Catch-Up Bookkeeping Services for Small Businesses
If your bookkeeping is several months or even years behind, Dari & Associates can bring your books up to date and prepare accurate financials for your CPA or tax preparer. We work with U.S. small businesses: transactions categorized, bank and credit card accounts reconciled, and financial statements ready for your CPA or tax preparer.
Our practice is led by a Certified Accountant and QuickBooks Online Advanced ProAdvisor with more than 10 years of experience supporting U.S. clients.
Falling behind happens. Catching up is our job.
Catch-up bookkeeping is for business owners who know their books are not current and want them fixed properly. Most of the businesses we help are dealing with one or more of these situations:
- Bookkeeping that has not been touched in several months or longer
- Bank or credit card accounts that have not been reconciled in months
- Transactions sitting uncategorized, or categorized inconsistently
- Financial reports that cannot be trusted for decisions or tax filing
- A CPA or tax preparer asking for records you do not have ready
- A recent switch in bookkeepers that left the books in an uncertain state
If any of this sounds familiar, the right next step is a conversation. We will review where your books stand and tell you plainly what it takes to get them current. This service sits alongside our broader bookkeeping services for U.S. small businesses and CPA firms.
What our catch-up bookkeeping includes
Review of existing books
A full review of your current records, whatever state they are in, so we know exactly what is complete, what is missing, and what needs attention.
Transaction categorization
Every outstanding transaction recorded and categorized correctly, giving your chart of accounts real meaning again.
Bank reconciliations
Each bank account reconciled against statements for every outstanding period, with discrepancies researched and resolved.
Credit card reconciliations
Business credit card accounts reconciled the same way, so balances on your books match what you actually owe.
Balance sheet account review
Loans, owner draws, payroll liabilities, and other balance sheet accounts reviewed so your financial position is accurate, not just your income and expenses.
Identification and correction of issues
Duplicated entries, missing transactions, and miscategorized items identified and corrected as part of bringing the books current.
QuickBooks Online cleanup
Where the QuickBooks Online file itself needs work, we clean up lists, bank feeds, and account structure as an Advanced Certified ProAdvisor.
Accurate financial statements
Complete profit and loss and balance sheet reports for each caught-up period, prepared to a standard your CPA can rely on.
CPA-ready handover
Books organized and ready for your CPA or tax preparer, with the supporting detail they typically ask for during tax season.
How a catch-up engagement works
A clear, methodical process from the first review to CPA-ready financials. Every engagement is different, so we scope the work carefully instead of quoting generic timelines.
- 01
Initial review
We start by reviewing your existing books and records: your accounting software, bank and credit card accounts, and any prior bookkeeping. This tells us how far behind things are and what the work will involve.
- 02
Scope and plan
Based on the review, we outline the periods and accounts to be completed, the records we need from you, and any cleanup issues identified. You receive a written proposal and an estimated completion schedule based on the backlog, transaction volume, complexity, and availability of supporting records before the project begins.
- 03
Bringing the books current
We record and categorize outstanding transactions, reconcile every bank and credit card account period by period, and correct the issues identified along the way.
- 04
Review and quality check
Completed work is reviewed for accuracy: reconciliations tied to statements, balances verified, and reports checked for consistency before anything is delivered to you.
- 05
Delivery and next steps
You receive financial statements for the completed periods and organized supporting records for your CPA or tax preparer. Any outstanding questions or missing information are identified for follow-up. From there, you can transition to ongoing monthly bookkeeping to maintain the records on an agreed schedule.
Catch-up vs. cleanup bookkeeping
These two terms are often used together, but they describe different work. Catch-up bookkeeping focuses on completing bookkeeping that has fallen behind: entering and categorizing missing transactions and reconciling the periods that were never done. Cleanup bookkeeping focuses on correcting problems in books that have already been entered, such as miscategorized transactions, duplicated entries, or account balances that do not match reality.
Overdue books frequently need some of both. During our initial review we identify what your books actually need, and we explain it clearly before any work begins, so the scope matches the real state of your records rather than a label.
Staying current, month after month
Once the catch-up project is complete, you can continue with ongoing monthly bookkeeping. We establish a recurring schedule for transaction categorization, account reconciliations, and financial reporting, with a clear process for receiving documents and resolving questions.
We support small businesses across a wide range of fields. See the industries we serve, or explore our ongoing monthly bookkeeping services.
Questions about catch-up work
Straight answers for business owners whose books have fallen behind.
- How far behind can my books be?
- There is no fixed limit. We regularly work with businesses whose books are several months behind, as well as businesses that have gone a year or longer without proper bookkeeping. After an initial review, we will tell you exactly what is missing and what it will take to bring your records current.
- Can you catch up multiple months or years?
- Yes. We handle multi-month and multi-year catch-up projects, organizing the work period by period. The engagement identifies the accounts and periods to be completed, the supporting records required, and the financial statements to be delivered. Any missing information or unresolved questions are communicated during the project.
- Can you work with my existing QuickBooks Online account?
- Yes. QuickBooks Online is our specialty, and we are a QuickBooks Online Advanced Certified ProAdvisor. In most cases we work directly inside your existing QuickBooks Online company, so your data, history, and accountant access stay exactly where they are.
- What if my bookkeeping contains errors?
- That is common in overdue books, and it is part of the service. While bringing the books current we review balance sheet accounts, look for duplicated or missing transactions, and correct miscategorized entries. If the errors go deeper, we will explain what we found and recommend the right scope of cleanup work.
- Will my books be ready for my CPA or tax preparer?
- That is the goal of every catch-up engagement. You receive reconciled, categorized, and accurate financial statements that your CPA or tax preparer can work from directly. We are also glad to coordinate with them if questions come up.
- Can you continue handling my bookkeeping after the catch-up is complete?
- Yes, and most catch-up clients choose exactly that. Once your books are current, you can transition to ongoing monthly bookkeeping, so your accounts stay reconciled and your financial reports stay reliable every month going forward.
Ready to get your books current?
Book a free consultation. We will review where your bookkeeping stands and give you a clear, professional plan to bring it up to date.
Book a Free Consultation