Bookkeeping Cleanup Services
CPA-led bookkeeping cleanup under a confirmed written scope.
Who it is for
Small businesses whose books are months or years behind, or don't match the bank.
What you get
Corrected, reconciled books, as far as the records allow, for the periods, accounts and records named in your written scope, with a P&L and balance sheet for each corrected period, organized for tax preparation. See a fictional cleanup summary.
What to send
A few lines through the contact form: what you're seeing, which periods you think are involved and which software you use. Don't send records yet.
What it costs
See the Overview below and published starting prices. I quote a flat fee in writing before any work starts.
How long it takes
It depends on the periods, the accounts, the condition of the records and how quickly you respond. Your written offer gives an estimate.
What happens next
Choose Bookkeeping Cleanup / Catch-Up on the contact form. If I can take on the work, I send a written offer with the scope, fee, payment terms and estimated timing.
Quick Answer
- Cleanup may include recategorizing transactions, reconciling specified accounts, reviewing duplicates or errors, and agreed financial statements for the periods and records in the written scope.
The details
- If bookkeeping-cleanup work is offered after contact-form intake, the covered records, fee, assumptions, and estimated timing are stated in a written scope before acceptance; no typical price or completion range is represented.
- Cleanup may include transaction recategorization, reconciliation of specified accounts, duplicate or error review, and agreed financial statements for the periods and records identified in the written scope.
- Timing depends on the periods, accounts, transaction volume, the condition of the records, and how quickly you respond. The engagement letter gives an estimate and its assumptions; there is no standard completion window.
- A CPA-led cleanup adds tax-classification review and organizes the corrected records for tax preparation and substantiation.
- QuickBooks Online and FreshBooks may be supported. If you're on spreadsheets or another platform, migration to QBO can be part of the cleanup process.
Often comes together
Several business problems at once? Start with a Diagnostic
Bookkeeping cleanup (also called catch-up bookkeeping) is a CPA-led review of identified incomplete or backlogged records. Under an accepted scope, Monaco CPA may review transaction categories, reconcile specified bank and credit-card accounts, address duplicates, and produce scope-limited reports from the supplied records. QuickBooks Online and FreshBooks may be supported. Any offered flat fee starts at $750 and is confirmed after contact-form intake; completeness or a particular financial-statement result is not promised.
If your books are behind, a cleanup scope names the periods, accounts, and records to correct and reconcile. I work in both QuickBooks Online and FreshBooks files. Before you write, the free bookkeeping self-check can sort your own answers about twelve record-keeping areas.
I am the firm's sole practitioner. I am responsible for every cleanup I accept, and I review, approve, and sign everything you receive. Your written scope lists the records covered and the tax-sensitive classification review.
After contact-form intake, any offered bookkeeping-cleanup scope states a flat fee and covered work in writing; additional work requires separate written approval.
Scope and result: I correct and reconcile only the records named in your written scope. An adjustment may increase, decrease, or leave reported income unchanged.
CPA-led review: Within your scope, I look for classification, information-return, depreciation, and reconciliation issues. Correcting an item may increase, decrease, or leave tax unchanged; the records and applicable law determine the result.
See the fictional cleanup summary for an illustration of findings and unresolved records. It is an invented example, not a client result.
Issues a cleanup may address: Duplicate transactions from overlapping bank feeds, gross-versus-net revenue entries, unsupported Undeposited Funds balances, and personal-versus-business classification questions. Whether an issue exists and how it affects the records depend on the source documents and the work we agree on.
When a cleanup fits: A cleanup may be relevant when a tax preparer identifies errors, prior records contain unresolved entries, records were maintained on spreadsheets, or covered periods are incomplete. The actual records, periods, accounts, and agreed cadence determine the work.
Tell me what you need help with
Share the basics through the contact form.
Get StartedView PricingHow far behind is too far?
No backlog is too far behind to ask about, whether it's three months or several years. The difference is how much work the cleanup takes.
| How far behind | What the work may involve |
|---|---|
| 1 to 6 months | Reconciling the covered accounts, categorizing transactions and making identified corrections |
| 7 to 12 months | Reconciling a longer period, reviewing uncategorized items and checking beginning balances |
| 1 to 2 years or more | Rebuilding more than one year from statements and reviewing the chart of accounts |
If the books are behind and returns are late too, start with a diagnostic. It is a paid first step that looks at the filings, the books and any open agency letters before a cleanup is quoted.
