Auditors are accountants whose main duty is verifying a company's records to make sure that all information matches what was provided. An auditor goes through bookkeeper records, creditor records and tax records to find any errors and determine how to correct them.
External Auditor Duties
An external auditor is either self-employed or works for a firm hired by the company she's auditing. This type of auditor comes in as an independent third party to check the financial records. The purpose of her work is to find errors, cut costs and improve general accounting.
Internal Auditor Duties
Internal auditors are employees of the company that they are auditing. Large companies often have at least one auditor on their accounting staff. The duties of these internal auditors don't differ much from those of external auditors, but dealing with a single company's books allows them to become very efficient at checking its records and figures.
IRS Auditor Duties
The type of auditor that most people are familiar with is the IRS auditor. An IRS auditor looks over federal tax returns to make sure that the information is accurate. This often requires contact with the taxpayers or businesses in question to get complete and accurate information. This type of auditor also must complete continuing education to keep up-to-date on federal tax codes.
