What Are Financial Statements and How Do They Function?
Financial statements detail a company’s financial situation and performance over a specific time period. Here are some samples of financial statements:

Accounts payable and receivable are two types of accounts.

Profit and Loss Report

Statement of Funds Flow

If you use bookkeeping software, you may find them under the reports section of the program’s menu. If you do your own bookkeeping, you will almost certainly engage a professional bookkeeper or accountant to record changes and complete your financial statements once you have finished them. For further information on who has the authority to issue a notice-to-reader, please see the appropriate section of this post.

A financial statement produced in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) or Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises (ASPE) is admissible in Canada, but not for publicly traded firms.

Who has the authority to issue financial statements accompanied with a Notice to Reader?

You may be able to prepare your company’s financial statements yourself if you have a thorough understanding of accounting. Third parties, such as banks, investors, and anyone else who wants their financial statements prepared by a professional accountant, prefer these financial statements.

Accounting is a legally recognized profession in Canada. Before beginning operations, accounting firms must be registered with the provincial CPA authorities. Furthermore, registering a professional accounting firm comes with its own set of rules and regulations. Most jurisdictions in Canada require its members (Chartered accountants or CPAs) to send Notice-to-reader only if they practice through a CPA firm, and this is only necessary if they practice through a CPA firm.

Based on the information provided by your organization’s management, they prepare financial statements with a Notice to Reader. They do no audits (or reviews) on the data that is submitted. As a result, financial statements with a Notice to Reader do not provide readers with any security. Notification-to-reader is a word used to warn users that the financial statements were not scrutinized or audited by the CPA or CA who generated them.

Your accountant or bookkeeper may be knowledgeable about other aspects of accounting, but they may be unable to issue financial statements addressed to the Notice to Reader. They can, however, help you obtain monthly or quarterly financial statements using their accounting software. You can use these to discover potential issues and problem areas, and then take the necessary steps to remedy them. Accounting and bookkeeping software, in most circumstances, generates management accounts and reports that do not have to correspond to IFRS or ASPE regulations.

What function do Financial Statements with a Notice to Reader play in this?

The person or persons responsible for the preparation of these financial statements adhere to the standards established by the American Accounting Standards Board (AASB) when preparing the financial statements, which distinguishes Notice to Reader financial statements from those prepared by your bookkeeper or in-house accountant.

This document’s credibility far outweighs that of a normal financial statement, which is frequently created by bookkeepers using accounting software. Despite the fact that the document gives no assurance, it does require compliance with the AASB’s accounting rules and principles.

What is the reason for the absence of Corporate Tax Returns in Notice to Reader statements?

Corporate tax returns must be filed on a regular basis in Canada. Financial statements are typically required to complete the General index of financial information (GIFI), which is an attachment to each corporation’s corporate income tax return in Canada. The use of a notice to reader is not required for the preparation of these tax returns. When a CPA firm files a corporate income tax return, it usually includes a notice-to-reader as well as the financial statements attached to the form. Certain tax software and systems generate notices to readers on their own; nevertheless, such notices must be signed by a professional accounting firm to be effective.

There is a prerequisite for Financial statements with a Notice to Reader may be necessary when soliciting investors or shareholders, selling the company, or, most importantly, requesting bank loan financing. You may require bank loans at various stages of your company’s development. Readers should be aware that financial statements are used by banks to assess a company’s financial situation and creditworthiness.