Generate an Excel workbook for multi-location retail internal audit: branch visits, POS/cash reconciliation, stock count, refund/discount testing, RCM rows and continuous monitoring exceptions.
| Area | Risk | Control | Test | Evidence | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Store governance | Branch approvals, visit cadence or exception ownership is informal. | Branch authority matrix, store visit checklist and action tracker reviewed by head office. | Inspect branch visit coverage, open exceptions and management escalation for aged items. | Delegation matrix, store visit report, exception log, escalation trail and ATR. | Monthly / Quarterly |
| POS sales | Bills are deleted, voided, split, back-dated or not fully posted to ERP and GST records. | Daily POS close, invoice-sequence review and POS-to-ERP reconciliation. | Match POS day summary to ERP sales register, cancellation log and GST working. | POS day report, invoice sequence, void log, ERP sales register and GST support. | Daily / Monthly |
| Cash and digital collections | Cash, card, UPI, wallet or COD collections are delayed, short-banked or unmatched. | Daily cash count and payment-mode settlement reconciliation. | Reconcile POS cash to counted cash and bank deposit; age unmatched digital settlements. | Cash count, cashier handover, bank deposit slip, payment gateway file and bank statement. | Daily / Weekly |
| Inventory and shrinkage | Stock is lost, transferred, adjusted or written off without supporting evidence. | GRN, transfer and cycle-count controls with shrinkage review by SKU and store. | Compare physical counts to book stock and investigate shrinkage concentration. | GRN, stock ledger, transfer note, cycle-count sheet and shrinkage report. | Monthly |
| Discounts and price overrides | Unauthorised discounts, coupons or price overrides reduce margin or hide leakage. | Approved promotion calendar, override limits and exception reporting. | Review manual discounts by cashier, SKU, customer and margin-negative transaction. | Price master, scheme circular, discount dump, override approval and margin report. | Monthly |
| Returns and refunds | Refunds or exchanges are processed without original sale, customer or returned-stock evidence. | Return policy, reason codes, approval matrix and original-invoice matching. | Match returns to original invoice, payment reversal and returned-stock receipt. | Return note, original invoice, customer acknowledgement, reversal proof and stock receipt. | Weekly / Monthly |
| Ecommerce settlements | Marketplace sales, fees, COD, returns or cancelled orders are not reconciled to books. | Order-to-dispatch matching and marketplace settlement reconciliation. | Reconcile orders, invoices, dispatch, marketplace fees, bank receipt and COD ageing. | Order dump, dispatch manifest, settlement file, COD report, RTO list and bank statement. | Weekly / Monthly |
| Store payroll and access | Store staff payroll, incentives or access rights continue after transfer or exit. | Attendance approval, incentive review and POS/ERP leaver access removal. | Match roster, attendance, payroll input and active POS users to employee master. | Roster, attendance, payroll input, incentive working, exit list and access review. | Monthly |
Use this with the retail branch checklist, the Word checklist template and the monitoring rules repository.
Retail internal audit is strongest when central data testing and branch visit evidence are held in the same workbook. POS, cash, card, UPI, stock, refund and discount data can be tested centrally; selected exceptions should then be verified at the store.
The Excel export gives auditors separate sheets for engagement scope, branch visits, RCM rows, POS/cash reconciliation, stock counts, refund/discount testing and monitoring exceptions. It is a working-paper starting point, not a substitute for sample design or professional judgement.
A CA firm is reviewing 25 retail branches with company-owned stores, franchise stores and marketplace sales.
