Departure From a Promulgated Accounting Principle

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Rule 203 [ET section 203.01] of the Code of Professional Conduct of the AICPA states:

A member shall not (1) express an opinion or state affirmatively that the financial statements or other financial data of any entity are presented in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles or (2) state that he or she is not aware of any material modifications that should be made to such statements or data in order for them to be in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles, if such statements or data contain any departure from an accounting principle promulgated by bodies designated by Council to establish such principles that has a material effect on the statements or data taken as a whole. If, however, the statements or data contain such a departure and the member can demonstrate that due to unusual circumstances the financial statements or data would otherwise have been misleading, the member can comply with the rule by describing the departure, its approximate effects, if practicable, and the reasons why compliance with the principle would result in a misleading statement.

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When the circumstances contemplated by Rule 203 [ET section 203.01] are present, the auditor's report should include, in a separate paragraph or paragraphs, the information required by the rule. In such a case, it is appropriate for the auditor to express an unqualified opinion with respect to the conformity of the financial statements with generally accepted accounting principles unless there are other reasons, not associated with the departure from a promulgated principle, not to do so. (See section 411, The Meaning of Present Fairly in Conformity With Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.) [Title of section 411 amended, effective for reports issued or reissued on or after June 30, 2001, by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 93.]