Bookkeeping Cleanup and Catch-Up Services for Small Businesses That Have Fallen Behind
If you’re behind on bookkeeping, you’re not alone, and it’s completely fixable. I work with small businesses, freelancers, and creative professionals across California, Oregon, and Washington, backed by 25+ years of experience as a Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor.
You Meant to Catch Up Last Month. And the Month Before That.
You’re months or years behind on recording transactions.
Your bank feeds haven’t been touched, income isn’t recorded, and expenses are scattered across statements you haven’t looked at since last year.
Your accounts don’t reconcile, and there are errors you haven’t fixed.
QuickBooks says one thing, your bank says another, and miscategorized or duplicate transactions are quietly skewing your reported income.
You recently took over a business or bought one with disorganized records.
Someone else’s mess is now your problem, and you need it cleaned up before you can move forward with confidence.
What You Get With Cleanup and Catch-Up Services
Retroactive Transaction Recording
Every transaction from your missed months gets recorded and categorized correctly in QuickBooks Online, including transactions I have to track down when your records are missing entirely.
Account Reconciliation and Error Correction
I reconcile your bank accounts and credit cards against your actual statements, fixing miscategorized expenses, duplicate transactions, and personal charges mixed into business accounts along the way.
Financial Report Preparation
Once the cleanup is complete, you’ll have accurate Profit and Loss statements and a Balance Sheet for every period we worked through, organized and ready to hand to your CPA.
Cleanup Pricing Is Based on Your Specific Situation
There’s no flat rate for bookkeeping cleanup. Your price depends on:
You’ll always know the price before I start. After a free consultation and a review of your records, I’ll send a written proposal with a fixed price.
Link: Learn More About QuickBooks Online Setup →
What Happens When You Keep Putting It Off
Whether you need ongoing monthly support, help catching up on past records, or specialized services like payroll and 1099 filing, Whitney Bookkeeping offers flexible solutions designed for small businesses across California, Oregon, and Washington.
Your CPA is charging you to fix it
Tax preparers typically charge $150 to $300 an hour for cleanup work before they can even start your actual return.
You’re missing deductions
Uncategorized expenses don’t show up as deductions, so every month you’re behind is a month of write-offs you’re probably losing.
You can’t make good decisions without real numbers
If your books are wrong or incomplete, your Profit and Loss statement isn’t telling you the truth, which makes pricing, hiring, and growth decisions harder than they need to be.
The IRS doesn’t care that you’ve been busy
If you ever face an audit or need to verify income for a loan or lease, you need accurate records going back years.
Common Situations That Call for Cleanup
You’re a freelancer or self-employed professional who never really set up a bookkeeping system
You’ve been tracking things loosely in a spreadsheet or not at all, and you need to get organized before you file.
You used bookkeeping software but did it yourself and got things wrong
Your QuickBooks file exists but the data inside it isn’t accurate, and you need someone to go through it and fix what’s broken.
Your business has grown past the point where you can keep up with it yourself
What used to take an hour a month now takes a full weekend you don’t have, and the backlog keeps growing faster than you can chip away at it.
You’re preparing for a loan, lease, or investor and need clean financials
Lenders and investors want accurate books, not a QuickBooks file that raises more questions than it answers.
Three Steps From Messy Books to Clean Records
Book a Free Call
Tell me where things stand: how far behind you are, how many accounts you have, and what your QuickBooks situation looks like. I’ll give you a ballpark estimate on the call.
Records Review
With Accountant Access to your QuickBooks Online, I’ll take a look at what’s there, assess the full scope of the cleanup, and put together a clear proposal with upfront pricing.
Cleanup and Onboarding
Once you approve the proposal, we get to work. Most cleanups are completed within a few weeks depending on scope. After cleanup, you can move directly into monthly bookkeeping so this doesn’t happen again.
The Longer You Wait, the Bigger the Backlog Gets
Getting your books cleaned up isn’t as painful as you’re probably imagining. Most clients are relieved once it’s done and wish they’d caught up on bookkeeping sooner. Whether you’re in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles, Portland, or Seattle, everything runs remotely, so location never gets in the way.
Prefer to send an email? No problem! Visit my contact page to send me a message, and I’ll respond as soon as possible.
What Business Owners Ask Before Getting Started
How far back can you go?
As far as you need. Whether you’re a few months or a few years behind on bookkeeping, I can work through whatever your situation requires.
Do I need to be on QuickBooks Online already?
It helps, but it’s not required. If you’ve been using QuickBooks Desktop, another platform, or nothing at all, I can get you set up on QuickBooks Online as part of the process. New users may qualify for a 30% discount on their subscription through my ProAdvisor program.
Will I know the price before you start?
Yes, always. You’ll receive a written proposal with a fixed price before any work begins, so there’s nothing to guess at once the work starts.
What happens after the cleanup is done?
Most clients transition into monthly bookkeeping so the backlog doesn’t rebuild. If that’s the right fit, I’ll set it up as part of your onboarding. If you only need the one-time cleanup, that’s fine too.
I've been doing my own books but I think I've made mistakes. Can you fix that?
Yes. DIY bookkeeping errors are one of the most common things I clean up: wrong categories, duplicate entries, personal expenses mixed with business ones. I’ll go through everything and get it corrected.
Do you work with businesses outside California?
Yes. I work with clients in California, Oregon, and Washington through remote QuickBooks Online services.