Monthly Bookkeeping After the Cleanup
The point of a cleanup is never to need another one. Once the books are current, the same bookkeeper keeps them that way, with the structure already fixed and the patterns already known. This is the part that makes the deposit worth paying.
What happens every month
- Bank, credit card and loan accounts reconciled to their statements, with the reports kept
- Every transaction coded as it clears, with a short list of questions for anything unclear
- Deposits matched to sales, processor fees separated, sales tax tracked
- Payroll processed and filed in every state where your people work, if payroll is included
- A profit and loss and balance sheet with the prior period alongside, and a note on anything that looks off
Reports arrive in the first half of the following month, once the statements close. A question about a specific transaction is answered when asked, not saved for month-end.
Why the backlog does not come back
Backlogs form when the person doing the books is also running the business, and the books are the thing that can wait. Moving them to someone whose job is the books removes that choice. The structure fixed during the cleanup, the chart of accounts, the bank rules, the balance-sheet accounts for deposits and loans, means the monthly work is coding and reconciling rather than untangling.
The year-end package
Because every month reconciles, year-end is a package rather than a project: statements, fixed-asset list, loan balances, 1099 data for anyone paid above the threshold, and the schedules your tax preparer asks for. Returns get filed on the original date, which is the quiet payoff of the whole exercise.
Payroll
Payroll can be included from the first clean month or added later. It runs in any state, with registrations handled where a new one is needed, and is reconciled to the filings every quarter so the problem that often starts a cleanup, payroll liabilities that do not match what was paid, does not recur.
What it costs
Monthly bookkeeping starts at $250 a month and depends on transaction volume, the number of accounts and whether payroll is included. It is quoted together with the cleanup so you know the ongoing figure before you commit to the project.
If the books are already current and you simply want them kept that way, say so in the request; the first month includes a short review rather than a cleanup.
Common questions
Is the monthly fee required after a cleanup?
No. Some businesses take the clean file and keep it themselves. Most do not, because the backlog formed for a reason that has not changed.
Can I start monthly bookkeeping without a cleanup?
Yes, if the books are current. The first month includes a review of the file and any structural fixes it needs.
Monthly or annual contract?
Monthly. The relationship continues because the reports are useful, not because a contract says so.
How do receipts and bills get to the bookkeeper?
A document portal and a shared email address that captures vendor bills, plus the bank feeds for everything that clears. A photo of a receipt is fine.
Related services
- QuickBooks Cleanup Services
- Catch-Up Bookkeeping Services
- Bookkeeping Cleanup Services
- Behind on Bookkeeping Before a Tax Deadline
- Multiple Years of Bookkeeping, Rebuilt
Who this is for
Request a quote for monthly, after the 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.