Audit Procedures -Research and Development

The auditor should ensure that:

a) Any costs incurred in the buy of fixed assets in order to give facilities for development and research over a number of accounting years are to be written and capitalized off over their needful lives.

b) Expenditure on research has to be written off as it is incurred.

c) Development expenditure has be written off as it is incurred except also in the very unique circumstances mentioned above.  Whether development costs are as defined, they should be amortized on the basis of sales or need of the process or product.  The amount deferred must be reviewed each year and whether there are any worries as to its recoverability, whether it should be written off immediately.  Research and development once written off expenditure must not be reinstated.

d) Movements and balances of deferred development costs must be fully disclosed in the accounts as a separate item and not included in current assets.  The accounting policy adopted must be fully explained.  The movements such need to be disclosed are: the balance on the start of the year, additional expenditure during the year, less expenditure written off during the year and the amount carried forward.