Behind on the books? Start with the record review.
Cleanup and catch-up bookkeeping for businesses whose accounting records are overdue, disorganized, incomplete, or unreconciled. We review the condition of what exists, describe the work in writing, and bring the periods within the agreed scope to a reconciled state.
Cleanup and catch-up bookkeeping is corrective work on periods that have already passed — not the routine monthly cycle.
Ongoing bookkeeping handles current activity on a regular cadence. Cleanup work is different: it addresses history. Transactions may be uncategorized, miscategorized, duplicated, or missing entirely. Accounts may never have been reconciled. Opening balances may not agree with the last filed return. The work is investigative before it is routine, which is why it is scoped and quoted separately from a monthly engagement.
Catch-up generally refers to periods that were simply never recorded. Cleanup generally refers to periods that were recorded, but not reliably. Most engagements involve some of both, and the review at the start is what determines the mix.
Bookkeeping records are maintained in QuickBooks Online or other appropriate industry-standard accounting software. Services are customized based on the client's needs and the agreed scope of the engagement.
Record review and scope discussion
We look at the current file, the periods involved, the number of accounts, and the condition of the underlying records. This review is what allows us to describe the work in writing rather than guess at it. Scope and pricing are confirmed after that review, not before.
Gathering documentation
Cleanup work depends on source documents. Where records are missing, the affected periods may need to be limited in scope, reconstructed from what is available, or excluded until the documentation can be obtained.
Reconstruction and reconciliation
Transactions are categorized to a chart of accounts appropriate for the business, accounts are reconciled to statements, duplicates and misposted entries are addressed, and balance-sheet accounts are reviewed against supporting records within the agreed scope.
Review and handoff
Financial statements are prepared for the periods covered by the engagement, open items are identified, and we discuss what is needed to keep the records current going forward.
The steps above describe how this work generally proceeds. The actual sequence, depth, and duration depend on the engagement and are confirmed in writing before work begins.
The list below is typical rather than universal. What we ask for depends on the periods in scope and how the business operates.
- Bank statements for every business account, for each period in scope
- Credit-card statements for business cards
- Loan and line-of-credit statements, including amortization or payoff detail
- Merchant-processor and payment-platform reports
- Access to the accounting file, or an export if access cannot be granted
- Payroll reports and filed payroll tax returns for the periods involved
- Sales-tax filings, where the business collects sales tax
- Prior-year tax returns and, where available, the preparer's closing balances
- Fixed-asset purchases, invoices, and any depreciation schedules
- Notes on owner contributions, distributions, and related-party activity
Cleanup is priced on the condition of the records, not on a flat rate. After the record review, we describe the proposed scope and provide pricing in writing before any work begins. The factors that move the number most:
- Number of months or years behind
- Number of bank, card, and loan accounts
- Transaction volume in each period
- Condition of the existing file and whether prior work must be corrected
- Payroll, inventory, and sales-tax activity
- How much documentation is available versus missing
- Whether the software file is accessible or must be rebuilt
Published ranges and starting fees for bookkeeping and tax work are listed on our pricing page. Cleanup work is quoted separately from ongoing monthly bookkeeping so that a recurring fee reflects normal activity rather than the cost of correcting history.
A usable starting point
Reconciled balances give ongoing bookkeeping something reliable to build on, instead of carrying forward errors month after month.
A more efficient filing process
When the underlying records are organized, tax preparation spends less time on reconstruction. Our tax preparation and filing service is described on the tax page.
Financial statements you can share
Lenders, partners, and prospective buyers generally expect financial statements supported by reconciled records rather than raw bank activity.
Cleanup and catch-up work depends on the condition of the existing records, the documentation that can be provided, client cooperation and responsiveness, access to the accounting software or a usable export, the agreed scope of the engagement, and AEM's current availability. Where records cannot be located, the affected periods may be limited in scope or excluded.
AEM does not represent that cleaned-up records will be complete or free of error where source documentation is unavailable, and does not provide audits, reviews, compilations, or other attest services. This service is not a fraud examination and is not designed to detect fraud or misappropriation. No specific completion date, tax outcome, or savings is promised. AEM Accounting Solutions is an Enrolled Agent-led tax and accounting firm and is not a CPA firm. AEM does not provide audits, reviews, compilations, or other attest services.
Tell us how far behind you are.
Brief initial consultation, no cost and no obligation. We will review the condition of the records and provide proposed scope and pricing in writing before any work begins.