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Vouching is a technical term that refers to the inspection of documentary evidence supporting and substantiating a financial transaction, by an auditor. It is the essence of auditing. [1]
Vouching is the practice followed in an audit, with the objective of establishing the authenticity of the transactions recorded in the primary books of account. It essentially consists of verifying a transaction recorded in the books of account with the relevant documentary evidence and the authority on the basis of which the entry has been made; also confirming that the amount mentioned in the voucher has been posted to an appropriate account which would disclose the nature of the transaction on its inclusion in the final statements of account. Vouching does not include valuation.
Vouching can be described as the essence or backbone of auditing. The success of an audit depends on the thoroughness with which vouching is done. After entering in all vouchers, only then can auditing start. Vouching is defined as the "verification of entries in the books of account by examination of documentary evidence or vouchers, such as invoices, debit and credit notes, statements, receipts, etc.
The object of vouching is to establish that the transactions recorded in the books of accounts are:
“Simple routine checking cannot establish the same accuracy that vouching can. In routine checking, entries recorded in the books only show what information the bookkeeper chooses to disclose, however these entries can be fictitious without any vouching or vouchers. By using a vouching or a voucher system a company will have concrete and solid documentation and evidence of expenses, capital, and written proof in audits.
Vouching is critical because an auditor must have proof of all transactions; without it, claims are unsubstantiated. In most cases, hard to detect frauds can only be discovered through the use of vouching. Failure to conduct vouching with due importance may lead to charges of negligence.
This was demonstrated in the legal case of Armitage v. Brewer and Knott. The auditors were found guilty of negligence because they did not display enough reasonable care and skill in vouching wage sheets, failing to detect fraud in the manipulation of wage records and cash vouchers. The judge stated, "It was clear that a good many documents were suspicious on either face and called for Inquiry," reinforcing that due care and attention are essential to the process.
When performing vouching of payments, an auditor typically verifies the following attributes to ensure compliance and prevent fraud:
