Glossary: Review (Of Financial Statements)

In accounting terminology, a “review” is a type of report issued by a CPA regarding a company’s financial statements.

A review is one step below an audit. In a review, the CPA examines a company’s financials to verify that they are free of deficiencies, but the firm does not review internal controls or fraud risks as in an audit.

A review is one step above a compilation. A compilation is simply a “compiling” of a company’s financials in a formal format, with an accountant’s letter accompanying the financials stating that the accountant performed the compilation. As opposed to audits or reviews, a compilation report does NOT give any assurances about the financials.

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