QC Section 20

System of Quality Control for a CPA Firm's Accounting and Auditing Practice

The following interim quality control standard will be rescinded on December 15, 2025 and replaced with QC 1000, A Firm’s System of Quality Control. See PCAOB Release No. 2024-005, SEC Release No. 34-100968. View the new quality control standard.

• Summary Table of Contents

• (.01 - .02) Introduction and Applicability
• (.03 - .06) System of Quality Control
• (.07 - .08) Quality Control Policies and Procedure
• (.09 - .20) Independence, Integrity, and Objectivity
• (.21 - .25) Administration of a Quality Control System
• (.26) Effective Date

(Supersedes sections 10 and 10-1)

Effective date: Applicable to a CPA firm's system of quality control for its accounting and auditing practice as of January 1, 1997, unless otherwise indicated.

Introduction and Applicability

.01

This section provides that a CPA firm shall have a system of quality control for its accounting and auditing practice and describes elements of quality control and other matters essential to the effective design, implementation, and maintenance of the system.

.02

The AICPA Principles of Professional Conduct provide, among other things, that "members should practice in firms that have in place internal quality-control procedures to ensure that services are competently delivered and adequately supervised." ^fn 1 Because of the public interest in the services provided by and the reliance placed on the objectivity and integrity of CPAs, this section provides that a CPA firm shall have a system of quality control for its accounting and auditing practice. ^fn 2

System of Quality Control

.03

A firm ^fn 3 has a responsibility to ensure that its personnel ^fn 4 comply with the professional standards applicable to its accounting and auditing practice. A system of quality control is broadly defined as a process to provide the firm with reasonable assurance that its personnel comply with applicable professional standards and the firm's standards of quality. ^fn 5 The policies and procedures designed to implement the system in one segment of a firm's practice may be the same as, different from, or interrelated with the policies and procedures designed for another segment, but the purpose of the system is the same for all segments of a firm's practice.

.04

A firm's system of quality control encompasses the firm's organizational structure and the policies adopted and procedures established to provide the firm with reasonable assurance of complying with professional standards. The nature, extent, and formality of a firm's quality control policies and procedures should be appropriately comprehensive and suitably designed in relation to the firm's size, the number of its offices, the degree of authority allowed its personnel and its offices, the knowledge and experience of its personnel, the nature and complexity of the firm's practice, and appropriate cost-benefit considerations.

.05

Any system of quality control has inherent limitations that can reduce its effectiveness. Variance in an individual's performance and understanding of (a) professional requirements or (b) the firm's quality control policies and procedures affects the degree of compliance with a firm's prescribed quality control policies and procedures and, therefore, the effectiveness of the system.

.06

The system of quality control should provide the firm with reasonable assurance that the segments of the firm's engagements performed by its foreign offices or by its domestic or foreign affiliates or correspondents are performed in accordance with professional standards in the United States when such standards are applicable.

Quality Control Policies and Procedures

Elements of Quality Control

.07

The quality control policies and procedures applicable to a firm's accounting and auditing practice should encompass the following elements:

1. Independence, Integrity, and Objectivity
2. Personnel Management
3. Acceptance and Continuance of Clients and Engagements
4. Engagement Performance
5. Monitoring

.08

The elements of quality control are interrelated. For example, the maintenance of Integrity, Objectivity, and, where required, Independence requires a continuing assessment of client relationships. Similarly, the element of Personnel Management encompasses criteria for professional development, hiring, advancement, and assignment of the firm's personnel to engagements, which affect policies and procedures developed to meet the objectives of the quality control element of Engagement Performance. Similarly, policies and procedures for the quality control element of Monitoring are established to provide the firm with reasonable assurance that the policies and procedures related to each of the other elements of quality control are suitably designed and are being effectively applied.

Independence, Integrity, and Objectivity

.09

Policies and procedures should be established to provide the firm with reasonable assurance that personnel maintain independence (in fact and in appearance) in all required circumstances, ^fn 6 perform all professional responsibilities with integrity, and maintain objectivity in discharging professional responsibilities.

[The following paragraph is effective as of December 31, 2016. See PCAOB Release No. 2015-002. The paragraph effective before December 31, 2016, can be found here.] 

.10

Independence, Integrity, and Objectivity are defined and more fully described in the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct (the Code) and AS 1005, Independence. Rules 101 and 102 of the Code, and the related Interpretations and Rulings [ET sections 101, 102, and 191) contain examples of instances wherein a member's independence, integrity, and objectivity will be considered to be impaired. Independence encompasses an impartiality that recognizes an obligation for fairness not only to management and owners of a business but also to those who may otherwise use the firm's report. The firm and its personnel must be free from any obligation to or interest in the client, its management, or its owners. ^fn 7 Integrity requires personnel to be honest and candid within the constraints of client confidentiality. Service and the public trust should not be subordinated to personal gain and advantage. Objectivity is a state of mind and a quality that lends value to a firm's services. The principle of objectivity imposes the obligation to be impartial, intellectually honest, and free of conflicts of interest.

Personnel Management

.11

A firm's quality control system depends heavily on the proficiency of its personnel. In making assignments, the nature and extent of supervision to be provided should be considered. Generally, the more able and experienced the personnel assigned to a particular engagement, the less direct supervision is needed.

.12

The quality of a firm's work ultimately depends on the integrity, objectivity, intelligence, competence, experience, and motivation of personnel who perform, supervise, and review the work. Thus, a firm's personnel management policies and procedures factor into maintaining such quality.

