Temple and Trust Audit Readiness Checklist for Nepal

An audit goes smoothly when the records were kept well through the year, and badly when the committee tries to rebuild them in the last two weeks. This checklist is for temple, guthi and trust treasurers in Nepal. It follows the order of a normal year and shows which tasks software takes off your hands. Your auditor decides exactly what they need, so use this list as a base and add their requests.

Know what your auditor will ask

Each auditor has a preferred format, and your constitution or registering office may set requirements too. Ask early. Common requests include a trial balance, an income and expenditure statement, a receipts and payments summary, bank statements and reconciliations, a list of fixed assets, receipt books, vouchers for payments and minutes approving major spending. Write the list down and refer to it every quarter.

Monthly tasks

• Close the cash book and match it with physical cash on hand.
• Reconcile the bank book with the statement and list unmatched items.
• File every payment voucher with its bill and the name of the person who approved it.
• Check receipt numbers for gaps. Every missing number needs an explanation, such as a cancelled or spoiled receipt that is still kept.
• Present the month's income and spending at the committee meeting and record that it was reviewed.

With software, the cash book, ledger and receipt list are produced from the same entries, so most of these checks take minutes. The numbering gap check is done by the system itself.

Quarterly tasks

1. Review fund balances. Restricted funds, such as renovation or annadan, should match the sum of gifts tagged to them less approved spending.
2. Check rent arrears and record what steps were taken.
3. Review any loans, advances or deposits held, and who holds them.
4. Photograph or scan new documents, such as agreements and permissions, and attach them to the record.
5. Confirm that stock of in-kind goods, such as rice or oil, matches the register.

Year-end tasks in Nepali fiscal terms

The Nepali fiscal year begins in Shrawan, so year-end falls in Ashadh. A few weeks before it ends:

• Enter all pending receipts and vouchers.
• Record accrued rent and unpaid bills, if your accounting method includes them.
• Count and value cash, bank balances and stock on the closing date.
• Prepare the list of assets with opening value, additions, disposals and closing value.
• Reconcile bank balances as at the last day.
• Produce the draft statements and review them with the chairperson and secretary before the auditor sees them.

Confirm with your auditor and the relevant office whether statutory deadlines or filings apply to your trust. We do not quote deadlines here because they can change and depend on your registration.

Common findings, and how to avoid them

Typical finding	How to prevent it
Receipt numbers missing or out of order	Use one numbered series and keep cancelled receipts visible
Cash payments without bills	Require a bill or a signed voucher for every payment
Restricted gifts spent on running costs	Track funds separately with recorded transfers and approvals
Bank balance differs from books	Reconcile every month, not once a year
Spending with no committee decision	Link minutes to payments above a limit the committee sets
Rent income not matching tenant list	Generate rent income from the tenant schedule

Documents worth scanning now

Scan the registration certificate, the constitution, bank mandates, major agreements, permission letters and the last three audit reports, and keep them in one folder with clear names. Having these ready saves hours when the auditor, a bank or a government office asks for them at short notice.

Who should be able to see the records

Give the auditor read-only access if your system allows it. They can find what they need without disturbing the volunteers. Give the treasurer, secretary and chairperson different roles, and review the list of users each year to remove people who have left.

Prepare people as well as paper

Audits are also conversations. Brief the chairperson, secretary and treasurer on the main numbers before the auditor arrives so each can explain the big items: the largest donations, the largest expenses, any unusual transfers and any rent still unpaid. Decide in advance who will answer which questions. Auditors tend to be satisfied when the people responsible know their records and can show the supporting paper quickly.

If something was done wrongly during the year, raise it yourself with a clear note on how it was corrected. Honest disclosure with a visible fix is received far better than a problem discovered later.

Keep a handover file

Alongside the books, keep a short file that explains how the trust works: bank accounts and signatories, the list of funds and their purposes, the list of properties, important contacts at the registering office and the auditor, and where originals are stored. Update it every year. The next treasurer will thank you.

How software helps

A good system keeps each receipt, payment and fund movement with the user and date, produces the standard statements for any period and holds scans next to entries. That does not replace an auditor or the committee's own responsibility, but it removes most of the copying. See how it works in our temple, guthi and trust software, and for grants and projects, our NGO management software.

Next step

Run through the monthly list on your own books today and note how many items you cannot tick. That is your gap. To close it, send us a message on WhatsApp at +977 9846280400 and we will show a demo using your fund and account heads.

Get a demo and quote for Temple, Guthi and Trust Software

Tell us about your business and we will reply the same working day with a demo and a clear quote. No obligation.

Chat on WhatsApp

Or call / WhatsApp +977 9846280400

Your name Phone / WhatsApp Email (optional) Business / organisation What do you need?

Request demo

More guides on Temple, Guthi and Trust Software