Accounting Commons^™

Underreporting Chargeable Time: A Continuing Problem For Public Accounting Firms, Michael D. Akers, Charles T. Horngren, Tim V. Eaton

Accounting Faculty Research and Publications

Prior research shows that underreporting chargeable time has been a concern for public accounting firms even though many of these firms have policies and procedures that prohibit "eating" time. The purpose of this study is to examine the current state of this problem and to provide recommendations to manage the problem more effectively. Practicing public accountants at all professional levels were surveyed to determine the extent, opportunity, ethical perception and perceived benefits of underreporting time. The results show that although the majority of the respondents believe underreporting time is unethical, the majority of them did not report all of their …