Current rules of approval of financial statements

This article answers the following questions:

• When are financial statements approved?
• Who approves financial statements?
• Does every entity have to have its financial statements audited?

In accordance with the Polish Accounting Act, companies or partnerships entered into the National Court Register (Polish: Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy) are obliged to prepare annual financial statements within three months from the balance sheet date and approve the financial statements within six months of the same date. What does the entire process look like step by step?

For entities whose fiscal year coincides with the calendar year (i.e. ends on 31 December), the cut-off date for preparing financial statements is 30 March of the following year. This means that the cut-off date for approving the financial statements for that year is 30 June.

Who approves the financial statements?

Prior to the approval of the financial statements, the company should first and foremost take steps to ensure that the documents have been prepared in an accurate and legal manner. Firstly, the financial statements should be analysed in detail in order to verify whether their content and form are correct. Some entities have a statutory obligation to have their financial statements audited, however, even entities which are not obliged to do so by Polish law may decide to use the services of professional auditors (and they frequently do it).

Secondly, before the approval of the financial statements, appropriate supporting documents have to be collected (e.g. a management report which shows the financial condition, operational performance, and perspectives for future growth). Lastly, it is best practice to ensure that all members of the approving body have enough time to review the documents before taking next steps.

The approving body is an entity authorised to approve financial statements:

• in accordance with the law,
• in accordance with a partnership agreement or articles of association,
• pursuant to the right of ownership.

The approving body in companies is typically the annual general meeting, while in the case of partnerships (with the exception of partnerships limited by shares), all partners are responsible for approving the financial statements.

In the case of a branch of a foreign undertaking, the financial statements are deemed approved when the financial statements of the parent undertaking are approved (provided that the latter cover the data of the branch).

Why is the filing and approval of the financial statements important?

Failure to approve the financial statements by the authorised body may lead to serious consequences for an entity. Non-fulfilment of this obligation is against the law and may result in administrative and financial penalties being imposed on the entity. By not approving the financial statements in a timely manner, the entity may lose its credibility with its business partners, investors, or financial institutions. The company may also have problems with obtaining external funding with its growth plans adversely affected.

Furthermore, it is worth noting that the lack of approval of the financial statements may cause problems with a number of other formal obligations and crucial actions for the entity:

• The distribution of profit or coverage of losses can take place only after the approval of the financial statements.
• If the financial statements are subject to a statutory audit, the distribution of profit or coverage of losses can take place only after:
  • forming an opinion (qualified or unqualified), and
  • approving the financial statements by the competent body.
• The distribution of profit or coverage of losses made in breach of the above condition is invalid as non-compliant with the law.