Industry
↳ Lower percentage reflects public interest and regulatory oversight.
Benchmark
Performance Materiality
Reduces the probability that uncorrected misstatements exceed overall materiality.
Clearly Trivial
Misstatements below this need not be accumulated unless qualitatively material.
ISA 320 Decision Tree
One-page visual guide for benchmark selection — plus one practical audit insight per week.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Benchmark Guidance
Energy and utility companies operate in highly regulated environments with significant public interest considerations. Commodity price volatility can cause significant fluctuations in both revenue and profitability.
Choosing the Right Benchmark
Revenue at 0.5–0.75% is typical for regulated energy and utility entities. For upstream oil and gas entities, total assets at 1% may be more appropriate given the capital intensity.
Key Audit Considerations
Decommissioning and environmental restoration provisions (IAS 37) involve long-term estimates with significant uncertainty.
Impairment of exploration and production assets requires judgment about future commodity prices and reserve estimates.
Revenue from regulated tariffs may involve complex true-up mechanisms.
CSRD and sustainability reporting obligations are particularly significant for energy entities.
ISA 320.10 — Determine materiality for the financial statements as a whole when establishing the overall audit strategy.
ISA 320.11 — Determine performance materiality for assessing risks and determining further audit procedures.
ISA 320.A4 — Common benchmarks: PBT, revenue, gross profit, total expenses, total equity, or net asset value.