Professional Account Cleanup & Catch-Up
Behind on your bookkeeping? Messy records creating stress and uncertainty? Our Account Cleanup & Catch-Up services systematically address missing transactions, reconciliation issues, and classification errors to get your books audit-ready and compliant.
Perfect For Businesses Preparing For
- Tax filing with your CPA requiring accurate records
- Due diligence for business transactions or sales
- Loan applications requiring clean financial statements
- New accounting system implementation with accurate opening balances
The Problem with Messy Books
What We Fix
- Bank accounts not reconciled in months or years
- Missing or duplicate transactions causing discrepancies
- Incorrectly categorized expenses affecting tax deductions
- Personal and business transactions mixed together
- Payroll and sales tax liabilities not properly tracked
- Inventory records that don't match physical counts
Cost of Delay
- Missed tax deductions and potential penalties
- Inability to secure financing or investment
- Poor business decisions based on inaccurate data
- Stress and uncertainty about true financial position
Our Systematic Cleanup Process
Assessment & Discovery
Data Gathering
- Collect bank statements, credit card statements, and transaction records
- Inventory all accounting software and spreadsheet files
- Review existing financial statements and tax returns
- Identify gaps in documentation and missing periods
Problem Identification & Planning
- Perform preliminary reconciliations to identify discrepancies
- Analyze transaction patterns to spot classification errors
- Establish timeline with key milestones and quality standards
Transaction Reconstruction
Bank Reconciliation
- Reconcile all bank and credit card accounts to current
- Identify and research all outstanding items
- Clear old reconciling items and adjust for errors
- Document all adjustments with supporting evidence
Transaction Classification & Recovery
- Review and correct expense categorizations
- Separate personal and business transactions
- Identify and recreate missing transactions from bank records
Account Analysis & Correction
Balance Sheet Cleanup
- Verify and correct all asset valuations
- Review and validate liability balances
- Reconcile equity accounts and retained earnings
- Clear suspense and temporary accounts
Income Statement & Compliance
- Ensure revenue recognition follows proper timing
- Verify expense classifications for tax purposes
- Ensure sales tax and payroll tax compliance
Quality Assurance & Documentation
Validation Process
- Perform comprehensive review of all corrections
- Cross-reference financial statements to source documents
- Validate all bank and account reconciliations
- Test mathematical accuracy of all calculations
Documentation & Knowledge Transfer
- Detailed summary of all corrections made
- Updated financial statements and reconciliation reports
- Review findings and recommendations with your team
What’s Included
Complete Cleanup Service
- Full Bank Reconciliation - All accounts reconciled to current date
- Transaction Reconstruction - Missing entries identified and recorded
- Classification Correction - All transactions properly categorized
- Balance Sheet Cleanup - Asset, liability, and equity balances verified
Compliance & Reporting
- Tax-Ready Financials - Statements prepared for CPA or tax filing
- Regulatory Compliance - Sales tax, payroll tax, and reporting corrections
- Audit Trail Documentation - Complete record of all changes made
- Management Reports - Accurate P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statements
Quality Assurance
- Multi-Level Review - Senior accountant oversight on all corrections
- Source Document Verification - All adjustments backed by documentation
- Mathematical Validation - Computer-assisted accuracy checks
- Final Reconciliation - Independent verification of all account balances
Success Story
Restaurant Chain Cleanup
A growing restaurant chain had three years of unreconciled books across four locations, with personal and business transactions mixed together. The cleanup project involved:
Challenges:
- $2.3M in unreconciled transactions across 12 bank accounts
- Personal expenses mixed with business operations
- Sales tax compliance issues across multiple jurisdictions
- Payroll tax deposits not properly recorded
Our Solution:
- 6-week intensive cleanup project with dedicated team
- Systematic reconstruction of all transactions
- Separation of personal and business activities
- Sales and payroll tax compliance resolution
Results:
- Clean books enabling $1.2M SBA loan approval
- $45,000 in additional tax deductions identified
- Ongoing monthly bookkeeping established
- Peace of mind for ownership and management
Frequently Asked Questions
How far back can you clean up our books? We can handle cleanup projects going back 7+ years, though most projects focus on the past 2-3 years for practical and cost considerations.
What if we’re missing receipts or documentation? We use bank statements, credit card records, and other available documentation to reconstruct transactions. Some estimates may be required for truly missing items.
Can you help with tax issues from bad bookkeeping? Yes, we coordinate with CPAs and tax professionals to address compliance issues and can help with amended returns if needed.
How do you ensure accuracy in your cleanup work? We use a multi-level review process, mathematical validation tools, and maintain detailed documentation of all corrections made.
What happens after the cleanup is complete? We can transition you to our ongoing bookkeeping services or provide recommendations for maintaining accurate records going forward.
How much does account cleanup cost? Pricing varies based on the complexity and scope of work needed. See our pricing page for cleanup package details, or contact us for a custom quote after a free assessment.