ASX Top 20 Reporting Accuracy: What We Found in the Financials

Inside the Numbers: How the ASX Top 20 Performed on Reporting Accuracy

👀 What We Set Out to Do

Using the Accurate Digits platform, we analysed the latest half year / 4D reports from the ASX Top 20. We weren’t auditing or second-guessing judgement — we just asked a simple question:

Do the numbers actually add up?

That might sound basic. But when a typo, miscalculated percentage, or inconsistent figure slips through, it can cause embarrassment at best — or worse, drive an investor to a decision based on the wrong number.

📊 The Fast Facts

Here’s what we found using the Accurate Digits platform:

Here’s what we found using the Accurate Digits platform:

• 24,625 calculations reviewed
• 62 numerical errors
• 104 rounding inconsistencies
• 99.72% average accuracy rate

That’s an impressive accuracy stat — and a huge credit to the finance teams behind these disclosures.

👏 You can almost feel the late nights and triple-checks it took to get there.
This is high-quality reporting in action.

But it’s not the whole story.

🔎 Where It Gets Interesting

While most companies were rock solid, the errors weren’t evenly spread. In fact:

• 💼 Most errors were outside the audited financials — in the Directors’ Report or "Other Information" sections
• 🛠️ Mining and materials companies tripped up more often – possibly due to heavier use of complex and bespoke tables.
• 💼 All Big Four auditors performed well – but if you had to call a winner on this small sample size, PwC-audited companies came out marginally ahead.
• 🔁 Some companies round everything. WiseTech doesn’t eliminate rounding differences in totals. Rio Tinto takes a mixed approach. There’s no universal rule — but the choices companies make here say a lot about their reporting style.
• And then there’s design — When tables were clean, consistent and logically laid out, we found fewer errors.

✨ Featured Articles From the Research

1. 🧠 The Unseen Work of Accuracy

Your team works hard to get the numbers right. Here’s where those errors still sneak in — and why clarity matters.

🔗 Read the article

2. 🔄 To Round or Not to Round?

Most companies round all their numbers / tables. WiseTech doesn’t round. Rio Tinto rounds some reports and not others. There is no one right way.

🔜 Coming soon

3. 🤖 Designing Reports for Humans (and Machines)

Tables that follow clear logic lead to better outcomes. What our digital reviewer struggled with, your grad accountant probably does too.

🔜 Coming soon

4. 💸 The Cost of Getting Accuracy Right

Is chasing 100% accuracy worth it? We unpack the effort, risk, and real-world trade-offs.

🔗 Read the article

🧭 What’s Next?

This was just the beginning. We’re now expanding our research to look at Companies outside the ASX20.

💡 Why This Matters

Reporting errors aren’t just about the maths. They affect trust, clarity and how seriously your stakeholders rely on the numbers.

Many of the issues we found were likely immaterial in isolation, But they’re still the kind of thing that trips up review cycles, slow down audit sign-off and quietly undermine confidence.

Accuracy isn’t just about compliance – its about credibility.

The upside? These are fixable things. With the right process and tools, we can all do better — faster.

For disclaimer and usage terms of this research, see the full statement here.