StowbillAudit sampling you can re-perform
Inspectors ask two things about a sample: how the size was decided, and whether the selection can be repeated. Stowbill records both on the audit file at the moment the sample is drawn.
Three methods
| Method | Used for | You enter |
|---|---|---|
| Monetary unit sampling | Substantive tests of balances | Population value, tolerable and expected misstatement, confidence |
| Attribute sampling | Tests of controls | Tolerable and expected deviation rates, confidence |
| Judgemental | Where statistics do not fit | The size and the reason, which is required |
How the size is worked out
Sizes use the standard Poisson confidence factors behind most sampling tables: 3.0 at 95% confidence and 2.31 at 90% with no expected error, rising as expected errors rise. The working is written out next to each sample. Your firm's methodology may use different factors, so check the result against it, or enter a size by judgement.
Selecting the items
Paste the listing as reference and amount, and Stowbill selects the actual items. Monetary unit sampling uses a fixed interval with a random start, so any item larger than the interval is always selected. Without a listing you get item numbers, or the cumulative amounts to locate in the client's ledger.
Kept on the file
Each sample keeps its inputs, the working, the selection and a seed. The same seed gives the same items again. Samples appear in the inspection pack, and removing one is logged.
Questions
Does it follow ISA 530?
It supports what ISA 530 asks you to document: the method, the factors and the selection. The judgement on risk and tolerable misstatement stays with the auditor.
Can it stratify a population?
Not automatically. Split the listing yourself and draw a sample from each part.
Which plan includes it?
The Firm plan, with the other audit tools.
Last reviewed 15 November 2026. General information, not professional or legal advice.
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