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The purpose of this study is to uncover additional determinants of the demand for voluntary audit in micro‐companies by investigating the internal management factors that have not yet been explored in prior literature. The hypotheses are developed from the literature and interviews with owner‐managers of such companies, bank lenders and the tax authority. The study is based on archival data relating to some 50,000 Finnish micro‐companies over the three‐year period following the introduction of audit exemption in 2008. Our results show that the drivers of voluntary audit are: (1) management needs to ensure security of supply from trade creditors, (2) the company is not in financial distress, (3) the company is growing, (4) management has a need for tax reporting credibility, and (5) ownership is dispersed. The results of this research will be of interest to the owners and managers of micro‐companies, as well as the accounting and auditing profession.

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This study examines the factors that influence the voluntary adoption of the digital reporting of the statutory accounts and returns to the company registry (Companies House) by small private companies in the UK. We analyse survey data from 343 members of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants working in small companies or in practices with small company clients in the UK. The data is examined using statistical methods, mainly PLS-SEM. Our results show the following factors positively influence the voluntary adoption of digital reporting by small private companies: the relative advantage from standardisation benefits, the company's technology competence and support from top management. We also provide evidence that the complexity of the company's accounting system and technology costs inversely influence this voluntary adoption. The study contributes to the emerging literature by expanding our understanding of how the standardisation of financial information flows benefits small private companies. The results should be of interest to small companies and their accountants, regulators in the UK and other jurisdictions planning digital reporting initiatives or seeking to reduce administrative burdens on smaller entities.