Companies that wait until March to book fieldwork often discover their preferred auditors are fully scheduled. Lenders asking for audited statements before a facility renewal leave little room for slippage.
Work backward from the hard date: bank submission, group consolidation package, or board meeting. Build in time for draft discussion—rushing straight from fieldwork to a signed report invites avoidable surprises.
December year-ends remain the most common. If your inventory is complex, reserve count observation slots in late December or early January before warehouse overtime peaks.
Tax compliance review and the statutory audit can share document requests, but they are different engagements. Combining kickoff meetings saves management time; combining opinions does not.
If you are mid-growth and expect a first-time audit, start conversations in the autumn. First-year audits take longer because opening balances and accounting policies need more discussion.