Wirtschaftsprüferkammer – Chamber of official auditors
This chamber is a statutory body under public law. Its members are all auditors, certified public accountants and firms of auditors and of accountants in Germany.
The chamber is
headquartered in Berlin. It operates throughout Germany. To support the
operations of its main facility, the chamber maintains offices in six states.
One of these offices is located in Munich. The chamber's responsibilities are
laid down in § 57 of Germany's Auditors' Statute (Wirtschaftsprüferordnung):
- Advocating the interests of its occupation vis-à-vis the general public (legislators, official bodies and courts);
- Advising and educating its members;
- Supervising the operations of its members, in areas in which this is not the responsibility of the general public prosecutor’s office. The public and expert supervision of members is undertaken by the commission of supervision of official auditors;
- Carrying out procedures of quality ascertainment;
- Staging on the Germany-wide scale of the examinations certifying auditors and accountants;
- Appointing auditors and certified public accountants and certifying auditing and accounting companies, and, in cases of the cessation of the preconditions for their appointing and certification, the revocation of these appointments and certifications.
Our members' most
high-profile activity is serving as official auditors. Their comprehensive
range of knowhow and experience also, however, make our members trusted
business advisors of their clients in the areas of efficacious business
operations and organization. Our members are highly-qualified tax consultants.
This fact imparts to them the same right of representation in matters of
taxation and vis-à-vis tax authorities and courts of law as tax advisors.
Our members also serve as trustees (as asset managers and as executors of estates) and as experts and appraisers in courts of law and elsewhere. Their course of professional training entitles auditors and accountants to legally process matters germane to their professional occupation, in cases in which these matters are related to their directly-held responsibilities (Art. 1 § 5 Nr. 2 of Germany's Legal Consulting Act - RBerG).
Our members also serve as trustees (as asset managers and as executors of estates) and as experts and appraisers in courts of law and elsewhere. Their course of professional training entitles auditors and accountants to legally process matters germane to their professional occupation, in cases in which these matters are related to their directly-held responsibilities (Art. 1 § 5 Nr. 2 of Germany's Legal Consulting Act - RBerG).