CORAA

Initial Audit Checklist — Statutory Audit Planning (ICAI)

A planning-stage checklist covering the documents and confirmations to obtain from the client before fieldwork begins — trial balance, schedules, prior-year working papers, board minutes.

Free · ICAI AASB (June 2023)
Updated 28 May 2026
Source
ICAI AASB (June 2023)
When to send
2-3 weeks before fieldwork
Owner
Engagement manager
Covers
TB, ledgers, minutes, prior WPs
Your firm — letterhead
Appears at the top of the document as the audit firm letterhead.
Used as the letterhead block.
Engagement details
The client and period this document is for.
The financial year-end this engagement covers, e.g. 31 March 2026.
What’s inside

An excerpt from the template.

It is important to convey to client, what information is required in order to start the audit

The above list does not represent an exhaustive list and additional information may be requested during the course of audit.

↑ Excerpt only — the full template is what you download as Word
About this template

What you’re downloading, and when to use it.

This template follows the format published by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) in the AASB Audit Working Paper Templates (June 2023), the authoritative reference for Indian statutory-audit documentation. Fill in your firm’s letterhead and the engagement details on the form above, click Download Word file, and you’ll get a fully formatted .docx ready to use.

Everything is generated in your browser and on a stateless API endpoint — no account, no email gate, nothing stored. Edit freely in Word, Google Docs or Pages before sending to your client.

Common questions

FAQs.

What documents should I request at the start of a statutory audit?
At minimum: signed prior-year financial statements + audit report, current-year trial balance, general ledger, fixed asset register, statutory registers, board and committee minutes, bank confirmations, GST/TDS returns, ITR-V, prior-year management letter, and all prior-year working papers if you are the continuing auditor.
When should this checklist go to the client?
Immediately after the engagement letter is signed and at least 2-3 weeks before fieldwork starts. This gives the client time to collate the documents and your team time to plan around any gaps.
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