Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Costs Exceed Estimates

Public companies have had to dig even deeper than previously estimated to pay the costs of complying with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, according to a just-completed survey by Financial Executives International (FEI). FEI is the leading professional organization of Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) and other senior financial executives.

Companies' total costs for year one Section 404 compliance averaged $4.36 million, up 39 percent from the $3.14 million they expected to pay, based on FEI's earlier July 2004 cost survey. The increase stems largely from a 66 percent leap in external costs for consulting, software and other vendors and a 58 percent increase in the fees charged by external auditors.

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