India - Auditor Tax and Statutory

Statutory Auditor & Corporate Tax Advisor — Indian Private Limited Company | FY 2025–26 Category: Statutory Audit / Chartered Accountant / Corporate Tax / Transfer Pricing Entity: Indian Private Limited Company Financial Year: FY 2025–26 Assessment Year: AY 2026–27 Project Type: Fixed-price, milestone based Total Professional Fee Budget: USD $400 Project Overview We are looking for an experienced Chartered Accountant / Statutory Auditor to independently conduct and complete the Statutory Audit of an Indian Private Limited Company for FY 2025–26. The professional should be capable of independently handling the engagement from audit planning through final reporting, corporate tax filing and related advisory matters. The scope may also involve review or guidance relating to: Transfer pricing Related-party transactions Inter-company transactions Loans and advances Director/shareholder loans Cross-border transactions, where applicable Corporate restructuring matters Potential Company closure / strike-off / dissolution matters Tax and accounting implications arising from winding down operations We are looking for a professional with approximately 5–10+ years of relevant practical experience, preferably someone who has personally handled statutory audits, corporate tax matters and more complex Company situations rather than only routine return preparation. Professional Responsibility This is a professional statutory-audit engagement. Management and the Company's bookkeeping-support team will provide available books, records, explanations and supporting information. The appointed CA/Auditor is expected to independently: Review the books. Assess audit evidence. Determine required audit procedures. Identify accounting issues. Raise audit queries. Assess required adjustments. Determine statutory reporting requirements. Assess CARO applicability. Review related-party and loan transactions. Identify transfer-pricing implications where applicable. Form the audit opinion. Take professional responsibility for the audit work and reports issued. Confidentiality & NDA The engagement involves highly confidential Company, financial, tax, ownership and statutory information. The selected professional will be required to review, sign and comply with a comprehensive NDA, engagement agreement and information-security requirements before receiving sensitive Company information. All information must remain confidential and may only be used for the authorised engagement. Scope of Work 1. Independent Review of Books Independently review the Company's books for FY 2025–26, including as applicable: Trial balance General ledger Revenue Purchases Expenses Assets Liabilities Loans Advances Receivables Payables Cash Bank accounts Fixed assets Depreciation Payroll balances Related-party transactions Statutory balances Significant journal entries Year-end adjustments Identify unsupported balances, unusual entries, accounting inconsistencies and matters requiring adjustment or clarification. 2. Loans, Advances & Related-Party Transactions Perform an appropriate review of Company loans and related transactions, including where applicable: Loans from directors/shareholders. Loans to related parties. Inter-company loans. Advances. Interest calculations. Loan agreements. Repayment terms. Accounting classification. Related-party disclosures. Companies Act implications. Tax implications. Potential deemed-income or other tax considerations where relevant. Any material issue should be clearly communicated to management before finalisation. 3. Transfer Pricing Review Review whether the Company's transactions create any applicable transfer-pricing requirements. This may include: Identifying international transactions. Identifying specified domestic transactions, where relevant. Reviewing related-party transactions. Reviewing inter-company services. Reviewing loans or financial arrangements. Reviewing cost allocations. Assessing whether transfer-pricing documentation or reporting is required. Identifying whether additional specialist work or certifications are required. Where transfer-pricing compliance falls outside the base scope, the Auditor should identify the requirement clearly and advise management before additional work is undertaken. 4. Reconciliations & Supporting Records Review material reconciliations, including: Bank reconciliations AP/AR GST TDS Tax credits Payroll Loans Advances Fixed assets Related-party balances Statutory dues Raise clear audit queries and maintain appropriate supporting documentation. 5. Statutory Audit Conduct the statutory audit in accordance with applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and applicable Standards on Auditing. Perform appropriate: Audit planning Risk assessment Materiality assessment Sampling Substantive testing Analytical review Verification Audit evidence collection Management inquiry Related-party review Subsequent-event review Going-concern assessment Statutory compliance review 6. Companies Act & CARO Review Review applicable Companies Act requirements and determine whether CARO 2020 applies. Where applicable: Review relevant CARO clauses. Perform necessary procedures. Obtain supporting evidence. Identify exceptions. Communicate findings. Prepare the applicable CARO report. 7. Financial Statements & Audit Adjustments Review/finalise applicable financial statements, including: Balance Sheet Statement of Profit & Loss Cash Flow Statement, where applicable Notes to Accounts Significant Accounting Policies Supporting schedules Required disclosures Provide management with a clear list of: Audit adjustments Reclassifications Unsupported balances Missing records Disclosure issues Statutory issues Tax observations Related-party matters Open audit queries 8. Audit Working Papers Maintain appropriate professional audit documentation covering: Planning Audit procedures Testing Evidence Judgments Findings Management responses Conclusions Final audit position 9. Independent Auditor's Report Prepare and issue the applicable Independent Auditor's Report. Where relevant, address: Audit opinion Basis for opinion Companies Act reporting CARO Internal financial-control reporting requirements Other statutory reporting matters 10. MCA / Statutory Filing Coordination Coordinate with management and/or the Company's CS for applicable MCA requirements, including: Signed audited financial statements. Audit-report documentation. AOC-4 support, where applicable. Consistency checks between audited statements and filings. Resolution of reasonable audit-related filing queries. 