Services
Catch up and cleanup bookkeeping
Months or years behind is more common than you think. We sort it out, close the gaps and hand you financial statements you can actually use.
- Who this is for
- What is included
- What we need from you
- What a cleanup looks like, start to finish
- What it costs to start
- No judgment, just a plan
- Questions
Who this is for
The shoebox of receipts. The QuickBooks file someone else started and nobody understands. The year you were too busy to keep up, followed by another one. If you have put off your taxes or filed an extension because the books were not ready, this is where to start.
Cleanup also fits when someone outside the business needs numbers fast: a bank reviewing a loan, a buyer looking at the business, a new partner, or a tax preparer who cannot finish without a real profit and loss.
What is included
- A review of what exists. We look at your bank statements, any existing books and any past returns to see how far back the problem goes.
- Historical cleanup. Transactions categorized and accounts reconciled for every month that is behind, not just the year end totals.
- Corrections to old entries. Duplicates removed, personal spending separated, loans and owner draws recorded the right way.
- Financial statements. A profit and loss and balance sheet for each period, monthly or quarterly, ready for a lender or for tax prep.
- A clean handoff. When it is done, you can keep it clean yourself or roll straight into monthly bookkeeping.
What we need from you
Bank and credit card statements for every period we are catching up. Loan statements and any vehicle or equipment purchase paperwork. Past tax returns if you have them. Then a few rounds of questions about transactions only you would know, like which deposit was a customer and which was a personal transfer.
Gaps are normal. If a statement is missing, we will tell you exactly where to download it.
What a cleanup looks like, start to finish
First, we gather statements and figure out the real starting point. Then we work forward month by month, reconciling each account so every balance ties out to the bank. Questions come to you in batches, a page at a time, not a call every afternoon. Once the months are clean, we prepare the statements and walk you through them on a short call: what you earned, what you spent, what you owe, and anything that looks unusual. You leave knowing your actual numbers, often for the first time in a while.
What it costs to start
Cleanup projects are quoted after a free call. We need to see how many months are behind, how many accounts are involved and what state the existing records are in before we can give you a fair number. You get a fixed project quote before work starts, so there are no surprises at the end.
No judgment, just a plan
Nobody falls behind on purpose. It happens when a business grows faster than the paperwork, or when life gets in the way. The first call is about where things stand and what order to fix them in, starting with whatever has a deadline attached.
Questions about cleanup and catch up
How far back can you go?
As far as your statements go. Most cleanups cover one to three years, but the right starting point is usually the last year that was filed correctly.
I have unfiled tax returns. Can you still help?
Yes. Cleanup is usually the first step, because the returns are built from the cleaned up books. We will tell you on the call what order makes sense for your situation.
How long does a cleanup take?
It depends on how many months are behind and how quickly the statements come in. You get a timeline with your quote, and we start with whatever has a deadline attached.