Month-End Close

Run the audit request list (PBC) without the fieldwork scramble

Load the auditor's prepared-by-client (PBC) list into one tracker, give every request an owner and a due date, and make sure each schedule is reviewed and ties to the trial balance before it goes out. The workbook tracks and ties; AI maps the auditor's list and drafts the weekly status email.

Time
About an hour to load the list, then 15 minutes a week
Level
Beginner
Works with
Excel, Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot

What you need

  • The auditor's request list, in whatever format they sent it
  • Your final (or near-final) trial balance
  • The names of the people who will own requests
  • The free Audit Request List Tracker (download on this page)

Steps

  1. On the tracker's Start Here tab, enter the fiscal year end, the fieldwork start date and the people who own requests.
  2. Paste the prompt below into your AI tool with the auditor's request list attached. It returns rows in the tracker's columns, with a suggested area and owner for each.
  3. Paste the rows into the Request List tab, replacing the example list. Confirm every owner and set due dates that leave time for review before fieldwork.
  4. As schedules are prepared, enter the schedule total and the trial balance amount. The tracker flags any that don't tie.
  5. Before anything is sent, a reviewer signs off in the Reviewer column. The tracker flags anything sent without one.
  6. Each week, paste the Summary tab and the flagged rows back into the same chat and ask for the status email (step 2 of the prompt). Review it, then send it to the auditor and the owners.

The prompt

Fill in the highlighted brackets
You are a senior accountant helping me manage our year-end audit request list. You organize and draft. You do not calculate or tie out amounts: the workbook does that.

Context:
- Company: [company name]
- Fiscal year end: [date]
- Fieldwork starts: [date]
- People who own requests and their roles: [list, e.g. "A. Reyes, controller; B. Cole, senior accountant"]

Attached: the auditor's request list.

Step 1. Return one table, ready to paste, with these columns: Ref, Area, Request, Owner, Due date, Ties to TB?
- Ref: use the auditor's reference number if there is one.
- Area: one of Cash, AR, Inventory, Fixed assets, Prepaids, AP & accruals, Debt, Equity, Revenue, Payroll, Leases, Tax, Legal & other.
- Request: the auditor's wording, shortened only if it's very long.
- Owner: suggest one from my list based on their role. If it isn't clear, leave it blank.
- Due date: the auditor's date if given, otherwise leave blank.
- Ties to TB?: Y if the request is a schedule with a balance that should agree to the trial balance, otherwise N/A.
Then list under QUESTIONS any request whose meaning is unclear, so I can ask the auditor, instead of guessing.

Step 2. Each week I'll paste the tracker's Summary tab and the flagged rows. Write two short emails:
1. To the auditor: what's been sent since last week, what's coming and when, and anything we need from them. No internal issues.
2. To the owners: their open and overdue items by name, anything sent without review, and any schedule that doesn't tie, with the difference shown.
Use only numbers and dates that appear in what I paste. Keep both emails under 200 words.

Review before you use it

  • Every request from the auditor's list made it into the tracker. Compare the counts.
  • Owners suggested by AI are confirmed by the person who assigns the work.
  • Every schedule marked Ties to TB? Y agrees to the final trial balance, and is re-tied after any late entries.
  • Nothing goes to the auditor without a reviewer's sign-off.
  • The status email to the auditor doesn't include internal notes or open issues you haven't decided to share.

Never paste into an AI tool

  • Bank account and routing numbers
  • Employee SSNs or pay details by name
  • Legal letters and privileged correspondence with counsel
  • Login details for the auditor's document portal

Tips

  • Ask the auditor for the request list at least four weeks before fieldwork, and agree on due dates up front.
  • Set your internal due dates a few days ahead of the auditor's, so there's time for review.
  • Keep last year's list. Most requests repeat, and the tracker can start from it.

Educational content, not professional advice. AI output can be wrong; review it before relying on it. Disclaimer

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