Bookkeeping Cleanup Services
Cleanup is for books that exist and cannot be trusted. Maybe a previous bookkeeper did them, maybe you did, maybe an app did them automatically and nobody checked. The work is the same: find what is wrong, fix why, and recode until every account ties to its statement.
How you know you need one
- The profit on the report bears no relation to what is in the bank
- The balance sheet shows a bank balance that does not match the bank
- Loan balances have not moved in a year even though you pay every month
- There are accounts called "Ask my accountant", "Uncategorised" or "Misc" with real money in them
- Your tax preparer sent the books back with questions, or filed an extension because of them
- Income looks too high because deposits or transfers are counted as sales
Any two of these means a cleanup rather than a tidy-up. The seven-mistakes guide walks through the symptom of each error so you can check your own reports.
Any software, or a spreadsheet
Most cleanups are in QuickBooks, and the QuickBooks cleanup page covers that work in detail. The same method applies to Xero, Wave, FreshBooks, a desktop file or a spreadsheet: read what is there, reconcile to the bank, fix the structure, recode the history. Where the current tool is the cause of the problem, usually a spreadsheet that outgrew itself, the cleanup includes the move to something that reconciles.
What gets fixed, in order
The balance sheet
Bank, card and loan balances tied to statements. Customer deposits, sales tax and loans moved onto it from the income and expense lines. Owner activity moved to equity. Opening balances explained or corrected.
The income side
Deposits matched to invoices or sales reports so income is sales, not cash movement. Processor fees separated so gross sales and net receipts both show. Refunds and chargebacks recorded as what they are.
The expense side
Recoded in bulk where a bad rule caused a pattern, and one by one where it did not. Personal spending out. Capital purchases onto the fixed-asset list. Payroll matched to the filings.
The proof
A reconciliation report for every account and month, and a profit and loss your tax preparer can work from.
Inherited files
A file from a previous bookkeeper is reviewed before anything is changed, and the review is written down: what was done well, what was not, and what it will take to fix. You do not need the previous bookkeeper’s cooperation or their notes. The switching page covers how a clean handover line is drawn so the two periods do not blur.
What it costs
Quoted after a look: a deposit up front, a monthly retainer while the work runs, then ordinary monthly bookkeeping from $250 once the books are clean. The cost guide gives examples at several sizes.
Send what software the books are in, how many accounts, and when the last month you trusted was. The reply within a business day says what the deposit would be.
Common questions
Is this different from a QuickBooks cleanup?
Same method, any software. The QuickBooks page goes into the specific tools and errors of that product; this page covers the work wherever the books live.
Can the old file be kept for reference?
Yes. The repaired file is the working one; a copy of the original is kept so any question about what changed can be answered.
Will my tax preparer accept the result?
The year-end package is built to what preparers ask for: reconciled statements and supporting schedules. Your bookkeeper will speak to your preparer directly if that helps.
How is this priced?
As a project with a deposit, a monthly retainer until clean, then monthly bookkeeping from $250. Quoted after a look, never from a table.
Related services
- QuickBooks Cleanup Services
- Catch-Up Bookkeeping Services
- Behind on Bookkeeping Before a Tax Deadline
- Multiple Years of Bookkeeping, Rebuilt
- Monthly Bookkeeping After the Cleanup
Who this is for
Request a quote for bookkeeping cleanup
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.