Matters of material significance guidance
Matters of material significance are items which independent examiners and auditors must report to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland should they encounter them while handling the accounts of a charity.
The below guidance is published in conjunction with the UK’s other charity regulators – the Charity Commission for England and Wales (CCEW) and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).
The matters have been agreed by the three charity regulators and are effective for all audits or independent examinations which are conducted and/or reported after 1 May 2017 (regardless of the accounting period being examined).
Update to guidance
The guidance has been updated (April 2020) to provide further examples and clarity on matters to report, particularly with respect to modified opinions. In addition, the COVID-19 situation has been reflected in the guidance with the following paragraph:
Reporting at times of national emergency
The charity regulators recognise that at times of national emergency the normal conduct of an external audit or an independent examination may be disrupted. In times of national emergency, unless the legal duty to report is relaxed by Government, the auditor or examiner must still report matters of material significance; however where a modified opinion, an emphasis of matter, or a matter identified by the independent examiner is solely due to the exceptional circumstances of the national emergency affecting the conduct of the audit or the independent examination then this is not considered to be reportable as a matter of material significance to the charity regulator. This is because remedying this situation is not in the power of the auditor or examiner, the preparer of the charity’s accounts, or the charity regulator.
Examples of such exceptional circumstances are:
- travel restrictions prevent the auditor or examiner from verifying the existence of physical assets such as stock
- access restrictions prevent the auditor or examiner for reviewing accounting records and/ or from obtaining the assurances required
- limitations of scope are identified due to the control measures imposed to deal with a national emergency
