By Kelly Mann, CPA – CEO & Co-founder, AuditMiner
The 2025 AICPA & CIMA Employee Benefit Plan Conference was a powerful reminder of how fast our profession is evolving. As a former EBP-focused firm owner and now the CEO of AuditMiner, I had the privilege of connecting with audit leaders across the country, many of whom shared common concerns, ideas, and hopes for the future of employee benefit plan (EBP) audits.
Here are a few key takeaways I believe every EBP auditor should know.
Across conversations with firms of all sizes, one theme was clear: the volume of change impacting EBP audit practices is unlike anything we've seen before. Among the most cited pressures were:
For many smaller CPA firms, these challenges are compounded by a lack of internal resources or specialized support. The result? Many auditors feel overwhelmed and unsure where to focus first.
That’s why efficiency and standardization stood out as critical themes throughout the conference, offering a clear path forward amid all the uncertainty.
During my session, “Optimizing EBP Audit Effectiveness,” I shared a few practical strategies that resonated with firms looking to improve audit efficiency without completely overhauling their current processes. These included:
Start with one comprehensive department-level planning meeting to align the entire team on macro-level factors such as industry trends, economic shifts, investment performance, and regulatory updates. Then, hold 5–10 minute micro-planning meetings at the engagement level to address specific client-level risks or changes.
This hybrid model helps standardize risk awareness and improves team readiness without draining hours on over-preparation.
Even if you're not processing all your plans through AuditMiner, use the same workpaper templates across every EBP audit. It builds consistency in prep, improves review efficiency, and simplifies staff training. When everyone works from the same structure, it reduces guesswork and minimizes rework.
Firms that created template EBP engagement binders inside their audit software reported major time savings. These binders include pre-set folder structures, firm-level guidance, embedded instructions, risk assessments, and audit programs already linked to specific workpapers.
It’s a great way to introduce firm-wide consistency while still allowing for engagement-specific customization.
One of the most discussed topics at the conference was the promise (and limitations) of AI in auditing. And while interest in audit automation is high, so is skepticism, especially around one recurring issue: messy, inconsistent plan data from recordkeepers.
Let’s be honest: if the foundation is flawed, no technology can build on it effectively.
That’s why I believe data standardization must come first. At AuditMiner, we’ve invested heavily in building a platform that can handle the complexity and chaos of recordkeeper data using pure automation, not offshore manual cleanup. This ensures:
If your firm is exploring tools for audit automation or AI-powered risk analysis, start by evaluating how you're collecting, standardizing, and storing audit data.
Lastly, I want to thank everyone who attended my session, visited the AuditMiner booth, or simply stopped by to chat. These conversations remind me that, even in the face of change, the audit profession is full of passionate, thoughtful professionals who are committed to improving how we work—and how we serve our clients.
At AuditMiner, we remain focused on empowering audit firms to work smarter, not harder, whether that’s through standardized tools, automated data extraction, or educational resources like this one.
We recently conducted a comprehensive survey of firms across the U.S. to better understand how EBP audits are evolving. The results highlight trends in:
📥 Download the full benchmarking report here: https://www.auditminer.com/2025-state-of-ebp-report
It’s packed with insights that echo many of the topics discussed at the conference and may help your firm identify new opportunities for improvement.
