Catch-up bookkeeping and QuickBooks cleanup
Catch-up bookkeeping brings books that have fallen behind up to date, and cleanup fixes books that were kept wrongly. RazaPro reconciles every missed month to your statements, oldest first, clears the holding accounts and ties out sales tax and payroll liabilities, for a fixed fee quoted before work starts.
Signs your books need catch-up or cleanup
- Bank or card accounts have not been reconciled for one or more months
- A large balance sits in Uncategorized Income, Uncategorized Expense or Ask My Accountant
- Opening Balance Equity is not zero, or balances do not match the bank statements
- Old customer payments sit in Undeposited Funds (Payments to deposit) and were never matched
- Sales tax or payroll liability accounts do not agree with what was actually filed and paid
- Your CPA has sent the books back, or tax season is close and the books are not ready
For CPA firms, catch-up work for a client you already serve is quoted the same way and delivered under your firm's name; see white-label bookkeeping for CPA firms.
How the cleanup is done
- Review and quote. You share read access and statements. We list how many months and accounts need work, what is missing, and give a fixed fee and a delivery date.
- Back up and lock. A backup or export is taken before any change, and periods your CPA has already filed on are left untouched unless your CPA agrees.
- Reconcile oldest month first. Each account is reconciled to the statements month by month, starting with the oldest open month, so every later balance is built on a correct one.
- Clear the holding accounts. Uncategorized items, duplicates and unmatched deposits are fixed with correcting entries. Nothing that was already reconciled is deleted.
- Tie out liabilities. Sales tax payable and payroll liabilities are agreed to the returns filed and payments made, and any gap is listed for you or your CPA.
- Hand over. You receive before-and-after statements, the list of correcting entries, and the open questions. Monthly bookkeeping can start from the next month.
See a finished example: the catch-up and cleanup sample (PDF, 3 pages) shows nine correcting entries with before-and-after statements. Figures are illustrative.
What we need from you
- Bank, card and loan statements for every month that is behind
- A user in your QuickBooks Online or Xero file (no shared passwords)
- Payroll reports and sales tax returns filed for the period, if any
- Your CPA's last year-end figures, if a return has already been filed
How it is priced
A fixed fee, quoted after the review, based on the number of months, accounts and transactions and on how complete the records are. No hourly billing. Once the books are current, monthly bookkeeping starts from $75 a month; seepricing.
Common questions
What is catch-up bookkeeping?
Catch-up bookkeeping brings books that have fallen behind up to date: every month that was missed is recorded and reconciled to the bank and card statements. Cleanup fixes books that were kept but kept wrongly, such as miscategorized transactions, duplicates or unreconciled accounts. Most behind books need some of both.
How do you catch up on bookkeeping?
Gather every bank and card statement for the missing months, back up the file, then reconcile each account month by month starting with the oldest. Categorize as you go, clear uncategorized and duplicate items with correcting entries rather than deleting reconciled ones, and finish by agreeing sales tax and payroll liabilities to what was filed and paid.
How much does catch-up bookkeeping cost?
RazaPro quotes a fixed fee after a short review of how many months and accounts need work and how complete the records are. You get the fee and a delivery date before any work starts. Ongoing monthly bookkeeping starts from $75 a month.
How long does it take?
It depends on the number of months, accounts and transactions, and on how quickly missing statements arrive. The quote includes a delivery date, and work on the oldest months starts as soon as statements are in.
Can you fix QuickBooks Online or Xero files?
Yes. The work is done inside your own QuickBooks Online or Xero file through a user you create and can remove at any time. If the file is too damaged to fix, we say so in the review and suggest the cleaner route.
Do you handle late payroll or sales tax filings found during cleanup?
We list every gap between the books and what was filed or paid, and can prepare the missing returns for your review. Penalty relief requests, IRS or state notices and representation stay with your CPA or enrolled agent.
Related: monthly bookkeeping checklist to keep books current after the cleanup. This page is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice.