Confirmation from a bank should take just one day, but for some firms, this takes a few weeks. This gap does not occur by accident but is due to a characteristic of the traditional confirmation process. Auditors expect answers from banks on time as their deadline approaches, which explains why Thomson Reuters Confirmation’s alternative has become a relevant issue for CPAs, not an insignificant one.
The updated PCAOB AS 2310, The Auditor’s Use of Confirmation, replaced a standard that has remained unchanged for several years and has been amended only minimally since its adoption by the PCAOB in 2003.
The updated standard took effect for audits of the year-end financial statements for fiscal years ending on or after June 15, 2025. In addition, the PCAOB published the implementation guidance for the new standard, covering each section. Review both of them before you read this blog, as they are much more important.
Private company audits are changing as well, with changes to AU-C sections 330, 500, and 505 to improve the quality of audits of nonissuers issued by the AICPA Auditing Standards Board. The new standard will take effect for periods ended December 15, 2028, and early implementation is an option.
The current version of AU-C 505 is available on the AICPA’s website rather than summarized here. Even the GAO gave its opinion on this change, supporting the AICPA’s efforts to revise AU-C 505 in light of technological developments and the increased use of electronic means in the confirmation process.
Why the category is evolving
Confirmation.com invented the category. It established one of the first large-scale, validated respondent panels, offering auditors an integrated online solution for performing all kinds of confirmations – including accounts receivable, accounts payable, bank, benefit plan, and legal confirmations. Thousands of firms have been using the service to conduct confirmations for many years, and it is reasonable to say that it is the confirmation platform that comes to mind when mentioning the term “confirmation.”
However, since then, the category has evolved, and so have the profession’s expectations. According to a 2026 industry survey, 46% of respondents value improvements in execution and fieldwork and look for confirmation platforms that can integrate confirmation data into the overall audit process rather than treating confirmation separately. All of that, in one number, reflects the profession’s overall direction. The use of electronic confirmations is no longer just desirable; the question is which platform will reduce cycle time without violating regulatory requirements.
That is how “competitor of confirmations” becomes a substantial research topic.
Where AuditConfirm fits
AuditConfirm addresses the exact problem from a different angle: direct access to bank data and an auditor-controlled confirmation process, from the request through the confirmation.
The system works as follows. AuditConfirm provides auditor-controlled, direct access to the bank and, with client consent, obtains source data. Each confirmation is always encrypted, verifiable, and designed to satisfy the requirements of regulatory independence. This is important for an international audience. US companies are subject to PCAOB. Firms conducting audits of private companies are subject to AU-C 505 of the AICPA rules, which is currently under active revision. International business is regulated by ISA 505, which is listed together with its US analogs on the PCAOB’s list. AuditConfirm meets the requirements of all three, making it worth using instead of traditional systems like Confirmation.com, no matter where you operate – whether in Chicago or Singapore.
While speed stands out externally, the audit trail is the key element of peer review. The requirements are becoming stricter with each revision of AS 2310 and upcoming changes to the AICPA rules. Auditor-controlled access to the encrypted document ensures compliance with these requirements, whereas other systems must adapt to them.
What CPAs actually weigh when they compare platforms
Without resorting to marketing hype, three key questions usually guide most evaluations when the particular platform being considered is either Confirmation.com or AuditConfirm, among other alternatives.
Who controls the process from request to response? What is the average turnaround time during peak periods, in days, not weeks? Does the audit trail for the confirmation process comply with AS 2310, AU-C 505, and ISA 505, with no further need for manual documentation?
Companies trying to identify the best Confirmation alternative in 2026 often follow that exact checklist under time pressure. Time pressure, more than any other factor, determines the choice of the platform.
A note on trust
None of these statements can be defended without a reference which could be independently checked. This should apply to your tool choices as well. Refer directly to AS 2310. Look at the latest version of AU-C 505, as well as the emerging standard if your firm audited non-issuers. None of the vendor summaries, including this document and those provided by Confirmation.com, can be regarded as the standard.
Refer to the standards themselves—the guidance is explicit and comes from the PCAOB, the AICPA Auditing Standards Board, and the GAO, all in parallel. The confirmation process is designed around auditor control from start to finish.
Final thoughts
The busy season cannot be cut short, nor can clients’ expectations. The confirmation process has to become a manageable part of the audit, or it risks remaining the aspect of the process that everyone fears every year.
AuditConfirm has been developed for CPAs who want to regain control. Everything remains secure and verifiable and conforms with AS 2310, AU-C 505, and ISA 505, regardless of whether your practice is in the U.S. or international.
If you are considering a new confirmation solution this year, Confirmation.com’s proven track record is worth noting, but AuditConfirm deserves a test run – it has access to over 44,000 financial institutions across 195 countries, and responses come back in hours, not weeks.
FAQs
AuditConfirm is widely regarded as the best Confirmation’s alternative for CPA firms, offering auditor-controlled, direct bank access rather than routing requests through a third-party queue.
Firms want faster turnaround and tighter integration between confirmation data and the rest of their audit fieldwork, which is driving many CPAs to evaluate a Confirmation’s alternative in 2026.
AuditConfirm gives auditors direct, encrypted access to confirmation data at the source, while Confirmation.com relies on a validated responder network. AuditConfirm is worth evaluating as a Confirmation’s competitor.
Yes, AuditConfirm is built to meet AS 2310, AU-C 505, and ISA 505 requirements, the same standards that govern Confirmation.com and other confirmation platforms.
Auditor control over the process, fast turnaround measured in hours, not weeks, and a verifiable audit trail that satisfies AS 2310, AU-C 505, and ISA 505 without extra manual work.