The reconciliation path
From scattered entries to a reproducible trail
A six-stage engagement path for licensing fee audits, designed to keep evidence, management explanations and conclusions connected.
01 · Frame the assurance question
We identify the licensing period, fee classes, collection channels and decision the report must support. The engagement letter records whether the work is full-population matching, sampling, control testing or remediation.
02 · Receive records securely
After acceptance, we provide an information request and agree secure transfer. Typical records include application registers, approved tariffs, receipt exports, settlement reports, bank statements, ledger detail, reversal logs and prior reconciliations. Applicant fields that are not needed for matching should be masked.
03 · Prove the population
Control totals are agreed before item matching. We check sequence continuity, opening and closing positions, duplicates and obvious format changes. If the population itself cannot be supported, that limitation is raised early.
04 · Trace the fee path
Items are followed from application assessment to receipt, settlement and ledger recognition. Dates, amounts and references are tested with appropriate tolerance rules. Waivers, refunds, reversals and cancelled applications are examined against authority.
05 · Resolve exceptions fairly
Record owners can provide evidence and context before an item is classified. We distinguish cut-off timing, allocation errors, missing support, potential shortages and policy departures. Explanations without evidence remain identified as such.
06 · Report and hand over
The close-out pack joins each finding to its source reference, consequence, likely cause, accountable owner and practical response. Management decides and approves corrective action. We remain available for one agreed clarification round after the final meeting.
Discuss where your fee trail breaks or review the flagship audit scope.