Segregation of Duties
Appendix A
No one person should:
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Initiate transaction
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Approve transaction
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Approve supplier selection (for procurement)
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Record transaction
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Reconcile balances
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Handle assets
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Review reports
Segregation of duties is critical to effective internal control; it reduces the risk of both erroneous and fraudulent actions. In general, the approval function, the accounting/reconciling function, procurement duties and the custody of assets should be separated among employees. When these functions cannot be separated, a detailed supervisory review of related activities is required as a compensating control activity. Segregation of duties is a deterrent to fraud because it requires collusion with another person to perpetrate a fraudulent act.
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Specific examples of segregation of duties are as follows:
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The person who requisitions the purchase of goods or services should not be the person who approves the purchase.
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The person who approves the purchase of goods or services should not be the person who reconciles the monthly financial reports.
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The person who approves the purchase of goods or services should not be the person who authorises payment.
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The person who maintains and reconciles the accounting records should not be able to authorise payments.
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The person who specifies the goods or services should not be the (only) person who selects the bidders
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The person who opens the bids should not be the (only) person who selects the winning bid (or tender)
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The person who opens the mail and prepares a listing of cheques received should not be the person who makes the deposit.
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The person who opens the mail and prepares a listing of cheques received should not be the person who maintains the accounts receivable accounting records.