Checklist for Issuance of Certificates

Engagement Guidance

The Checklist for Certificates is structured in line with the engagement approach prescribed in the Guidance Note on Reports or Certificates for Special Purposes (Revised 2016). Accordingly, the checklist follows the key stages of a certificate engagement, enabling members to address the relevant professional requirements in a systematic manner.
The Guidance Note provides the professional framework for Chartered Accountants while issuing reports or certificates for special purposes. It guides members through every stage of the engagement—from acceptance to reporting—to ensure that certificates are issued with due professional care and appropriate assurance.

Key Areas Covered

The Guidance Note focuses on the following key areas:

• Engagement Acceptance – Evaluate whether the engagement can be accepted, ensure ethical requirements are met, and agree on clear terms of engagement.
• Planning & Execution – Apply professional judgement and professional scepticism, determine materiality, and obtain sufficient and appropriate evidence.
• Assurance & Reporting – Understand the distinction between reasonable and limited assurance engagements and issue reports in accordance with the applicable reporting framework.
• Documentation & Quality – Maintain adequate documentation, obtain written representations where required, and comply with quality control requirements.

Reference Document

Index sheet

Index sheet - assists practitioners to maintain key details related to the Certificate such as the client’s name, certificate number, subject, purpose, Regulation under which the certificate is prescribed, name of partner signing the engagement letter along with the date, Engagement period, name of partner verifying the checklist, date of issuance and reference of working paper file number.

The Index Sheet also contains formula-driven fields that:

• Indicate whether the Guidance Note on Reports or Certificates for Special Purposes (Revised 2016) is applicable to the engagement based on responses in Section A.
• Provide a summary of responses marked "No", "Not Applicable (NA)", or "Not Answered" in Sections B and C, enabling members to revisit incomplete responses or reassess an important component of the report that has inadvertently been missed.

Section A: Applicability

Section A: Applicability— helps determine whether the engagement falls within the scope of the Guidance Note. It prompts the practitioner to identify the nature of engagement:

• An audit engagement which pertains to issuing report for audits or reviews of historical financial information.
• An agreed-upon procedures engagement under SRS 4400.
• A compilation engagement under SRS 4410.
• Or an assurance engagement under SAE 3000 series.

Section B: Procedure Checklist

Section B: Procedure Checklist — focuses on procedures to be followed during the engagement.

Each checkpoint includes relevant dropdowns for practitioner responses and is linked to the relevant paragraph of the Guidance Note. An additional column is provided for remarks or observations.

It begins with quality control requirements, engagement acceptance and continuance, and defining engagement objectives.

The section also covers whether the engagement provides reasonable or limited assurance, and whether multiple subject matters are being reported upon.

It encourages professional skepticism and due care throughout the process, aligning the work with the principles of the Guidance Note.

Section C: Completion Checklist

Section C: Completion Checklist— ensures the report or certificate issued is complete and appropriately presented in accordance with the format prescribed by the Guidance Note.

It checks whether the report:

• Is titled and addressed correctly,
• Clearly states the subject matter, applicable criteria, and management’s responsibility, auditor’s responsibility and
• Includes the auditor’s opinion or conclusion in the correct form.

This helps maintain uniformity and professionalism in reporting.

Reference Document