Which statements do you actually need? Ask who is reading them.

Reviewed by EverStone CPA · August 2026

Quick answer: The decision is not about your company’s size — it is about the reader. Statements for your own management and your T2: a compilation engagement. Statements a lender or outside party will rely on: whatever level of assurance that reader demands, and a review engagement is the common step up. The expensive mistake in both directions is answering before asking the reader — paying for assurance nobody required, or arriving at the bank with less than the covenant specifies.

The levels, in one paragraph each

A compilation engagement is a CPA compiling your information into statements under professional standards, with no assurance expressed. It is what most owner-managed corporations need most years: disciplined, standardized, and sufficient for the T2 and for many lending relationships — the full guide covers what it is and is not.

A review engagement adds limited assurance: the practitioner performs procedures sufficient to conclude nothing came to their attention suggesting the statements are materially misstated. More procedures, more cost, more weight with readers who bear risk on your numbers.

An audit is the full assurance tier — rare for owner-managed companies unless a stakeholder requires it.

The decision framework

Who reads them? Just you, the CRA, and a familiar lender → compilation, usually. A new lender, a bonding company, outside investors, a buyer in diligence → ask them what they require in writing before you engage anyone.
What does the covenant say? Loan agreements specify the statement level. The document answers the question — read it before paying for either answer.
What is coming? A sale or major financing in the next couple of years can argue for stepping up early, so the track record exists when the reader arrives.

Common in-between: the one-time step-up

Companies often need a review once — a specific financing, a bonding threshold — then return to compilations. That is legitimate and normal; the levels are per-engagement, not a permanent identity. What matters is agreeing the requirement with the reader first, which is a one-email question we are happy to help phrase — send us the situation.

Book a free consultation Email us your question

Fastest first step: email what you’re facing to info@everstonecpa.com — reply within one business day, and we book the consult from there.

General information, not tax advice. The document in your hand and its own dates govern.

Common questions

My bank said “accountant-prepared”. Which level is that?+

Ambiguous — banks use the phrase for anything from a compilation to a review. Ask the specific question: “do you require a review engagement, or is a compilation engagement acceptable?” and get the answer in writing. We can draft that email with you.

Is a review just a more expensive compilation?+

No — it is a different engagement with assurance attached, which changes the procedures, the practitioner’s obligations and what the reader may take from it. That difference is exactly what a risk-bearing reader is paying attention to.

Can you do a review if you have been doing our compilations?+

Frequently yes — independence and standards questions get checked per engagement. Continuity of the same firm across levels is normal and usually helps, since the practitioner already knows the file.

What if I upgrade and the deal falls through?+

The engagement stands on its own — the statements and their assurance exist and often get used with the next reader. But this scenario is why we ask about the reader before the engagement, not after.

One email settles it

Forward your lender or bonding requirement — we reply with the level it requires and a fixed quote for it.

Email us — info@everstonecpa.com Or book directly