Professional Services
Expertise for every
stage of your business.
Bala & Co. offers a full spectrum of professional services across audit and assurance, taxation, accounting, corporate advisory, information systems, privacy governance, and AI readiness — backed by 45+ years of practice from our Chennai office.
Audit & Assurance
Assurance PracticeOur audit and assurance practice is built on evidence-led fieldwork, rigorous documentation standards, and management-oriented reporting. Engagements are led with partner oversight and structured to deliver findings that boards, audit committees, and management teams can rely on and act upon.
We support statutory audits under the Companies Act, 2013 and Income Tax Act, 1961, alongside internal audits, special purpose engagements, and information systems review support across sectors.
Scope Areas
- Statutory audit under Companies Act, 2013
- Tax audit under Income Tax Act, 1961
- Internal audit with risk-focused reporting
- Special purpose and management review audits
- Information systems review and IS audit support
- Remote and onsite audit execution as required
- Management observations and board-level reporting
- Audit committee support and follow-up tracking
SSAE 18 / SOC Audits
Controls & AssuranceOur SOC practice supports service organisations through every phase of the SOC engagement lifecycle — from initial readiness review and gap assessment through to remediation support, evidence coordination, and assurance preparation under SSAE 18 standards.
Led by Mr. V. Sriram (FCA, CISA, CPA USA, ACCA UK), this practice brings technical depth across SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3 frameworks with a pragmatic, management-aligned approach.
Scope Areas
- SOC 1 (SSAE 18) — ICFR-focused service organisation audits
- SOC 2 — Security, availability, and privacy criteria
- SOC 3 — General use reports for customer-facing assurance
- Type 1 and Type 2 preparation and evidence coordination
- Control design review and narrative documentation
- Gap assessment and remediation tracking
- Readiness workshops with process owners and IT teams
- Ongoing control monitoring guidance post-engagement
International and Indian Taxation
Tax Compliance & PlanningThe partners of Bala & Co. have expertise in international and Indian taxation. One of our partners is a qualified Certified Public Accountant from the State of Colorado (United States) with significant exposure to US Federal tax laws.
Making taxation understandable and clear is our goal — we offer this service to individuals, corporates, and LLPs, across both Direct Tax and Indirect Tax (GST).
Scope Areas
- Tax incentives, tax holidays, and benefits
- Double tax treaty networks
- Transfer pricing and other structuring options
- Comprehensive worldwide tax planning
- Preparation and filing of tax returns in India and the United States
- Preparation and filing of appeals
- Attending assessment, appellate, and other proceedings in India
- GST registration, filings, and reconciliations
Accounting, Payroll & BPO
Finance OperationsOur finance operations support covers end-to-end accounting, payroll, and BPO services designed for businesses that need execution reliability, reporting consistency, and accounting continuity — whether as a primary service or to bridge internal bandwidth gaps.
We work with Indian accounting standards (Ind AS / AS), IFRS, and international accounting frameworks as needed, and support clients on commonly used accounting platforms.
Scope Areas
- Bookkeeping, ledger maintenance, and accounts management
- Monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close support
- MIS reporting — P&L, balance sheet, cash flow analysis
- Payroll processing — salary computation, PF, ESI, PT compliance
- Bank reconciliations and vendor account management
- Fixed asset register maintenance and depreciation schedules
- Support across Tally, Zoho Books, QuickBooks, and other platforms
- Indian and international accounting coordination
Internal & Process Controls
Risk & ControlsOur internal and process controls practice provides risk-led assessments designed to strengthen operational accountability, documentation standards, and control effectiveness across key business functions.
Engagements are structured to produce actionable, prioritised recommendations that management, operations, and finance teams can implement within their existing workflows.
Scope Areas
- Internal control design and operating effectiveness reviews
- Process audits across procurement, finance, operations, and HR
- Risk control matrix development and assessment
- Internal financial controls (IFC) under Companies Act, 2013
- Governance reviews aligned to accountability standards
- Fraud risk assessment and prevention control reviews
- Remediation support and follow-up action tracking
Corporate Advisory and Allied Services
AdvisoryWe provide services which give valuable insights into structuring options with a view to enhance shareholder value. With the present situation, a lot of companies worldwide are looking at various options which would lead to a synergy in operations.
Engagements are practical, confidential, and structured around implementable recommendations that align with financial, legal, and regulatory realities.
Scope Areas
- Designing corporate structures for specific businesses, new projects, and expansions
- Transaction advisory: spin-offs, de-mergers, amalgamations, diversification, mergers, acquisitions, and company formations
- Financial advisory: debt and equity financing, refinancing, and acquisition/re-organisation analysis
- Cost analysis, cost management, revenue optimisation, and risk management programs
- Sales and marketing effectiveness programs
- MIS / Decision Support System design
Information Systems Audit
Legacy PracticeEverything in today’s world is done through computers. The dependence on computers has assumed such significant proportions that even a temporary lapse of system services would lead to loss of revenue and reputation.
An IS audit evaluates information systems from perspectives such as security, quality, efficiency, and reliability, and reports on the risks and their impact on the organization — along with measures to eliminate or minimize them.
Scope Areas
- Cyber security assessments: standard attestations and audits
- Regulatory compliance assessments
- Vulnerability and threat management
- Information security maturity assessments
- Security engineering: strategy, governance, and training
- Technology solution implementation
- Data privacy audits: GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, and SOC 1/2/3 assessments
Privacy & DPDP Readiness
New & PrioritizedBuilding on our information systems audit background, this is positioned as audit, controls, and readiness support rather than standalone legal opinion work. Engagements are structured to help organisations understand their privacy exposure, implement practical controls, and demonstrate governance maturity to stakeholders.
Where legal interpretation is required, clients are advised to work alongside qualified legal counsel. Our role is governance, assurance, and control readiness.
Scope Areas
- DPDP Act, 2023 readiness reviews and gap assessments
- Privacy compliance audits and data handling control reviews
- Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) support
- Consent framework review and data fiduciary obligation mapping
- GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA alignment assessments
- SOC 2 Privacy Criteria compliance readiness
- Vendor privacy risk assessment and third-party control reviews
AI Governance
New & PrioritizedA new, forward-looking service line supporting organizations developing or deploying AI-enabled systems, extending our privacy and information systems audit background into responsible AI governance.
Our role is governance, assurance, and control readiness — not legal or technical AI development advice.
Scope Areas
- AI governance readiness assessments
- Responsible AI policy review
- Governance and traceability control assessments
- Readiness aligned with ISO/IEC 42001
Note: All service scope is customised by engagement and client context. The items listed above are indicative of our firm’s capabilities and typical scope areas — they do not represent a fixed or exhaustive checklist for every engagement.
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