Auditor

What does an auditor do?

An auditor checks whether financial statements and business records are accurate and follow the rules.

External auditors give an opinion on a company's accounts. Internal auditors review a company's own controls and processes and report to management and the board.

In Singapore, most auditors start in accounting firms, from large networks to small practices. Others work in internal audit teams in banks, government agencies and large companies. Each engagement is run by a small team led by an audit senior or manager.

You work with finance teams, senior management and audit committees. In external audit you also deal with the client's directors. Inside the audit team, you take direction from seniors and managers and help guide newer colleagues.

What the work involves

• Plan the audit work with your senior, including the areas of highest risk and the evidence you need.
• Request records from the client, then check transactions, balances and disclosures against that evidence.
• Use Excel or audit software such as IDEA or ACL to test whole sets of transactions.
• Write up workpapers that show what you tested, what you found and what you concluded.
• Raise issues with your senior or manager and discuss fixes with the client's finance team.
• Review the work of junior team members and coach them on the audit approach.

Pay in Singapore

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Skills an auditor needs

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Auditor job description

Accounting firms and internal audit teams in Singapore hire auditors to plan and carry out audits, test evidence and report findings.

You join an engagement team and work under an audit senior or manager. You follow professional standards and help the team meet client deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Help plan each audit, including risk assessment and the choice of tests.
• Gather evidence from client records, third parties and system data to support audit conclusions.
• Test internal controls over areas such as sales, purchases, payroll and inventory.
• Check that financial statements follow SFRS(I) or SFRS and that disclosures are complete.
• Use data analytics tools and Excel to examine large volumes of transactions.
• Document work clearly so a reviewer can follow it without asking you.
• Report misstatements and control gaps to your senior and discuss fixes with the client.
• Follow independence rules and flag any conflict of interest early.
• Coach junior team members and review their workpapers when you reach senior level.
• Keep client information confidential and handle personal data within the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).

Requirements

• A degree in accountancy, or in business or finance with accounting papers. Some firms also accept a diploma with professional exams.
• Progress towards a professional qualification such as Chartered Accountant of Singapore or ACCA. Graduates are often hired before they finish it.
• Working knowledge of SFRS(I) and the auditing standards used in Singapore.
• Good Excel skills. Experience with audit analytics tools such as IDEA or ACL is a plus.
• Clear writing and speaking, and the ability to ask a client direct questions politely.
• Internal audit and IT audit roles may ask for a certificate such as CIA or CISA, or a plan to earn one.

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Auditor career path

Audit careers follow a clear ladder, with promotion based on how much of an engagement you can lead.

Most people move from doing the work to reviewing it, then to running a team or function.

1. Audit associate

   Entry · SkillsFuture title

   You carry out set audit tests, collect evidence and write workpapers. A senior or manager reviews your work.

2. Audit senior

   Mid · SkillsFuture title

   You lead audit teams on engagements of different sizes, from planning to completion. You review juniors' work and manage day-to-day client contact.

3. Audit manager

   Senior · SkillsFuture title

   You oversee several engagements, review key judgements and manage client relationships. You are also responsible for team quality and deadlines.

4. Chief audit executive or head of internal audit

   Head · SkillsFuture title

   You run an organisation's audit function. You set the audit plan and report findings to senior management and the audit committee.

Steps marked "SkillsFuture title" follow the career pathway in the SkillsFuture Skills Framework. The others are titles commonly used in Singapore.

Related jobs and their pay

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Auditor interview questions

We wrote these questions from the skills this job needs. They are not an official question bank.

1. Walk me through the main stages of an audit engagement.

   What a good answer covers

   • Planning and risk assessment, including understanding the client and its controls
   • Designing and performing tests of controls and substantive procedures
   • Reviewing results and evaluating misstatements found
   • Completion steps such as going-concern checks and management representations
   • Reporting to the client and those charged with governance

2. What is materiality, and how does it change the way you test?

   What a good answer covers

   • Defines materiality as the size of error that could affect users' decisions
   • Explains that a benchmark such as revenue or profit before tax sets the starting figure
   • Links a lower materiality to larger samples and more testing
   • Mentions that some items are judged on nature as well as size
   • Says it is revisited if facts change during the audit

