AICPA issues quality management attestation standard

On June 10, 2024, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) issued Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) No. 23, Amendments to the Attestation Standards for Consistency With the Issuance of AICPA Standards on Quality Management.

SSAE No. 23 aligns the attestation standards with the AICPA’s statements on quality management standards, Statement on Audit Standards (SAS) No. 146, Quality Management for an Engagement Conducted in Accordance With Generally Accepted Auditing Standards, and Statements on Standards on Accounting and Review Services (SSARS) No. 26, Quality Management for an Engagement Conducted in Accordance With Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services. SSAE No. 23 amends the following AT-C Sections of the AICPA attestation standards:

• AT-C Section 105, Concepts Common to All Attestation Engagements
• AT-C Section 205, Assertion-Based Examination Engagements
• AT-C Section 210, Review Engagements
• AT-C Section 215, Agreed-Upon Procedures Engagements

The most significant change in SSAE No. 23 is the deletion of the term “other practitioner” and the introduction of two new terms, “participating practitioner” and “referred-to practitioner.” The performance and reporting requirements were also revised to differentiate between these types of other practitioners.

SSAE No. 23 is effective for engagements performed in accordance with the AICPA attestation standards beginning on or after December 15, 2025, in conjunction with the other quality management standards.