Understand how your financial controls work
Internal Audit & Financial Controls Review
Delakazzi provides internal audit and financial controls reviews to help organisations understand whether agreed processes are operating as intended and where improvements may be needed.
A useful review starts with a clear objective
A board may want to understand how payments are approved, whether reconciliations are reviewed or how management information is produced. We turn those concerns into an agreed scope covering the systems, period, locations and evidence to be examined.
The output should help the organisation prioritise practical improvements. It is not an undefined review of everything or a substitute for management’s responsibilities.
Financial processes we may review
- Banking, payments and expenditure authorisation.
- Income recording, purchasing and supplier processes.
- Payroll controls and reconciliations.
- Access responsibilities and segregation of duties.
- Management reporting and financial governance.
- Implementation of previous control recommendations.
For charities and community organisations
Trustees may want greater confidence in expenditure approvals, banking arrangements, restricted-fund records, reporting and fraud-risk controls. A review can examine the agreed process and test whether the evidence supports how it is described.
For a small organisation, the recommendations should reflect the people and resources available. Where duties cannot easily be separated, an appropriate independent review or oversight arrangement may be considered rather than recommending an impractical structure.
From observations to practical recommendations
We explain the work performed, findings, limitations and recommended actions. The reporting recipient and any factual review process are agreed at the outset.
Management decides how to respond and remains responsible for implementation. A follow-up review can be separately agreed to consider whether actions have been completed and are operating as intended.
One-off and follow-up work
Tell us whether you need a review of a specific process, help following up earlier recommendations or a proposed ongoing programme. The frequency and coverage depend on risk, available evidence, independence and capacity.
Providing bookkeeping or management support can affect independence for a proposed internal audit. We review the actual relationship before accepting an assignment.
What information will we need?
Start with a brief description of the organisation, the support required, the relevant period and any deadline. If we can take the matter forward, the records requested may include:
- Organisation and governance structure, objectives and reporting recipient.
- Policies, process descriptions and responsibility schedules.
- Relevant systems, period, locations and access arrangements.
- Previous reviews and outstanding recommendations.
- After acceptance: records needed to test the agreed controls securely.
Do not include confidential records, identity documents, bank information, passwords, detailed allegations or legally privileged material in the public form. We agree a secure method for documents after the relevant acceptance checks.
Important professional boundaries
Internal audit is not statutory external audit.
The review is limited to its objectives, areas, period and evidence. It does not guarantee detection of every weakness, error, irregularity or fraud, or that future failures will not occur. Management retains responsibility for controls and decisions.
Specialist assignments are subject to eligibility, conflicts, independence, competence, capacity and deadline checks. Where records or detailed circumstances need review before a full assignment can be agreed, a paid scoping stage is required and agreed first.
Receipt of an enquiry does not mean that Delakazzi has accepted the assignment or agreed to act. Work begins only under written engagement terms.
From first contact to useful work
Our process
- 01
Identify the concern
Explain which process or decision needs attention.
- 02
Agree scope
Define areas, evidence, objectives and reporting recipients.
- 03
Review & test
Consider the process and evidence within the agreed work.
- 04
Report
Explain findings and proportionate recommendations.
- 05
Follow up
Agree any separate review of management’s actions.
Your questions
Internal audit: useful answers
Is this the same as an audit of our annual accounts?
No. Internal audit examines agreed systems, processes or controls. Delakazzi does not provide statutory external audit of financial statements.
Can a small charity benefit from a controls review?
A focused review may be useful where trustees have a specific concern or want to understand how controls operate. Scope and recommendations should be proportionate to the organisation’s risks and resources.
Will you implement the recommendations?
Implementation is management’s responsibility. Any additional support or follow-up is separately scoped, with independence considered before it is agreed.
Can you guarantee that fraud will be detected?
No. The procedures and evidence have limits. We report findings within the agreed scope, without promising detection of every irregularity.
Primary sources
Further guidance
General information, not advice for a particular organisation. Guidance checked on 6 September 2026; the relevant jurisdiction and reporting period must be confirmed.
A considered next step
Start with a specialist conversation.
Tell us the service you need, your organisation and any deadline. We will explain the next step and whether an initial review is appropriate.