KPMG's 24/7 Ethics and Compliance Hotline offers confidential anonymous reporting globally

KPMG’s Ethics & Compliance Hotline is an "evergreen, firm‑maintained mechanism that allows partners, employees, contractors, clients and third parties to report suspected illegal, unethical or improper conduct when normal channels are ineffective or impractical. The hotline operates 24/7." The firm lists a general Ethics & Compliance Hotline phone number, 1-877-576-4033, and a Canada-dedicated toll-free line, +1 833 554 5107, for employees and external stakeholders seeking telephone reporting options.

KPMG works with ClearView Strategic Partners, a third-party administrator of telephone and web-based hotline services (ClearView Connects) to operate the hotline. For KPMG in Canada the firm directs reporters to the ClearView web-based reporting system and instructs users to select KPMG Canada; KPMG materials note that both the web site and the telephone options "are available 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week, and follow the same format for gathering information."

The hotline’s audience is broad. KPMG materials list "partners, employees, contractors, clients and third parties" and say it is available "to anyone, including all our personnel, clients, contractors, vendors, and partners and employees from other KPMG member firms." KPMG also directs certain matters to the KPMG International Hotline when reports concern "KPMG International ('KPMGI'), any KPMG member firm, [or] senior leadership of the relevant member firm," offering an escalation path for cross‑member‑firm or leadership issues.

Reportable matters include "suspected illegal, unethical or improper conduct" and "possible illegal, unethical, or improper conduct." KPMG’s guidance explicitly says the hotline can be used for "instances where you believe that either personnel of the firm, or reports issued by them, do not to comply with professional, regulatory or legal obligations." KPMG in Canada materials list "Audit quality" as one example area on which reporters can make a submission.

Confidentiality and anonymity are central to the program. "The Hotline is a confidential and, if desired, anonymous reporting mechanism," and KPMG in Canada states that "whether reporting through the hotline telephone number, the web site, or by mail, all reports are handled confidentially, to the extent permitted by law and consistent with KPMG in Canada’s requirement to investigate and address the reported conduct." The firm also identifies its Ombudsman as "one of several designated channels of communication through which firm personnel may raise professional practice issues involving public company audit clients and their foreign operations." The Ombudsman operates under the firm's policies of confidentiality and non-retaliation and can be reached by phone at 212-909-5100; reports to the Ombudsman can also be made through the hotline at 1-877-576-4033.

Materials supplied by the firm leave some operational details unspecified. No mailing address for written reports is provided in the materials, and the published excerpts do not include statistics on report volumes, investigation outcomes, response times, or the mechanics for preserving anonymity in investigations. For Canadian reporting, use the ClearView web portal and select KPMG Canada or call +1 833 554 5107; for general or international matters call 1-877-576-4033 or consult the KPMG Ethics & Compliance Hotline web portal for additional guidance.