Every stock audit service, one directory.

A PAN India stock audit firm provides physical stock verification, fixed asset verification, asset tagging and mystery audit across multiple states under one engagement. The value is a single scope, one reporting format and one point of contact, rather than separate local firms producing inconsistent reports for each location.

Stock audits are usually conducted by Chartered Accountant firms, though banks may also empanel cost accountants or specialist audit agencies. Lenders normally require the auditor to be independent of the borrower and of the borrower statutory auditor. Check the specific empanelment condition in your sanction letter.

A statutory audit examines the full financial statements once a year under the Companies Act. A stock audit examines only physical inventory and its reconciliation to books, is usually ordered by a lender rather than required by statute, and can be carried out quarterly or half-yearly.

Stock audit fees depend on the number of locations, stock value, SKU count and how far the sites are from the audit team. A single-location count is materially cheaper than a multi-state engagement. Most firms quote per location with a day-rate for larger warehouses. Ask for a scoped quote rather than a headline rate.

Assess geographic coverage against your actual sites, sector experience with your stock type, turnaround from instruction to report, and whether the firm is empanelled with your lender. Ask to see a redacted sample report. Coverage claims matter less than whether they have counted stock like yours before.

Fixed asset verification and asset tagging are commonly scoped alongside a stock audit because the field team is already on site. Mystery audit is a separate discipline aimed at service and process compliance rather than inventory, and is usually engaged independently.

A single-site count of moderate SKU volume is typically completed in one to three days on site, with the report issued shortly after reconciliation. Multi-location engagements run in parallel. The variable that most affects timing is the quality of the client stock records, not the number of items.

A stock audit report issued by a CA firm is signed by a partner and carries a UDIN, the Unique Document Identification Number that ICAI requires on assurance reports. Lenders increasingly check the UDIN, so a report without one may be sent back regardless of the work behind it.

Yes. A PAN India engagement uses a single scope document and reporting template while local teams execute the counts. This matters when a borrower has facilities in several states and the lender wants one consolidated report rather than several documents in different formats.

A stock auditor is the independent professional who physically verifies inventory against the books and reports discrepancies to the lender or management. The role covers planning the count, supervising or performing the physical verification, testing valuation, and issuing a reconciliation and exception report.