Delays in the Audit Report: Ranking of Audit Firms and Auditor Workload

Providing timely accounting information to assist users in making financial decisions is important. Therefore، the delay in the high audit report in the Iranian environment is a stimulus to explore the factors affecting the delay in submitting the audit report. In the absence of appropriate scientific and empirical evidence، the research seeks to examine the ranking of audit firms and the auditor's preoccupation with delays in the audit report.

In this regard، samples including 130 companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange، during the period 2014-2020 (840 years-observation) have been selected and tested.

The results of the first hypothesis indicate that there is no significant relationship between trusted audit firms and delays in audit reports. In addition، the busyness of auditing firms has led to increased delays in auditor reporting، and ultimately busyness affects the relationship between first-rate audit firms and delays in auditing reports.

There is no significant relationship between accredited audit firms and the delay in the audit report is due to the greater focus and workload of this type of firm. Also، when the auditor is busy، the usefulness of financial information can be challenged.

 This research can help to expand the existing theoretical foundations in the field of the effect of audit market share on the relationship between auditing firms' ratings and audit report delays، and this expansion can provide services to the auditing profession and standards developers to make rules and regulations more applicable.