Audit in Austria

In Austria the statutory audit is carried out by a Wirtschaftsprüfer, a licensed auditor who belongs to the Chamber of Tax Advisors and Auditors (KSW). Whether a GmbH must be audited depends on its size and, for some companies, on whether it has a supervisory board; small companies are normally outside the requirement, while larger companies and certain legal forms are inside it. A subsidiary below the thresholds may still be audited because its parent group, a lender or a buyer asks for it. For an owner abroad, the audit is often also the moment when the Austrian accounts are matched with the group’s own reporting.

Firms offering audit in Austria

RÖDL

Accounting firm · International network

Vienna

  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • VAT
  • +2 more

Languages: English · German

View profile of RÖDL

What to ask an auditor in Austria

Ask whether the partner who signs the opinion is a Wirtschaftsprüfer, and how many audits of foreign-owned Austrian companies the firm carries out each year. Agree the timetable early: the accounts have to be filed with the Firmenbuch no later than nine months after the balance sheet date, and the group close may come sooner. If the firm already keeps your books or prepares your returns, ask how it separates that work from the audit, because an auditor cannot examine figures it produced. Ask for a fee range in writing and what happens if the field work runs longer than planned.

Firms on Accountanty

Accountanty lists 15 firms that offer audit in Austria, all of them accounting firms in Vienna, split evenly: five small, five medium-sized and five part of large networks. All 15 work in German and English, three in Italian and three in Hungarian, and two each in French and Slovak. Every one says it works with foreign clients, and two name Hungarian companies among their clients. Real estate is the sector they name most often, by seven firms. For the annual accounts that come before the audit, see accounting in Austria.

Frequently asked questions

Does every Austrian GmbH need an audit?

No. The obligation depends on size, measured on balance sheet total, revenue and staff, and on whether the company has a supervisory board. Many small GmbHs are not audited, though a parent group, a bank or an investor may still ask for one.

Can my Austrian accountant also audit my company?

Not the same accounts. An auditor has to be independent of the figures it examines, so the firm that prepares your statements cannot sign the audit opinion on them. When a firm offers both bookkeeping and audit, ask which of the two engagements it would take on for you.

Other services in Austria

Accountants by city in Austria

Setting up a company in Austria: the guide and every firm

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules, rates and fees change: check them with the official sources linked on this page or with a qualified adviser before you act.