.13

Personnel Management encompasses hiring, assigning personnel to engagements, professional development, and advancement activities. Accordingly, policies and procedures should be established to provide the firm with reasonable assurance that—

1. Those hired possess the appropriate characteristics to enable them to perform competently.
2. Work is assigned to personnel having the degree of technical training and proficiency required in the circumstances.
3. Personnel participate in general and industry-specific continuing professional education and other professional development activities that enable them to fulfill responsibilities assigned, and satisfy applicable continuing professional education requirements of the AICPA and regulatory agencies. ^fn 8
4. Personnel selected for advancement have the qualifications necessary for fulfillment of the responsibilities they will be called on to assume.

Acceptance and Continuance of Clients and Engagements

.14

Policies and procedures should be established for deciding whether to accept or continue a client relationship and whether to perform a specific engagement for that client. Such policies and procedures should provide the firm with reasonable assurance that the likelihood of association with a client whose management lacks integrity is minimized. Establishing such policies and procedures does not imply that a firm vouches for the integrity or reliability of a client, nor does it imply that a firm has a duty to any person or entity but itself with respect to the acceptance, rejection, or retention of clients. However, prudence suggests that a firm be selective in determining its client relationships and the professional services it will provide.

.15

Such policies and procedures should also provide reasonable assurance that the firm—

1. Undertakes only those engagements that the firm can reasonably expect to be completed with professional competence.
2. Appropriately considers the risks associated with providing professional services in the particular circumstances.

.16

To minimize the risk of misunderstandings regarding the nature, scope, and limitations of the services to be performed, policies and procedures should provide for obtaining an understanding with the client regarding those services. Professional standards may provide guidance in deciding whether the understanding should be oral or written.

Engagement Performance

.17

Policies and procedures should be established to provide the firm with reasonable assurance that the work performed by engagement personnel meets applicable professional standards, regulatory requirements, and the firm's standards of quality.

.18

Policies and procedures for Engagement Performance encompass all phases of the design and execution of the engagement. To the extent appropriate and as required by applicable professional standards, these policies and procedures should cover planning, performing, supervising, reviewing, documenting, and communicating the results of each engagement. These policies and procedures also should address engagement quality reviews pursuant to AS 1220, Engagement Quality Review.

.19

Policies and procedures should also be established to provide reasonable assurance that personnel refer to authoritative literature or other sources and consult, on a timely basis, with individuals within or outside the firm, when appropriate (for example, when dealing with complex, unusual, or unfamiliar issues). Individuals consulted should have appropriate levels of knowledge, competence, judgment, and authority. The nature of the arrangements for consultation depends on a number of factors, including the size of the firm and the levels of knowledge, competence, and judgment possessed by the persons performing the work.

Monitoring

.20

Policies and procedures should be established to provide the firm with reasonable assurance that the policies and procedures established by the firm for each of the other elements of quality control described in paragraphs .07 through .19 are suitably designed and are being effectively applied. ^fn 9 Monitoring involves an ongoing consideration and evaluation of the—

1. Relevance and adequacy of the firm's policies and procedures.
2. Appropriateness of the firm's guidance materials and any practice aids.
3. Effectiveness of professional development activities.
4. Compliance with the firm's policies and procedures. When monitoring, the effects of the firm's management philosophy and the environment in which the firm practices and its clients operate should be considered.

Administration of a Quality Control System

.21

To provide reasonable assurance that the firm's quality control system achieves its objectives, appropriate consideration should be given to the assignment of quality control responsibilities within the firm, the means by which quality control policies and procedures are communicated, and the extent to which the policies and procedures and compliance therewith should be documented.

Assignment of Responsibilities

.22

Responsibility for the design and maintenance of the various quality control policies and procedures should be assigned to an appropriate individual or individuals in the firm. In making that assignment, consideration should be given to the proficiency of the individuals, the authority to be delegated to them, and the extent of supervision to be provided. However, all of the firm's personnel are responsible for complying with the firm's quality control policies and procedures.

Communication

.23

A firm should communicate its quality control policies and procedures to its personnel in a manner that provides reasonable assurance that those policies and procedures are understood and complied with. The form and extent of such communications should be sufficiently comprehensive to provide the firm's personnel with an understanding of the quality control policies and procedures applicable to them. In addition, a firm should establish a means of communicating its established quality control policies and procedures, and the changes thereto, to appropriate personnel on a timely basis.

Documentation of Quality Control Policies and Procedures

.24

The size, structure, and nature of the practice of the firm should be considered in determining whether documentation of established quality control policies and procedures is required for effective communication and, if so, the extent of such documentation. For example, documentation of established quality control policies and procedures would generally be expected to be more extensive in a large firm than in a small firm and in a multioffice firm than in a single-office firm. Although communication ordinarily is enhanced if it is in writing, the effectiveness of a firm's system of quality control is not necessarily impaired by the absence of documentation of established quality control policies and procedures.

Documentation of Compliance With Quality Control Policies and Procedures

.25

A firm should prepare appropriate documentation to demonstrate compliance with its policies and procedures for the quality control system discussed herein. The form and content of such documentation is a matter of judgment and depends on a number of factors, such as the size of a firm, the number of offices, the degree of authority allowed its personnel and its offices, the nature and complexity of the firm's practice, its organization, and appropriate cost-benefit considerations. Documentation should be retained for a period of time sufficient to enable those performing monitoring procedures and a peer review to evaluate the extent of the firm's compliance with its quality control policies and procedures.

Effective Date

.26

The provisions of this section are applicable to a CPA firm's system of quality control for its accounting and auditing practice as of January 1, 1997.