11. Corporate Income Tax Review and finalise the Company's corporate tax position for FY 2025–26 / AY 2026–27. This may include: Accounting profit. Tax adjustments. Disallowances. Deductions. Depreciation. Losses. TDS/TCS credits. Advance tax. Self-assessment tax. Loan-related tax matters. Related-party tax matters. Transfer-pricing implications, where relevant. 12. Income Tax Return Filing Prepare, finalise and file the Company's applicable Income Tax Return for AY 2026–27. Provide: Final tax computation. Filed return. Filing acknowledgement. Outstanding tax/compliance action list, if any. 13. Company Closure / Strike-Off / Dissolution Advisory The Company may also require professional guidance concerning possible closure, strike-off, winding down or dissolution. The selected professional should be able to identify and advise on the accounting and tax considerations associated with such a process, including where applicable: Closing outstanding balances. Loan settlements. Receivable/payable settlement. Asset disposal. Tax liabilities. GST/TDS closure-related matters. Final accounts. Outstanding statutory filings. Tax returns. Coordination with the Company's CS. Identification of issues that must be resolved before strike-off/dissolution. Formal Company Secretarial, legal or insolvency work outside the agreed professional scope may be separately engaged. 14. Government / Regulatory Communication Where reasonably required within the agreed scope, the professional should be capable of calmly and professionally handling: MCA filing issues. Income Tax portal issues. Statutory clarifications. Audit queries. Government communications connected to the assignment. Coordination with CS/legal/tax professionals. Complex representations requiring careful factual communication. The professional should communicate objectively, avoid unnecessary escalation and protect the Company's position while remaining accurate and professionally compliant. Ideal Candidate The preferred professional should have: Chartered Accountant qualification. Active ICAI membership. Eligibility to undertake the statutory audit. Approximately 5–10+ years of relevant professional experience. Indian Private Limited Company statutory-audit experience. Companies Act, 2013 experience. CARO 2020 experience. Corporate Income Tax experience. Company ITR filing experience. Related-party transaction experience. Loan and advance review experience. Transfer-pricing exposure. MCA portal familiarity. Income Tax portal familiarity. Experience handling complex audit situations. Experience with Company closures, strike-offs or dissolution matters is strongly preferred. Ability to independently manage difficult issues without unnecessary escalation. Milestones Milestone 1 — Books Review, Loans, Related Parties & Audit Planning — $75 Review books and financial statements. Review major loans/advances. Review related-party transactions. Initial transfer-pricing applicability assessment. Review key reconciliations. Audit planning and risk assessment. Raise initial queries and adjustment list. Milestone 2 — Statutory Audit & Reporting — $105 Perform audit procedures. Review Companies Act requirements. Assess CARO applicability. Complete audit testing. Review/finalise financial statements. Complete working papers. Issue Auditor's Report. Issue CARO Report where applicable. Milestone 3 — MCA / Regulatory Coordination — $40 Provide signed audit documentation. Support applicable MCA filing requirements. Check consistency between filings and audited accounts. Coordinate audit-related statutory queries. Milestone 4 — Tax Computation, ITR & Closure Review — $80 Finalise corporate tax computation. Review transfer-pricing/related-party tax implications. File Company ITR. Provide filing acknowledgement. Review high-level closure/strike-off/dissolution readiness and identify unresolved financial/tax matters. Total Professional Fee: USD $300 Government fees, filing fees, penalties, DSC costs, formal legal representation, Company Secretarial fees, transfer-pricing certifications/reports, litigation, notices, assessments or specialised dissolution work outside this scope are excluded unless separately agreed. 5 Mandatory Screening Questions 1. NDA & Confidentiality Are you comfortable signing a comprehensive NDA and complying with strict confidentiality, data-security and engagement requirements before receiving Company records? Confirm YES/NO and briefly mention comparable confidential assignments. 2. Complex Representation & De-escalation Describe a difficult tax, MCA, audit or government matter you handled. How did you remain calm, communicate factually, de-escalate the situation and protect the client's position while still meeting professional and regulatory obligations? 3. Experience & Technical Depth State your ICAI status and total years of experience. We prefer approximately 5–10+ years. How many Indian Private Limited Company audits have you handled, and what is your experience with CARO, loans, related parties and independent books review? 4. Transfer Pricing, Loans & Complex Transactions Describe your practical experience with transfer pricing, inter-company/related-party transactions and loans. How would you identify whether a transaction triggers additional reporting, documentation or tax/compliance requirements? 5. Dissolution, Tax & End-to-End Ownership Have you handled Company strike-off, closure or dissolution-related work? Can you independently manage this FY 2025–26 audit, tax computation, ITR, regulatory coordination and closure-readiness review within the fixed USD $400 budget? State timeline.