Audit in Guernsey

An audit is not automatic in Guernsey. The Registry notes that companies may consider passing waiver resolutions that exempt them from having their accounts audited or from holding an annual general meeting. Whether to use a waiver is a decision for the owners, and in practice a bank, a lender, a regulator or an investor may still ask for audited accounts whatever the company’s own position.

So begin by asking why you want one. If a third party sets the requirement, check that the firm can sign to its standard and has dealt with companies of your size and sector. Ask whether the same firm also keeps your books, and how it handles independence if it does.

Audit is a small corner of the Guernsey market on Accountanty, with four firms, all of them accounting firms: two small practices and two medium firms. Two work in English, and none say they focus on foreign clients, so these firms serve mainly island and UK businesses, charities, schools and care providers. Start from the Guernsey guide or compare accounting first.