Cleanups & Catch-Ups
Which situation are you in:
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Cleanup: Your books exist and something (or many things) are wrong in them: miscategorized transactions, unreconciled accounts, errors from a previous bookkeeper or DIY attempt, etc.
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Catch-Up: Your books are essentially untouched. We're starting from close to zero and building them from scratch.
Most clients I work with are 1-2 years behind when they reach out, though I regularly take on cleanups up to 3 years behind, and I've worked with businesses as far as 7 years behind. Whatever situation you've found yourself in, the goal is to get you current, accurate, and confident in your numbers again.
As a general guide, a cleanup typically takes 4-6 weeks of work per year you're behind, so a typical 1-2 year cleanup runs roughly 1-3 months, while a longer cleanup takes proportionally more time. That's why your project will start with a close look at your books before pricing is set. (If you're in a rush, we can often do a priority clean-up with a shorter time frame for a rush fee.)
Ongoing Monthly Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping works best as an ongoing partnership. Staying engaged throughout the year, not just at tax time, is what keeps your business healthy.
Once you're caught up, I keep you there. Every month, in QuickBooks Online, I handle:
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Transaction categorization and coding
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Account reconciliations
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Tracking of accounts receivable, accounts payable, and payroll (recorded in your books; I don't run payroll or process AR/AP directly)
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Watching for contractor payments that may need a 1099, and letting you know when it's time to request a W9
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Clean, accurate books ready to hand off to your tax preparer at year-end
Year-end 1099 filing is available as an optional add-on service.
What I don't do: tax preparation, payroll processing, running AR/AP, or inventory management. I'll track limited inventory if you handle regular counts (quarterly, at minimum), since I can't verify the physical inventory myself.
Pricing: Monthly bookkeeping starts at $500/month for most clients, with $800+/month typical depending on complexity. A limited $350/month rate is available for micro-clients by exception.
I'm not the lowest-priced option out there. Quality bookkeeping takes real time and expertise. If you think hiring a professional is expensive, wait until you try hiring an amateur.
How We Get Started
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Book a discovery call. You'll fill out a short questionnaire beforehand, and can optionally give me a look at your QuickBooks before we talk.
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We have a chat. This call is mostly about getting to know your business and goals, and giving you a chance to see if I'm someone you'd feel comfortable working with.
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Free or paid diagnostic review. For simpler or newer books, I'll quote you for free. For larger or more complex situations, I'll recommend a paid diagnostic review (starting around $500, up to $750 for larger/complex companies). The paid diagnostic review includes a full report on what I find and exactly what it will take to fix it.
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Proposal + video walkthrough. You'll get a clear proposal covering both the cleanup and ongoing monthly bookkeeping pricing, plus a video where I walk you through the proposal and a few real examples from your books.
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Engagement letter & onboarding. Once you're ready to move forward, I'll send an engagement letter and set up billing. Autopay is required for ongoing monthly bookkeeping; cleanup fees can be invoiced if preferred.
What Happens After You Sign
Getting started. Since I already have access to your QuickBooks from the quote process, I'll add you to my Client Portal and request any documents or system access I still need. Once I have what I need and any questions are answered, I get to work.
Staying in touch. Most of our communication happens right in the Client Portal, where I ask about specific transactions or anything more general as it comes up. You can respond, upload documents, and add backup directly there, even from your phone. It keeps the cleanup moving without a pile of back-and-forth emails.
If you're behind multiple years and have a tax preparer waiting, I'll start with the oldest year and work forward, letting you know as each year is finished and sending you the financial statements you need to get that year's taxes filed. (If you're on a payment plan, each payment is due before I move on to the next section of work.)
Moving forward after the cleanup. Once we're caught up to the current month, you'll get a "congratulations, you're caught up" email, and we move into ongoing monthly bookkeeping.
If you're adding monthly bookkeeping (which I recommend if we're cleaning up to the present rather than just to the end of last year), I start working on the current month as part of the cleanup. By the time your cleanup is finished, your monthly bookkeeping is already up and running, no gap in between.
I work Best With
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Businesses with 1-25 employees and $500K-$5M in gross revenue
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QuickBooks Online users
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Owners who are ready and motivated to get their numbers under control, even if you're behind, even if it's messy
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Businesses with limited or no inventory (with regular counts on your end)
I'm not the right fit for:
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Real estate (agents, agencies, investors, loan officers)
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Restaurants
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Travel-related industries
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Businesses with significant inventory tracking needs
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Anyone who wants to hand off their books and disappear until tax time