Audit Trail Manadatory

In April 2021, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) in India mandated that all companies using accounting software must use software that records an audit trail for every transaction. This requirement is essential to maintain accurate and complete financial records and promote good internal business controls.
Traditionally, audit trails were manual records, but they have now transitioned to automated electronic logs that provide more accurate and accessible historical information. Maintaining a successful audit trail requires a top-down commitment from upper management, affected departments, and IT personnel. By quickly identifying abnormal changes or additions to information, companies can mitigate negative influences such as cyber threats, security breaches, data corruption, or misuse of information.

This article defines an audit trail, outlines what should be included, highlights the importance of tracking this information and provides guidelines for managing audit trail data. Additionally, it includes sample audit trails that businesses can use in their systems.

What Is an Audit Trail?

An audit trail is a record of events or actions that are documented in chronological order. This record can be manual or electronic and provides a secure means of validating or supporting documents used to alleviate issues. In many industries, a copy of the audit trail is used to provide information on data compliance and operational integrity. Audit trails can also provide information for audit investigations to identify areas of non-compliance, monitor the accuracy of audit actions and results, and track changes in product design, e-commerce websites, communications, health-related activities, and election results. The audit trail typically contains details such as the date, time, and user information about each action or event documented.

Significant Factors

An audit trail typically commences with the receipt of an invoice, where the auditor cancels the account paid at the source of the transaction to verify the receipt of the invoice and ensure the accuracy of payment methods. Audit trails are widely used by businesses and organizations to conveniently track finances and other sources. They are among the most effective tools for validating and reviewing transactions, as well as identifying missing information in financial statements. Many industries rely on audit trails, with the telecommunications industry being able to reverse the entire transaction sequence of a service through this mechanism. Audit records are also employed in private offices for accounting purposes, with electronic storage being a viable option.