Prove you're playing by the rules
Not every audit is about your annual financial statements. Regulators, industry bodies, and funding providers often require specialised compliance audits to ensure you're meeting specific rules, laws, or contractual conditions that govern your operations.
Whether you need to demonstrate compliance to the regulator, provide confidence to grant funders, meet licensing obligations, or satisfy industry body requirements, these audits deliver independent assurance that your organisation is operating responsibly and transparently.
Without proper compliance audits, you risk regulatory action, losing your licence to operate, having funding withdrawn, or damaging your reputation with stakeholders who depend on your integrity. The stakes are often higher than standard financial audits because compliance failures can shut down your operations entirely.
We perform regulatory and compliance audits that go beyond statutory financial reporting, providing the independent assurance stakeholders need whilst identifying opportunities to strengthen your compliance processes.
Facing regulatory audit requirements or need to satisfy funding body conditions? Let's discuss how we can provide the assurance you need.
Why compliance audits matter
Most organisations focus their attention on financial statement audits because those are the ones everyone knows about. But compliance audits often carry greater operational risk because they directly determine whether you can continue doing business.
- A law firm that fails a trust account audit faces potential disciplinary action and loss of practising certificate.
- A charity that can't demonstrate proper grant expenditure loses future funding opportunities.
- A financial services business that doesn't satisfy compliance requirements risks substantial penalties and loss of licence.
We've worked with organisations after compliance problems emerged, and the pattern is always the same: issues that would have been straightforward to fix during a compliance audit become expensive crises when discovered by regulators during investigations. The difference between proactive compliance auditing and reactive damage control is measured in tens of thousands of dollars and months of management time.
The opposite is also true: organisations with strong compliance audit processes build credibility with regulators and funders that creates operational advantages. When regulators know you take compliance seriously, they're more likely to work collaboratively when issues arise. When funders see robust acquittal processes, they're more confident providing larger grants or multi-year funding.
What we audit for you
Our regulatory and compliance audit services cover the specific requirements that govern your operations:
Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism compliance audits provide independent review of your anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism programmes, ensuring policies, controls, and reporting obligations meet regulatory standards and your supervisor's expectations.
Regulatory compliance audits covering various regulatory requirements for licensed entities, including compliance programmes, client money handling, and licensee obligations under financial markets legislation.
Trust account audits for solicitors, accountants, real estate agents, and other professionals with client money obligations, ensuring trust accounting meets professional body and regulatory standards.
Grant acquittals and funding audits that verify expenditure against funding agreements, demonstrate appropriate use of public or philanthropic funds, and satisfy funding body reporting requirements.
Charity compliance audits ensuring adherence to Charities Services requirements, proper use of charitable funds, and compliance with specific conditions attached to charitable status or funding.
Industry-specific compliance reviews tailored to your sector's unique regulatory framework, whether that's healthcare, education, building and construction, or other regulated industries.
Agreed-upon procedures for any situation where stakeholders require independent assurance on specific compliance matters, designed around the exact questions they need answered.
Our approach is risk-focused and efficient, designed to add value by identifying process improvements alongside compliance outcomes. We're not just ticking boxes—we're helping you build compliance systems that actually work.
Do you have specific requirements for auditing your business. Give us a call to discuss them.
How this benefits your business
- Regulatory assurance through independent reports that satisfy regulator and industry body requirements, protecting your licence to operate and demonstrating that you take compliance seriously.
- Stakeholder confidence by demonstrating transparency to funders, boards, and members who need independent verification that you're operating responsibly and meeting your obligations.
- Efficiency minimising disruption through audits tailored to your organisation's size and complexity, focusing on what actually matters rather than unnecessary procedures.
- Early warning identifying compliance gaps and risks before they escalate into regulatory problems, giving you time to fix issues proactively rather than reactively responding to regulator concerns.
- Credibility building trust with regulators, funders, and the public through demonstrated commitment to compliance and willingness to subject your operations to independent scrutiny.
What working with us looks like
Understanding your requirements: We start by clarifying which regulatory or contractual obligations you need to satisfy, who will rely on the audit report, and any specific concerns or risk areas you've identified.
Targeted procedures: We design audit procedures focused on what actually requires independent assurance—no unnecessary work, just thorough coverage of what matters.
Open communication: Throughout the audit, we keep you informed about findings and potential issues, giving you time to address matters before they appear in formal reporting.
Clear reporting: Our reports distinguish between technical non-compliance requiring fixes, areas for process improvement, and practices that already meet requirements. Where gaps exist, we provide practical recommendations for addressing them efficiently.
Timeline: Most compliance audits run four to eight weeks from planning to final report, depending on scope and complexity. We work efficiently to meet your deadlines, especially when regulatory or funding body timeframes are non-negotiable.
Ready to demonstrate compliance with confidence? Contact UHY Haines Norton to discuss how our regulatory and compliance audit services can provide the independent assurance you need.
Regulatory and compliance audits go beyond statutory obligations—they safeguard your licence to operate, your funding relationships, and your reputation. When stakeholders need independent assurance that you're playing by the rules, we provide credible verification that protects your interests.
