e-ISSN: 2723-6692 ๐ฎ p-ISSN: 2723-6595
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Sains, Vol. 5, No. 8, August 2024 2078
(SAK) (Sinaga & Rachmawati, 2018). The goal is to provide confidence in the reliability of financial
statements and prevent losses for users.
The examination of financial statements by public accountants results in audit fees borne by
the company (auditee) in exchange for audit services (Iskak, 1999). This fee is called the audit fee and
is paid by the entity to the public accountant, referring to the audit task carried out by the annual
report. Management Regulation Number 2 in 2016 IAPI stipulates compensation for financial
statement audit services as the basis for determining audit costs. As stated by Attya (2013) in
(Adminardi, 2019), The process of determining audit costs is subjective, where the amount is
determined based on the negotiation ability of the public accountant with the company. The amount
of audit fees is also influenced by the results of negotiations between the company and the auditor's
office, taking into account the level of risk and complexity of the company to reach a mutually
beneficial agreement.
Research related to audit fees shows a consistent relationship between the complexity of the
company and the amount of audit fees. This is evidenced by empirical findings from two previous
studies, namely (Ulfasari, 2014) and Immanuel (2014). Both studies found that company complexity
and the entity and size of the auditor's office positively impacted audit costs. Furthermore, in the
kaijan conducted by Marsono (2014), it was shown that company complexity affects audit costs more
strongly than the size of the KAP and the company. This shows that the company's complexity is a
fairly dominant component in determining the amount of audit costs.
Research related to audit fees has shown a consistent relationship between company risk and
the amount of audit fees. This is evidenced by empirical findings from previous studies, namely Kezia
Sibuea and Rizka Indri Arfianti (2021). The study found that entity risk could affect audit costs but
not significantly. These findings prove that businesses that take high risks need to consider the
potential for a decrease in audit fees when developing their business strategies. Research shows that
the dividend payment policy positively affects the amount of audit fees. This is evidenced by Mutia
Rahmi and Charoline Cheisviyanny (2018), who found that the stable and high dividend policy
strengthens the relationship with audit fees. Companies, through a stable and high dividend policy,
tend to have higher audit fees because they are considered riskier and require more intensive audits.
This study offers a new contribution to the audit fee literature by adopting the legitimacy theory
as the main theoretical framework. In contrast to previous research that used agency theory
(Cristansy & Ardiati, 2018; Yulianti et al., 2019b), this study offers a different perspective on
understanding the relationship between company complexity, corporate risk, and audit fees.
The audit fee guidelines issued by IAPI (Regulation Number 2 of 2016) signify a new chapter
for the audit industry in Indonesia. However, the guidelines still have limitations in overcoming
significant uncertainty in determining audit fees. As revealed by Attya (2013), the process of
determining audit fees is still not objective, where the amount is determined based on the negotiating
ability of general accountants and companies. Given this, studying factors that affect audit fees is
crucial. This research has the potential to help formulate more comprehensive guidelines, increase
transparency, and improve the efficiency of the audit industry. The contribution of this research is
expected to overcome the uncertainty of audit fees in Indonesia so that the audit industry becomes
more transparent, efficient, and fair for all parties involved. The purpose of this study is to re-evaluate