Can you explain the term audit working papers?

Audit working papers are the documents which record all audit evidence obtained during financial statements auditing, internal management auditing, information systems auditing, and investigations. Audit working papers are used to support the audit work done in order to provide assurance that the audit was performed in accordance with the relevant auditing standards.

This article is about audit working papers. Auditors should prepare and organise their working papers in a manner that helps the auditor carry out an appropriate audit service. The auditor should avoid preparing or accumulating unnecessary working papers, and should therefore avoid making extensive copies of the client’s accounting records. It is worth noting at this stage that it is neither necessary nor practicable for the auditor to document every matter considered during the audit.