Indicators
Check all indicators that apply to the entity. Severity levels reflect their weight under ISA 570.A2. Expand any indicator to see the working paper guidance and likely review challenge.
ISA 570 Going Concern Reference Card — free PDF
All 19 ISA 570 indicators with severity ratings, review challenges, and auditor response guidance. One page for your planning folder. Plus one practical audit insight per week.
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Going Concern Under ISA 570: What Auditors Need to Assess
Under ISA 570 (Revised), the auditor has an active responsibility to assess whether going concern is an appropriate basis for preparing the financial statements — not merely to accept management's conclusion. This requires evaluating events and conditions that may cast significant doubt, assessing whether management's plans to address those conditions are adequate, and determining whether a material uncertainty exists that requires disclosure.
What constitutes a going concern indicator?
ISA 570.A2 identifies three categories of indicators: financial (negative cash flows, covenant breaches, loan maturities), operating (loss of key management, loss of major customers, labour difficulties), and other (legal proceedings, regulatory non-compliance, catastrophic losses). The presence of one indicator does not automatically mean going concern is inappropriate — the auditor must assess the totality of the situation and the credibility of management's mitigating plans.
The 12-month assessment period
The going concern assessment must cover at least 12 months from the date the financial statements are expected to be authorised for issue — not from the balance sheet date. This distinction matters: for entities with a long time between year-end and signing, the assessment period may extend significantly into the future, increasing uncertainty and the audit effort required.
When indicators are present, management should prepare a cash flow forecast covering at minimum 12 months from signing. The auditor's job is to evaluate the assumptions underlying that forecast, not just accept it.
A material uncertainty exists when the magnitude of the potential impact is such that disclosure is required in the financial statements. This is a higher bar than merely identifying indicators.
Even where going concern is appropriate, inadequate disclosure of a significant uncertainty is itself an audit issue. ISA 570.22-23 sets out the specific disclosures required when a material uncertainty is identified.
ISA 570.9 — The auditor shall evaluate management's assessment of the entity's ability to continue as a going concern.
ISA 570.A2 — Events or conditions that may cast significant doubt include financial, operating, and other indicators.
ISA 570.16 — If events or conditions have been identified, the auditor shall obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence about whether a material uncertainty exists.