Are Family Firms More Audit-Risky? Analyzing Audit Fees, Hours and Rates

We examine differences in audit scope between family and non-family firms in Israel, using a unique database that includes both external and internal audit fees, hours, and billing rates. Consistent with prior literature, we argue that the number of audit hours reflects an auditor’s effort, and the hourly rate reflects the auditor’s risk premium. We find that external auditors exert less effort and charge lower hourly rates for family firm engagements than for non-family firm engagements. Moreover, internal audit efforts are lower in family firms than in non-family firms. Using a sub-sample of firms that switched from family to non-family status and vice-versa, we provide evidence on the causal relationship between family firm status and the scope of the audit. Our results mean that auditors reduce the scope of the audit in family firms because they perceive these firms to be less audit-risky. Nevertheless, we find that the reporting quality of family firms is higher than that of non-family firms.