Can collaboration in 5F be documented as audit evidence?

For audit firms and audit teams

Run your audit processes digitally. From the PBC list to the consolidated financial statements

With 5F, your audit team collects audit evidence in a structured way, communicates securely with clients and other parties involved in the audit, and documents the collaboration in an immutable audit log.

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Data stored in Germany · Built for professionals bound by confidentiality · No charge for external parties · Developed in-house in Regensburg · Free trial after the demo

The status quo

Audit evidence by email and Excel lists

In many audit teams, request lists circulate as Excel attachments, documents arrive in different inboxes, and queries and reminders are spread across separate threads. None of the inboxes involved shows which item is still outstanding, and the audit process is only documented after the event. For professionals bound by confidentiality, email is also the wrong channel for sensitive client data.

5F replaces this process with a single platform that brings requests, exchange and documentation together.

Use cases

How you use 5F in audit

Audit of annual financial statements

You request evidence as a checklist and resolve queries directly on the document, without leaving the data room.

PBC lists

Your request list runs as a digital checklist with a status for each item, rather than as an Excel attachment in several versions.

Balance confirmation

You send confirmation requests to debtors or creditors and track responses in one place, using the 5F Balance Confirmation module.

Group audits

You verify component auditors, issue audit instructions and track responses for each entity, using the 5F Group Audit module.

M&A and due diligence

For confidential transactions, you set up a data room and decide for each participant who sees which documents.

ESG assurance

You collect sustainability evidence through the same checklists as all other documents, with a status for each item.

Core features

What your audit team uses every day

Checklists for audit evidence
You request documents through dynamic checklists with categories, priorities and due dates. The client uploads directly to the relevant item, and the processing status shows what is outstanding. Once you have created a list, you save it as a template and reuse it across the firm.
Data rooms for every engagement
A secure room for each engagement or audit, where documents, communication and tasks stay in context. You resolve queries using comments directly on the content, not in separate email threads.
Tasks
You assign tasks and follow them up, with progress shown on the dashboard. Responsibilities are attached to the engagement rather than kept in a separate list.
Secure links
Individual documents can be shared or requested via a link without the recipient having to register. You can add a password and an expiry date if you wish. This suits parties who should not have access to the data room.
5F App
Your team and your clients can view, upload and comment on documents on the go. The app is included in every licence at no additional cost.

How does 5F fit your audit processes?

In 45 minutes, we will show you the platform in action and discuss your requirements.

Book a demo

Benefits at a glance

What 5F does for you in audit

Collect evidence in a structured wayDynamic checklists show for each item what has been requested, what has been provided and what is still outstanding.
Moving away from emailSecure communication with clients and other parties involved in the audit, built for professionals bound by confidentiality.
No charge for external partiesClients and other parties involved in the audit work without a licence of their own; only your internal users pay for licences.
Conduct remote auditsAudit documents are available digitally, and the team can work from anywhere, at any time.
Documented and traceableImmutable audit log and audit-proof archiving, compliant with GDPR and GoBD.
Specialist depth for auditBalance confirmations, consolidated financial statements and electronic signatures, available as modules on the same platform.

In practice

What audit teams say about 5F

Wolfgang Laserer, Grant Thornton Austria — Wolfgang Laserer
Auditor and tax adviser · Grant Thornton Austria

Matthias Kleinlosen, K•H•S Steuerberater PartGmbB — Johannes Matthias Kleinlosen
Auditor, Dipl.-Kaufmann · KHS Kempis Kleinlosen

Available as add-on

Modules for audit

5F provides dedicated specialist modules for the specific requirements of audit. They run on the same platform as your data rooms and checklists, with no additional tool and no switching between systems.

5F · Module

5F Balance Confirmation

You send confirmation requests to debtors or creditors, track responses centrally and resolve discrepancies directly on the confirmation request.

Learn more 5F · Module

5F Group Audit

You verify component auditors, distribute audit instructions and documents, and keep track of responses for each entity.

Learn more 5F · Module

5F Sign

You sign contracts, audit opinions and client documents with an advanced or qualified electronic signature, without leaving the data room.

Learn more

What is audit software?

Audit software covers several types of tool. Audit software in the narrower sense supports the audit procedures themselves, from risk assessment to audit documentation. Alongside this is collaboration with the audited entity and other parties: requesting, exchanging and following up audit evidence. 5F covers this second layer and can be used alongside your existing audit software.

By email or with 5F: the difference

Merkmal	By email and file storage	With 5F
Requesting evidence	Excel lists as attachments, multiple versions in circulation	Digital checklists with a status for each item
Communication	Scattered across inboxes and threads	With the comment function, directly on the content
Confidentiality	Unsuitable for sensitive client data	Secure data rooms, data stored in Germany
Client access	Files by email, sharing without a permission model	Their own access without a licence, including the app
Sending a single document	Attachment in the inbox, with no expiry and no protection	Secure link with password and expiry date, no account needed for the recipient
Signatures	Print, sign, scan	Advanced or qualified signature with 5F Sign
Documentation	Pieced together after the event	Recorded in the immutable audit log

A platform for working together

5F is a platform for secure data exchange and structured collaboration, developed by 5FSoftware GmbH in Regensburg. It was created for the requirements of professionals bound by confidentiality, and audit firms now use it for client communication, evidence requests and audit documentation.

Its foundation is the core features: checklists, data rooms, tasks, secure links and the 5F app (see Core features). Because client data and audit evidence come together in an audit, all content is stored exclusively in German data centres and never leaves Germany; more on this under Security. 5F is listed as a cloud platform for data exchange and communication in the statutory audit/assurance software overview of the Digitalisierungskompass (WPK). Firms focused on tax advisory will find a dedicated page under Tax advisory.

FAQ

Häufige Fragen

The immutable audit log records every activity in 5F in chronological order, with full-text search and filters for analysis. Queries and responses are stored as comments on the relevant item of evidence, and documents can be filed in an audit-proof manner in the integrated DMS. For the audit file, authorised users export the audit log and download all documents for an engagement in one go.

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See 5F in action for audit

In a short online demo, we will show you the platform in action and discuss your requirements.