Behind on Bookkeeping Before a Tax Deadline
This is the most common reason anyone finds this site: a preparer asking for books that do not exist, and a date on the calendar. The honest answer depends on how many weeks are left and how many months are behind, and you will get it after someone has seen the bank statements, not before.
The dates that matter
For calendar-year businesses: S corporations and partnerships file by March 15, with an extension to September 15. Sole proprietors, single-member LLCs and C corporations file by April 15, with an extension to October 15. States have their own dates and some differ. Your tax preparer confirms which apply to you; the point here is that the deadline decides the order of work.
An extension is more time to file, not more time to pay. Tax owed is still due on the original date, and interest and a late-payment penalty run from then. That is why an extension filed with a real estimate behind it is worth far more than one filed blind, and why the books for the current year come first.
What can be done in the time left
Six weeks or more
Usually enough to catch up a year for a small business with one or two accounts, reconciled and packaged for the preparer. Larger businesses or more years need the extension.
Two to six weeks
The current tax year is worked first, reconciled, and handed over as it is completed. Older years follow after the deadline. If the current year cannot be finished, an interim set of numbers is produced for the extension.
Days
Call rather than write. The realistic goal is a defensible estimate of income and expenses from the bank so the extension is filed with a payment that is close, and the cleanup is scheduled against the extended date.
What your preparer needs, at minimum
- A profit and loss for the year, reconciled to the bank
- A balance sheet at year-end, for an S corporation or partnership in particular
- The fixed-asset list: anything over a few hundred dollars that lasts more than a year
- Loan balances at year-end and interest paid
- Payroll totals and the filed forms, or the payroll provider’s year-end reports
- 1099 data for anyone you paid above the reporting threshold
The preparer guide lists these in more detail, with what changes for each entity type.
How the project is run against a date
Current year first, reconciled month by month, with the package handed to the preparer as soon as the year closes rather than when the whole project ends. Then the older years, oldest first, so any outstanding returns can be filed in order. The quote says which weeks each piece lands in. If the date moves because the preparer files an extension, the order stays the same and the pressure comes off.
What it costs
Quoted after a look at the statements, as a project: deposit up front, monthly retainer while it runs, then ordinary monthly bookkeeping from $250. A deadline changes the order of work, not the price.
Say which return, which date, and how many months are behind. If the date is this week, call; a person answers on weekdays.
Common questions
Can my books be done by the deadline?
Sometimes. After seeing the statements your bookkeeper will say plainly whether the date is reachable. If not, the fallback is interim numbers for an extension and a finish against the extended date.
Does an extension give me more time to pay?
No. It gives more time to file. Tax owed is still due on the original date, which is why an extension with a real estimate behind it matters.
Which year gets done first?
The one with a return due. Older years follow in order.
Should I file a return with rough numbers to make the deadline?
That is a question for your tax preparer. Generally an extension with a good estimate is preferred to a return that will need amending; the extension guide explains the trade-off.
Related services
- QuickBooks Cleanup Services
- Catch-Up Bookkeeping Services
- Bookkeeping Cleanup Services
- Multiple Years of Bookkeeping, Rebuilt
- Monthly Bookkeeping After the Cleanup
Who this is for
Request a quote for before a tax deadline
Tell us how far behind the books are and whether there is a date. Your bookkeeper replies within one business day with a plain answer: what it would take, whether the date is reachable, and what the deposit would be. Requests answered within one business day · Calls Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm Eastern Or call (888) 786-6502 if you would rather talk it through first.