You don't have to clean up before asking for help
You can start with “I'm not sure what's wrong.” I do not need accounting terms in your first message.
Tell me what you are seeing: months of transactions that have not been entered, a report that does not make sense, a letter that is still open, an owner who has left, or records a buyer or lender is waiting for. Say which periods you think are involved and which accounting system you use.
Bank and card statements, payment-processor reports, payroll reports, loan records and purchase receipts can help explain the gaps. You do not need to have them all before making an inquiry. Do not send them through the contact form.
I would want to see the records as they stand. Keep the original files. Leave unexplained balances, old reconciliations and entries you do not understand alone until someone has looked at them.
The Bookkeeping Cleanup Prep Kit makes a printable list of records by account and period. Mark each available, requested or missing. It does not check the records or tell you what the work will cost.
Use the contact form to describe the situation. If I can take on the work, I set out the work and fee in a written scope before you decide whether to accept it.
Start with a Diagnostic
When the books are only part of the problem, I can start with a diagnostic: one look at the filings, the books and any open agency letters before a cleanup is quoted. It is a paid first step.
If someone is leaving, my guide to when the bookkeeper leaves includes a map you can print for the handoff.
Scope and limits
- Please don't upload an accounting file, bank statements or other sensitive records through the contact form. If I need records, separate written instructions say which ones and how to send them.
- The statements I deliver are bookkeeping reports for tax preparation and routine internal review. They are not audited, reviewed or compiled financial statements, and I give no assurance on them. Lender, investor, fundraising and due-diligence packages are not included.
- I can clean up vendor and payee records, but accounts payable (paying your bills), accounts receivable (what customers owe you), billing, collections and payment execution stay with you.
- If a filed return may be affected, amended-return work is considered separately after the corrected records are reviewed.
What's Included
- Contact-form intake review of your current books
- Transaction recategorization for entries covered by the written scope
- Bank and credit-card reconciliation for the accounts we agree on
- Duplicate transaction identification and removal
- Uncategorized transaction resolution
- Vendor and payee master-data cleanup; no AP, AR, billing, collections, or payment execution
- P&L and Balance Sheet for each corrected period
- Tax-deduction review during cleanup
- Year-end coordination with tax preparation
- Optional transition to monthly bookkeeping
How It Works
The written engagement and intake instructions describe the expected steps from first contact through the accepted work; timing and steps may vary with the agreed scope and client-supplied information.
- 1
Contact-Form Intake Review
Use the contact form to tell me your accounting system, the periods and accounts involved, and how the records look now.
- 2
Flat-Rate Quote
The covered records, fee, estimated timing, and assumptions are set out in writing before work starts.
- 3
Systematic Cleanup
I work through each month: recategorizing transactions, reconciling accounts, removing duplicates, and fixing errors.
- 4
Financial Statement Delivery
You receive an organized P&L and balance sheet for each corrected period for tax preparation and routine internal review.
- 5
Transition to Monthly
Optional: move to ongoing monthly bookkeeping, agreed separately in writing with its own records, periods, deliverables, and fee.
What affects your quote
- The condition of your records
- The number of accounts and entities involved
- The tax years or periods covered
- The states involved
See published starting prices. The engagement letter confirms the scope and price before work starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is bookkeeping cleanup, and when do I need it?
How much does bookkeeping cleanup cost for a small business?
How long does QuickBooks cleanup take?
What documents do I need to start a cleanup?
Will I owe more taxes after a cleanup?
What's the difference between a bookkeeper and a CPA for cleanup?
Can you clean up books from multiple years?
What does monthly bookkeeping include?
What's the difference between catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping?
When should a small business hire a bookkeeper?
How does clean bookkeeping affect tax reporting?
Which industries do you serve for bookkeeping?
How do you handle mixed personal and business expenses?
What happens if my previous bookkeeper made errors?
Do I need to switch to QuickBooks for your services?
Get a Written Cleanup Quote
Send your request through the contact form. I read each inquiry myself and do my best to reply within a week. If we work together, the scope, price and next steps are agreed in writing, and work starts only after you accept it. If you reach out between January and April, I'll confirm in writing when I can start.
Use of this website does not create a CPA-client relationship.
Tax advice disclaimer: This material is for general educational information only and is not legal, tax, or accounting advice for your specific facts. A CPA-client relationship is formed only through a signed engagement letter.