Preparing an AP population extract for auditors
Engagements stall when the AP listing arrives incomplete. A usable population extract names every invoice in the period, with vendor ID, invoice number, invoice date, posting date, currency, amount, and payment status in consistent columns.
Agree the period cut first
Write down whether the population follows invoice date, posting date, or payment date. Mixing those bases mid-project forces re-sampling. For year-end AP testing in Taiwan, we usually lock posting date to the financial close calendar and note any local GAAP quirks separately.
Keep voided and reversed items visible
Removing voids before sampling hides the very control failures you may need to explain. Include them with a status flag. We can exclude them from the sampling frame later with a documented rule.
Attach the approval matrix version
Attribute testing against an outdated matrix wastes everyone’s week. Send the matrix that was in force during the period, plus any temporary emergency approvers named in email.