Why More CPA Firms Are Outsourcing Audit Work—and It’s Not Just About Lower Costs

Roel Tiglao

Roel Tiglao

Senior Manager

Why More CPA Firms Are Outsourcing Audit Work—and It’s Not Just About Lower Costs
For years, outsourcing was viewed mainly as a way to cut costs. Firms that outsourced their audit work were often perceived as simply trying to find “cheaper” ways to get the work done. For smaller firms, this alone can make a real difference in profitability. In fact, in Deloitte’s 2020 Global Outsourcing Survey, cost savings was cited as the main reason 70% of businesses chose to outsource.

But that’s no longer the full story. According to Deloitte’s latest survey, only 34% of businesses pointed to cost reduction as their primary driver, while 42% emphasized access to talent as their main reason.

In other words, outsourcing isn’t just about saving money anymore. It’s about positioning a firm for growth and long-term success. Read on as we explore the top reasons to outsource your audit functions and how Scrubbed can help you maximize these benefits:

1. Improved Scalability

One of the biggest challenges for CPA firms is managing workload spikes during busy season. Hiring and training new staff takes time, and most firms can’t justify carrying that extra cost once demand tapers off. This challenge is further compounded by a shrinking pipeline of new talent. According to the AICPA, the number of accounting graduates has dropped nearly 17% over the past decade, with bachelor’s degrees in accounting falling 7.8% and master’s degrees declining 6.4% in the 2021–22 academic year alone.

Outsourcing solves this by giving firms instant access to experienced professionals who can step in and contribute right away. Instead of turning down work or pushing existing teams too thin, firms can confidently take on more clients and larger engagements.

This scalability is especially valuable when deadlines are tight. Picture a firm facing three major audits all due within the same month. Without extra support, even the strongest team could quickly become overwhelmed. Outsourcing ensures deadlines are met without overworking employees or sacrificing quality.

2. Increased Focus on Core Business Operations

Partners and senior auditors are some of a firm’s most valuable assets. Yet too often, they get pulled into routine work that doesn’t require their level of expertise. When outsourcing is used strategically, firms can delegate lower-level audit procedures to external teams while keeping higher-value work in-house. This means partners and seniors can spend more time on more strategic tasks like analysis, review work, problem-solving, client communication and advisory services.

For example, instead of vouching support documents, handling confirmations or preparing tie-outs, a senior can focus on analyzing financial statements and advising a client on future strategy. This helps improve efficiency and strengthen client relationships by ensuring they have access to the firm’s top talent when needed.

3. Flexibility During Off-Peak Periods

Audit demand is rarely steady; it usually peaks during tax season, slows down in the summer, and then spikes again at year-end. Because of this, firms that hire to prepare for peak season risk being overstaffed during the slower months, or worse, unprepared when specialized expertise is needed.

At the same time, firms are under increasing pressure to expand into higher-value advisory services, while still meeting their audit obligations. Balancing both priorities with limited resources can strain even the strongest teams.By outsourcing, you have the flexibility to match your resources with the current demand. You can easily scale up when you need more support during the busy season, and just as easily scale back when workloads ease without the cost and burden of underutilized staff.

This flexible staffing model also works well for special audit engagements that require specific knowledge, such as:

  • Single audits for organizations receiving federal funds
  • ERISA and 401(k) plan audits with complex compliance requirements
  • Nonprofit audits with unique reporting standards
  • Government audits with additional regulatory requirements


Instead of turning these opportunities down when you lack the specialists for the job, you can simply bring in outsourced expertise as needed.

4. Ability to Offload Repetitive Administrative Tasks

Some of the most common bottlenecks in audit engagements don’t come from the technical work at all. Instead, they come from time-consuming but necessary tasks like collecting prepared-by-client (PBC) documents, sending confirmations, or performing tie-outs. While these tasks are essential, they don’t necessarily require senior-level expertise. By outsourcing this type of work, firms can shorten timelines and avoid the bottlenecks that can frustrate both staff and clients.
The benefits of outsourcing also go beyond efficiency. Retention has become a major challenge for firms, especially when staff feel overworked or stuck doing repetitive, low-value tasks. In fact, finance and accounting teams face the highest burnout rates by far across different industries. When talented professionals spend too much time on this type of work, they are more likely to burn out or leave the profession altogether.Outsourcing helps reduce that risk by shifting administrative tasks away from internal teams, allowing them to focus on higher-value responsibilities like analysis, problem-solving, and client communication. In the long run, offloading repetitive work supports both stronger retention and a healthier, more motivated team.

5. Higher Quality Output

Outsourcing audit work to the experts means it will be managed by professionals whose core expertise is auditing, bringing with them the proven processes, advanced tools, and deep knowledge that result in accurate and timely deliverables.

Around 66% of internal audit teams report that their current skills don’t fully align with business priorities, which can lead to missed opportunities and delays. Firms are turning to outsourced specialists to bridge this gap and meet client demands, with 74% of leaders already utilizing external support for their finance functions.

6. Measurable Results

Outsourcing doesn’t just sound good in theory, it can also deliver measurable results in practice. Firms that have outsourced audit support often report the following results:
  • Faster turnaround times. Some firms have cut PBC collection timelines in half, allowing them to complete audits more quickly and reliably.
  • The ability to take on more work. With extra capacity available on demand, firms no longer need to turn away engagements because of staffing constraints.
  • Improved client satisfaction. Clients notice when audits run smoothly and deadlines are consistently met, which strengthens loyalty and referrals.

In Scrubbed’s collaborations with UHY and BryMar CPAs and Advisors, we see how outsourcing audit support can provide measurable improvements in both firm performance and client satisfaction.

For UHY, partnering with Scrubbed led to increased efficiency and scalability, and stronger audit quality. The added support helped ease staff workloads, improved retention, and even supported a consistent annual growth of 10% in its audit practice.
BryMar CPAs and Advisors saw similar results. By offloading their routine tasks to our external team, their senior staff was able to focus on higher-level work, partners spent more time with clients, and the overall quality of service and client experience improved.


Discover the Strategic Value of Outsourcing

For CPA firms, outsourcing audit work should no longer be seen as simply a way to cut costs. While cost savings are definitely a big advantage, outsourcing’s real value lies in scalability, flexibility, and the ability to focus internal resources on higher-value work.

At Scrubbed, we provide offshore fractional accounting, tax, and finance solutions that give firms the specialized support they need to grow. Whether it’s managing seasonal demand, handling complex audits, or freeing up your team for client-facing work, our experts are ready to help you deliver high-quality results with confidence.

Take the next step toward building a more efficient and scalable firm and schedule a free consultation with our expert team today.

How Scrubbed can Help

At Scrubbed we work with diverse clients from solar to biomass and across clean tech. We understand the importance of staying current with regulations that govern everything from Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to climate change mitigation efforts. By partnering with Scrubbed, you gain a corporate finance advisory team with the depth, insight, and experience to scale as your business grows helping you stay financially resilient in a fast-changing clean energy market.

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