The Impact of Key Audit Matter Disclosures on Audit Report Lag in Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38035/dijefa.v7i2.6800Keywords:
Key Audit Matters, Firm Size, Leverage, Profitability, Audit Report LagAbstract
Timely audited financial reporting is essential for maintaining the relevance of accounting information and reducing information asymmetry among stakeholders. Following the implementation of SA 701, Key Audit Matter (KAM) disclosures have become an important component of auditor reporting that may influence audit completion time. This study examines whether KAM disclosure characteristics affect Audit Report Lag (ARL) among non-financial firms listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange during 2022–2024.This study employs panel data regression using 771 firm-year observations from 257 firms in the consumer cyclicals, property and real estate, and energy sectors. The results show that the number of KAMs has no significant effect on ARL. By contrast, the length of KAM disclosure is negatively affect ARL. In addition, firm size, profitability, leverage, and audit opinion do not significantly affect ARL. These findings imply that the length of KAM disclosure, rather than its quantity, is more relevant in explaining audit timeliness in Indonesia.
References
Abdillah, M. R., Mardijuwono, A. W., & Habiburrochman, H. (2019). The effect of company characteristics and auditor characteristics to audit report lag. Asian Journal of Accounting Research, 4(1), 129–144. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJAR-05-2019-0042
Abdullatif, M., Alzebdieh, R., & Ballour, S. (2025). The effect of key audit matters on the audit report lag: evidence from Jordan. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, 23(1), 257–284. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFRA-07-2022-0245
Abernathy, J. L., Barnes, M., Stefaniak, C., & Weisbarth, A. (2017). An International Perspective on Audit Report Lag: A Synthesis of the Literature and Opportunities for Future Research. International Journal of Auditing, 21(1), 100–127. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijau.12083
Alan I. Blankley; David N. Hurtt; Jason E. MacGregor. (2014). The Relationship between Audit Report Lags and Future Restatements. Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, 33(2), 27–57.
Alawadhi, A., Alrefai, A., & Alqassar, A. (2024). Exploring the impact of key audit matters on audit report lag: insights from an emerging market. Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEAS-01-2024-0013
Baatwah, Saeed Rabea, Ehsan Saleh Almoataz, Waddah Kamal Omer, and K. S. A. (2022). Does KAM disclosure make a difference in emerging markets? An investigation into audit fees and report lag. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 3, 798–821.
Bajary, A. R., Shafie, R., Ali, A., Bin-Nashwan, S. A., & Rusli, A. R. Z. (2025). Key audit matters, female chief financial officers, and audit report lag: evidence from Malaysia. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFRA-04-2024-0198
Bédard, J., Schatt, N. G.-B., & Alain. (2019). Consequences of expanded audit reports: Evidence from the justifications of assessments in France. Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, 28(3), 23–45.
Brasel, K.R., Doxey, M.M., Grenier, J.H. and Reffett, A. (2016). Risk disclosure preceding negative outcomes: the effects of reporting critical audit matters on judgments of auditor liability. The Accounting Review, 91(5), 1345–1362.
Brigham, E. F. dan J. F. Houston. 2020. (2020). Dasar-dasar Manajemen Keuangan (14th ed.). Salemba Empat.
Cassell, C., Hunt, E., Narayanamoorthy, G., & Rowe, S. P. (2019). A hidden risk of auditor industry specialization: evidence from the financial crisis. Review of Accounting Studies, 24(3), 891–926.
Chen, Y. C., Hung, M., & Wang, Y. (2018). The effect of mandatory CSR disclosure on firm profitability and social externalities: Evidence from China. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 65(1), 169–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2017.11.009
Habib, A., & Bhuiyan, M. B. U. (2011). Audit firm industry specialization and the audit report lag. Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, 20(1), 32–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intaccaudtax.2010.12.004
Herawaty, V., & Nugraha, M. A. (2023). Antecedents of Audit Report Lag with Audit Quality as a Moderator. Journal of Accounting and Strategic Finance, 6(2), 320–342. https://doi.org/10.33005/jasf.v6i2.477
IAASB. (2015). The New Auditor’s Report: Greater Transparency into the Financial Statement Audit.
Julianto,Wisnu & Uly, F. R. U. (2022). Pengaruh Opini Audit, Audit Tenure, dan Komite Audit Terhadap Audit Report Lag. Accounting Student Research Journal, 1(1).
Kitiwong, W., & Sarapaivanich, N. (2020). Consequences of the implementation of expanded audit reports with key audit matters (KAMs) on audit quality. Managerial Auditing Journal, 35(8), 1095–1119. https://doi.org/10.1108/MAJ-09-2019-2410
Lee, N. L. (Vic), Khalaf, M. S., Farag, M., & Gomaa, M. (2024). The impact of critical audit matters on audit report lag and audit fees: evidence from the United States. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting.
