StowbillAudit software built for chartered accountancy firms in Pakistan
Most audit firms in Pakistan still run engagements on shared folders, Excel and WhatsApp. That works until an ICAP quality control review or an APRS visit asks you to prove who prepared, reviewed and approved each part of the file, and when. Stowbill gives small and mid-size firms one place to run every statutory audit, collect client documents, and keep evidence that holds up under review.
Why Pakistani audit firms are changing how they work
ICAP adopted the IAASB's quality management standards (ISQM 1, ISQM 2 and ISA 220 (Revised)) in November 2022. According to ICAP's adoption page, ISQM 1 became effective on 15 December 2023 for firms that audit public interest companies and on 15 December 2024 for all other firms, with the first evaluation of each firm's system of quality management due within a year of those dates.
That moves quality from a policy manual into day-to-day evidence. Reviewers want to see acceptance decisions, independence confirmations, review notes cleared before sign-off, and a file assembled on time. Reconstructing that from email threads after the fact is slow and unconvincing.
A Pakistan statutory audit template, ready on day one
Every Stowbill workspace includes a Pakistan statutory audit template organised into four gated stages. You can edit every item, and a partner approves each new version before engagements use it.
- Pre-engagement: QCR status and eligibility, communication with the previous auditor, independence and fee dependency, client acceptance, signed engagement letter (ISA 210).
- Planning: risk assessment (ISA 315), materiality (ISA 320), fraud risks (ISA 240), choice of framework (full IFRS, IFRS for SMEs or ICAP's AFRS for small-sized entities), related parties and going concern, communication with those charged with governance.
- Execution: trial balance and lead schedules agreed to the statements, responses to significant risks, bank and third-party confirmations (ISA 505), inventory, estimates, and compliance with the Companies Act 2017.
- Completion: subsequent events, management representation letter (ISA 580), summary of unadjusted misstatements (ISA 450), engagement quality review where required, Code of Corporate Governance review for listed companies, and the signed auditor's report.
What changes for your team
| Today | With Stowbill |
|---|---|
| Client sends ledgers on WhatsApp and email | One private upload link per engagement, with automatic reminders on day 3, 7 and 14 |
| Trial balance pasted into Excel lead sheets | Import the Tally, QuickBooks, Xero, Zoho or Excel export; accounts map to lead schedules automatically |
| Review notes in email, sign-offs added late | Review notes that block sign-off, with preparer and reviewer stamps on every working paper |
| Partner approves stage moves verbally | Stage gates that only open when required items are done or waived by a partner, with a reason |
| File rebuilt when QCR or APRS is announced | A one-click inspection pack with the full activity trail |
Built for how Pakistani firms bill and work
- Pricing and invoicing in PKR, with firm-defined tax rates for provincial sales tax on services (for example SRB or PRA).
- Trial balance import that understands Tally-style exports, including Dr/Cr suffixes and Indian-style digit grouping such as 1,25,000.
- E-signature for engagement and representation letters. Pakistan's Electronic Transactions Ordinance 2002 recognises electronic signatures; Stowbill records an emailed one-time code, the signer's consent and a fingerprint of the document.
- Client users are free, so you never pay for the CFO who uploads documents once a year.
Quality management for the whole firm
Alongside each engagement, Stowbill keeps your firm-level ISQM 1 records: quality objectives, risks and responses, monitoring and cold file reviews, deficiencies with root cause and remediation, annual independence confirmations from every person, complaints, and the annual evaluation signed by the partner with ultimate responsibility. It also pulls evidence straight from your engagements, such as how many files were locked on time.
Questions
Is Stowbill approved or endorsed by ICAP?
No. Stowbill is independent software. Its Pakistan template is built from the ISAs as adopted by ICAP, the Companies Act 2017 and the Code of Corporate Governance. We recommend aligning it with ICAP's own quality control review and APRS checklists, which you can do by editing the template.
Does it work with Tally?
Yes. Export the trial balance from Tally Prime to Excel or CSV and import it. Stowbill detects the columns, reads Dr and Cr suffixes and brackets for negatives, and maps each ledger to a lead schedule.
Can we bill clients in rupees with sales tax?
Yes. Set your hourly rates and your provincial sales tax rate, then build invoices from approved timesheets and fixed fees. Invoices are numbered in sequence and print as tax invoices.
Where is our data hosted?
During the pilot phase the service runs on international cloud infrastructure. Ask us about current hosting and data location during your demo.
How long does it take to start?
You can create a workspace, invite your team and open your first engagement in an afternoon. The Pakistan template is already there.
Last reviewed 27 October 2026. General information, not professional or legal advice.
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