Cost Effective Internal Controls for Small Businesses

Small businesses present unique issues in the development and implementation of internal controls. Small business owners and budget constraints can hamper effective internal controls. This course is designed to assist accountants and auditors who are working with small businesses.

The course contains a presumption that there will be a lack of segregation of duties in the internal controls of small businesses. We will review compensating and mitigating controls for the lack of segregations of duties and will discuss developing cost-effective internal controls for organizations with limited budgets. We will also discuss working directly with small business owners and bookkeepers and some of their resistance to formalized internal controls.

Publication Date: February 2026

Designed For
This course is appropriate for CPAs or consultants who are working with small businesses.

Topics Covered

• COSO Framework
• Internal Controls
• Small Business Internal Control Issues
• Small Business Risks

Learning Objectives

• Explain how to work around issues with segregation of duties
• Develop cost effective internal controls for small businesses
• Describe working with small business owners

Level
Basic

Instructional Method
Self-Study

NASBA Field of Study
Accounting (Governmental) (2 hours)

Program Prerequisites
None

Advance Preparation
None