Lennox, C. S., Schmidt, J. J., & Thompson, A. M. (2023). Why are expanded audit reports not informative to investors? Evidence from the United Kingdom. In Review of Accounting Studies (Vol. 28, Issue 2). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11142-021-09650-4
Lin, J. (2023). Does the disclosure of key audit matters improve the audit quality for sustainable development: Empirical evidence from China. PLoS ONE, 18(5 MAY), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285340
Luo, Y., & Salterio, S. E. (2021). Toward an Archival Measure of the Likelihood of Auditor–Client Management Negotiation: An Exploration of the Audit Lag Measures Conjecture. Accounting Perspectives, 1(109–143).
Markelevich, A., & Rosner, R. L. (2013). Auditor fees and fraud firms. Contemporary Accounting Research, 30(4), 1590–1625. https://doi.org/10.1111/1911-3846.12013
Mitra, S., Song, H., & Yang, J. S. (2015). The effect of Auditing Standard No. 5 on audit report lags. Accounting Horizons, 29(3), 507–527.
Moroney, R., Phang, S. Y., & Xiao, X. (2021). When Do Investors Value Key Audit Matters? European Accounting Review, 30(1), 63–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638180.2020.1733040
Mufidah, N., & Laily, N. (2019). Audit Tenure, Auditor Industry Specialization and Audit Lag Report on the Financial Sector on the Indonesia Stock Exchange 2013-2017. Jurnal Reviu Akuntansi Dan Keuangan, 9(2), 151–161. https://doi.org/10.22219/jrak.v9i2.8378
Rahaman, M. M., & Bhuiyan, M. B. U. (2025). Audit report lag and key audit matters in Australia. International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, 22(2), 532–554. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41310-024-00251-6
Rahaman, M. M., & Chand, P. (2021). Implications of recent reforms to auditor reporting requirements in Australia. Meditari Accountancy Research, 30(2).
Rahaman, M. M., Hossain, M. M., & Bhuiyan, M. B. U. (2023). Disclosure of key audit matters (KAMs) in financial reporting: evidence from an emerging economy. Journal of Accounting in Emerging Economies, 13(3), 666–702. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAEE-11-2021-0355
Reid, L. C., Carcello, J. v., Li, C., & Neal, T. L. (2019). Impact of Auditor Report Changes on Financial Reporting Quality and Audit Costs: Evidence from the United Kingdom. Contemporary Accounting Research, 36(3), 1501–1539. https://doi.org/10.1111/1911-3846.12486
Rusmin, R., & Evans, J. (2017). Audit quality and audit report lag: Case of Indonesian listed companies. Asian Review of Accounting, 25(2), 191–210. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARA-06-2015-0062
Sakin, T., & Kuzu Yildirim, S. (2022). The effect of key audit matters on audit report lag and determinants of the audit report lag: Turkish evidence. Hitit Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 15(2), 549–566. https://doi.org/10.17218/hititsbd.1168160
Shin, I.-H., Lee, H.-Y., Lee, H.-A., & Son, M. (2017). How does human resource investment in internal control affect audit reporting lag? Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics, 24(1–2), 195–215.
Sirois, L.P., Bedard, J. and Bera, P. (2018). The informational value of key audit matters in the auditor’s report: evidence from an eye-tracking study. Accounting Horizons, 32(2), 141–162.
Sulcaj, V. (2021). Litigation Risk, Financial Reporting Quality, and Critical Audit Matters in The Audit Report: Early U.S. Evidence. Gatton College of Business & Economics. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3771081
Sultana, N., Singh, H., & van der Zahn, J. L. W. M. (2015). Audit Committee Characteristics and Audit Report Lag. International Journal of Auditing, 19(2), 72–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijau.12033
Toumi, F., Khlif, H., & Khelil, I. (2022). (2022). National culture and audit report lag: cross-country investigation. Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences, 41(1), 282–299.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Syarifah Nailul Azkia, Dini Rosdini, Citra Sukmadilaga

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish their manuscripts in this journal agree to the following conditions:
- The copyright on each article belongs to the author(s).
- The author acknowledges that the Dinasti International Journal of Economics, Finance & Accounting (DIJEFA) has the right to be the first to publish with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
- Authors can submit articles separately, arrange for the non-exclusive distribution of manuscripts that have been published in this journal into other versions (e.g., sent to the author's institutional repository, publication into books, etc.), by acknowledging that the manuscript has been published for the first time in the Dinasti International Journal of Economics, Finance & Accounting (DIJEFA).










































