Catch Up Bookkeeping
Catch Up Bookkeeping Services for Businesses Behind on Their Books
Three months behind or three years behind, we rebuild and reconcile your overdue records into tax ready financials, with a fixed quote agreed before work starts.
- Fixed quote, no hourly surprises
- Every period reviewed twice
- QuickBooks, Xero and Zoho Books
Our catch up bookkeeping services bring overdue books current, whether you are three months behind or three years behind. We gather your bank, card and loan records, rebuild the missing transactions, reconcile every account and hand you clean financial statements your tax preparer, lender or investor can rely on.
Falling behind is common. A bookkeeper leaves, the business grows faster than the back office, or tax season arrives and nobody has touched the books since spring. Our job is to fix the backlog quickly, explain what we found and leave you with a system that stays current.
- Reconciled bank, credit card and loan accounts
- A profit and loss statement for every period
- A balance sheet for every period
- A written summary of every correction we made
How Far Behind Are You?
The scope of catch up bookkeeping depends on how long the books have gone untouched and how complete your records are. Most businesses fall into one of three situations:
1 to 6 months behind
Categorising recent transactions, reconciling bank and card accounts, clearing uncategorised items and producing current month financials.
6 to 12 months behind
A full year of reconciliations, accrual and payroll adjustments, accounts payable and receivable cleanup, and year end financial statements ready for tax filing.
More than a year behind
Multi year reconstruction from bank statements, recovery of missing records, opening balance corrections and separate financials for each year your tax preparer needs.
We confirm the exact scope and timeline in writing before any work starts, so you know what will be delivered and when.
Our Catch Up Bookkeeping Process
- Free scoping call. We learn how far behind you are, which accounts you hold and which software you use.
- Records intake. You share statements and access through a secure portal. We send a checklist so nothing is missed.
- Reconstruction. We record every missing transaction, month by month, and categorise it to a clean chart of accounts.
- Reconciliation. Every bank, credit card and loan account is reconciled to its statements, with differences investigated and resolved.
- Review. A second accountant reviews each period before it is closed. Questions for you are batched, not sent one at a time.
- Delivery. You receive reconciled books, a profit and loss statement, a balance sheet and a summary of every correction we made.
What We Need From You
You do not need organised records to get started. In most cases, we need:
- Bank and credit card statements for every month you are behind
- Loan and line of credit statements
- Payroll reports, if you have employees
- Sales platform or merchant reports, such as Square, Stripe, Shopify or Amazon
- Your most recent filed tax return
- Read only or accountant access to your accounting software, if you have a file
QuickBooks, Xero and Zoho Books Cleanup
Many catch up projects start with a file that exists but cannot be trusted: duplicate transactions, unreconciled accounts, undeposited funds that never cleared and balances that do not match the bank. Our bookkeeping cleanup covers QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero and Zoho Books. If your current software no longer fits, we can rebuild your books on a new platform as part of the same project through our accounting software setup and migration service.
- Duplicate transactions Removed
- Unreconciled accounts Reconciled
- Undeposited funds that never cleared Cleared
- Balances that do not match the bank Matched
Fixed Quote Pricing for Catch Up Bookkeeping
Catch up work billed by the hour can run on with no end in sight. We quote a fixed price after the scoping call, based on three factors:
- The number of months or years to catch up
- The number of bank, card and loan accounts
- Monthly transaction volume and the condition of existing records
Our pricing is competitive, agreed before work starts and does not change unless the scope changes. If you prefer, we can also bill hourly or per task.
Why Current Books Matter: IRS Records and Deadlines
The IRS expects businesses to keep records that support the income, deductions and credits on their tax returns. Its recordkeeping guidance for small businesses explains that good records also help you prepare financial statements and monitor how your business is performing.
IRS Publication 583 recommends reconciling your business bank account every month and explains that records supporting a return should generally be kept until the period of limitations for that return expires. Books that are years behind make deadlines harder to meet, and late filing or late payment can lead to IRS penalties.
This section is general information, not tax advice. Your tax preparer can confirm what applies to your situation.
After Catch Up: Keeping Your Books Current
Monthly service is optional; catch up bookkeeping is a complete project on its own.
Monthly bookkeeping
Once your books are current, most clients move to monthly bookkeeping and reconciliations so they never fall behind again. You keep the same team that already knows your accounts.
Business tax preparation
When filing season arrives, our business tax preparation team can work straight from the reconciled books.
Catch up bookkeeping is one part of our wider outsourced accounting services for US businesses.
Catch Up Bookkeeping FAQs
What are catch up bookkeeping services?
Catch up bookkeeping services bring overdue books current. The work covers recording missing transactions, reconciling bank, card and loan accounts, correcting errors and producing reliable financial statements for every period that was behind.
How long does catch up bookkeeping take?
It depends on how many months are behind, how many accounts you hold, your transaction volume and how quickly records can be gathered. We confirm a timeline in writing with your fixed quote, before any work starts.
How much do catch up bookkeeping services cost?
We provide a competitive fixed quote after a free scoping call. The price is based on the months to catch up, the number of accounts and the condition of your records. Hourly and per task billing are also available.
Can you catch up my books if I am missing bank statements?
Yes. Banks can usually supply past statements on request, and we work from every record that can be retrieved. Any gaps that remain are documented in writing so your tax preparer knows what is supported.
Can you fix a QuickBooks file someone else set up?
Yes. We regularly clean up QuickBooks, Xero and Zoho Books files with duplicate entries, unreconciled accounts and incorrect categories, then reconcile everything back to your statements.
Will my books be ready for my tax preparer?
Yes. You receive reconciled books, a profit and loss statement, a balance sheet and a summary of corrections for each period, which your tax preparer can use directly. Our business tax team can also prepare the return if you prefer.
Get Your Books Current
Tell us how far behind you are and which software you use. We will scope the work, send a fixed quote and start as soon as you approve it.
Book a free scoping call