3. How do you tell a test of controls from a substantive procedure? When would you use each?

   What a good answer covers

   • Gives a clear definition of each type of test
   • Uses an example such as testing approval of purchase orders versus vouching purchase invoices
   • Explains that reliable controls allow less substantive testing
   • Says weak controls mean more substantive work
   • Mentions segregation of duties as a control to look for

4. How would you audit revenue for a company that sells software subscriptions?

   What a good answer covers

   • Treats revenue recognition as a risk of fraud or error
   • Checks contracts against SFRS(I) 15 and the timing of recognition
   • Tests cut-off near year end and deferred revenue balances
   • Tests journal entries and manual adjustments to revenue
   • Uses customer confirmations or subsequent receipts as evidence

5. How would you audit the allowance for doubtful trade receivables?

   What a good answer covers

   • Checks the ageing report for completeness and accuracy
   • Reviews the client's expected credit loss method under SFRS(I) 9
   • Tests historical loss rates and the forward-looking adjustments
   • Checks subsequent cash receipts and large overdue balances
   • Challenges management's assumptions with professional scepticism

6. A small Singapore company asks which reporting framework it should use. What do you explain?

   What a good answer covers

   • Says most non-listed companies use FRS, while SFRS(I) is mainly for listed companies
   • Knows a separate framework exists for qualifying small entities
   • Explains that the choice depends on the entity's size and status
   • Says current rules should be checked before advising
   • Notes that disclosures differ between frameworks

7. How would you use IDEA or ACL to test journal entries across a full year?

   What a good answer covers

   • Confirms the data is complete by agreeing it to the trial balance
   • Sets filters such as weekend postings, round amounts and unusual users
   • Reviews entries posted near year end or by senior staff
   • Samples or investigates flagged items and records the results
   • Keeps the script or steps so the test can be repeated

8. How do you use Excel to match a client's fixed asset register to the general ledger?

   What a good answer covers

   • Cleans and formats both data sets first
   • Uses lookup functions or pivot tables to find differences
   • Investigates unmatched items and does more than list them
   • Keeps formulas visible so the reviewer can follow them
   • Saves the file version with the workpaper reference

9. Would you use ChatGPT on an audit? Where would you draw the line?

   What a good answer covers

   • Uses it only within the firm's approved tools and policies
   • Keeps client data out of public tools
   • Treats the output as a draft and checks every fact against evidence
   • Sees it as useful for drafting questions or explaining standards, and leaves audit conclusions to the team
   • Mentions confidentiality and PDPA obligations

1. During a stock count you find that physical inventory is lower than the client's records. The client says it is a timing difference. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Records the exact differences and the items involved
   • Asks for supporting documents such as delivery notes and goods received records
   • Tests transactions around the count date for cut-off
   • Raises the issue with your senior before agreeing to any explanation
   • Considers whether the difference points to a control weakness or fraud

2. You find an error that is below materiality. The finance manager refuses to correct it. How do you handle it?

   What a good answer covers

   • Records it on the schedule of unadjusted differences
   • Considers whether it is part of a pattern or could combine with other errors
   • Escalates to your senior or manager and does not decide alone
   • Explains the effect to the client in clear, courteous language
   • Notes that management and the audit committee may be informed

3. You are reviewing a junior's workpaper. The tick marks have no supporting reference. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Asks the junior how the test was done before concluding it was skipped
   • Explains that undocumented work cannot be relied on
   • Shows how to add references and clear conclusions
   • Asks for the work to be redone if evidence is missing
   • Gives feedback in a way that builds the junior's skills

1. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a senior or a client over an accounting judgement.

   What a good answer covers

   • Describes the situation and the specific disagreement
   • Explains how you backed your view with standards or evidence
   • Shows you stayed respectful and listened
   • States the outcome and what you learned
   • Shows professional scepticism while staying open to other views

2. Busy season brings tight deadlines on several engagements. How do you manage your time and stay accurate?

   What a good answer covers

   • Describes a concrete method for prioritising tasks
   • Shows you flag risks to deadlines early
   • Gives an example of working well with a team under pressure
   • Explains how you protect quality when time is short
   • Mentions looking after your own energy

1. A client offers you a gift and mentions that you hold shares in a related company. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Knows that independence is a core requirement for auditors
   • Declines the gift and reports it to your senior or the firm's ethics contact
   • Discloses the shareholding under the firm's independence policy
   • Understands the firm may need to change the engagement team
   • Refers to professional ethics rules in Singapore and checks the details

Common questions about an auditor job

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