchased on the installment plan is reflected in the asset accounts and that the unpaid installments are set up as liabilities.

16. Analyze Expense Accounts
Analyze repairs and maintenance expense accounts to:
Discover items that should have been capitalized
Use company policy to determine consistency in application
Analyze monthly amounts for significant variations from:
Month to month
Between corresponding months of two years

17. Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
Long-lived assets must be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that carrying value may not be recoverable
Test involves projecting future cash flows
If impairment is indicated by cash flows asset must be written down to fair value
May require the use of a valuation specialist

18. Investigate Retirements
Determine if property sold, dismantled, or abandoned without being reflected in accounting records
Steps to discover unrecorded retirements:
For new additions, determine status of old equipment
Analyze miscellaneous revenue account for cash proceeds
If company’s products discontinued, investigate disposition of plant facilities
Inquire of executives and supervisors of plant asset retirements
Examine retirement work orders for proper authorization
Investigate any reduction in insurance coverage

19. Analytical Procedures
Ratios and trends for overall reasonableness of recorded amounts
a. Total cost of plant assets divided by annual output in dollars, pounds, or other units.
b. Total cost of plant assets divided by cost of goods sold.
c. Comparison of repairs and maintenance expense on a monthly basis and from year to year.
d. Comparison of acquisitions for the current year with prior years.
e. Comparison of retirements for the current year with prior years.

20. Presentation and Disclosure
Disclose major classes of depreciable assets
Accumulated depreciation
Principles:
a. The basis of valuation should be explicitly stated. At present, cost is the generally accepted basis of valuation for plant and equipment; property not in use should be valued at the lower of cost or estimated realizable value.
b. Property pledged to secure loans should be clearly identified.
c. Property not in current use should be segregated in the balance sheet.

22. Auditors’ Approach for Depreciation
Important because depreciation is an estimate.
Client makes
Estimate of useful economic life
Choice of several depreciation methods
Audit approach for estimate
Review and test management’s process of developing the estimate
Review subsequent events or transactions bearing on the estimate
Independently develop an estimate of the amount to compare to management’s estimate

23. Audit Program – Depreciation (1 of 5)
1. Review the depreciation policies set forth in company manuals or other management directives. Determine whether the methods in use are designed to allocate costs of plant and equipment assets systematically over their service lives.
a. Inquire whether any extra working shifts or other conditions of accelerated production are present that might warrant adjustment of normal depreciation rates.
b. Discuss with executives the possible need for recognition of obsolescence resulting from technological or economic developments.

24. Audit Program – Depreciation (2 of 5)
2. Obtain or prepare a summary analysis (see Figure 13.1) of accumulated depreciation for the major property classifications as shown by the general ledger control accounts, listing beginning balances, provisions for depreciation during the year, retirements, and ending balances. a. Compare beginning balances with the audited amounts in last year’s working papers. b. Determine that the totals of accumulated depreciation recorded in the plant and equipment subsidiary records agree with the applicable general ledger controlling accounts.

25. Audit Program – Depreciation (3 of 5)
3. Test the provisions for depreciation.
a. Compare rates used in the current year with those employed in prior years and investigate any variances.
b. Test computations of depreciation provisions for a representative number of units and trace to individual records in the property ledger. Be alert for excessive depreciation on fully depreciated assets. Generalized audit software can be used to test the depreciation calculations in the client’s records if the client maintains computer based records.
c. Compare credits to accumulated depreciation accounts for the year’s depreciation provisions with debit entries in related depreciation expense accounts.

26. Audit Program – Depreciation (4 of 5)
4. Test deductions from accumulated depreciation for assets retired.
a. Trace deductions to the working paper analyzing retirements of assets during the year.
b. Test the accuracy of accumulated depreciation to date of retirement.
5. Perform analytical procedures for depreciation.
a. Compute the ratio of depreciation expense to total cost of plant and compare with prior years.
b. Compare the percentage relationships between accumulated depreciation and related property accounts with those prevailing in prior years. Discuss significant variations from the normal depreciation program with appropriate members of management.

27. Audit Program – Depreciation (5 of 5)
Overall test
1. List the balances in the various asset accounts at the beginning of the year.
2. Deduct any fully depreciated assets, since these items should no longer be subject to depreciation.
3. Add one-half of the asset additions for the year.
4. Deduct one-half of the asset retirements for the year (exclusive of any fully depreciated assets).

28. Natural Resources Properties subject to depletion
Similar to depreciation
Recorded consistently and in accordance with GAAP
Test mathematical accuracy
Often rely on specialists for valuation
Establish ownership

29. Audit of Intangibles
Assets with definite useful lives are audited similar to property, plant and equipment
Assets with indefinite useful lives (e.g., goodwill) must be tested for impairment
Auditors generally rely on business valuation specialists to value goodwill for tests of impairment

30. Audit of PPE in Advance Most work can be done in advance
Consideration of internal control can be carried out at any convenient time
Many firms audit during interim work in October and November
After balance sheet date, only need to exam transaction for final two or three months