You cannot state last quarter's result
Without opening the bank app, nobody in the business can say what came in, what went out and what was left.
Books behind · Catch-up
Catch-up bookkeeping service when you are months behind
Statements have piled up, the last close was months ago and your CPA is already asking for the year's numbers.
Catch-up bookkeeping is the project of bringing a company's books current after months without recording or closing. The work gathers the statements for the period, records and categorizes transactions, reconciles every bank and card account and ends with a verified P&L and Balance Sheet. It starts with the most recent month and works back as far as your CPA needs. You may not even have QuickBooks yet, in which case the file is built from scratch. GS Brasil works remotely with businesses in Florida and Massachusetts.
Catch-up is for missing months. If the months are recorded in QuickBooks but wrong, what you need is a QuickBooks cleanup. If everything is current and you only need to close the year, see year-end bookkeeping.
Warning signs
Signs you are too far behind on bookkeeping
Statements saved, nothing recorded
The PDFs sit in a folder, the receipts in a box, and the system stopped at a month long gone.
Someone outside asked for the numbers
Your CPA wants the year, the bank wants a P&L for a loan, and the material does not exist in a form you can hand over.
How the project works
What sizes a catch-up project and how to end with a year ready for your CPA
Three numbers set the size
Before anyone talks about timeline or price, the project needs three concrete answers.
- Since when. The last month with a verified close, not the last month someone touched the system.
- How many accounts. Bank accounts, credit cards and payment platforms, including any closed during the period.
- How much volume. The average number of transactions per month across all accounts.
The material you need to send
- Statements for every account and card in the period, as PDF or CSV.
- Reports from your industry system, such as Toast, Buildertrend or MyCase, to cross check revenue and cost.
- Payroll reports for the period.
- Prior tax returns and any active loan agreements.
- QuickBooks access, if there is a file. If there is not, the last filed return anchors the opening balances.
Why the work starts with the latest month
A month reconciled today helps you decide pricing, cash and hiring now. A month from two years ago helps, at most, with a tax return. So the rebuild starts with the last complete month and works back. Meanwhile the current month enters the routine, so the backlog stops growing. The detailed step by step is in the article on books that fall behind.
How the backlog becomes a year your CPA can use
Recording everything is not enough. The catch-up ends when the year is closed in a way your CPA can use without redoing it.
- Every account and card reconciled through December 31.
- Transfers between your own accounts separated from revenue.
- Contractors with a W-9, the form that collects their tax details, and the total paid to each in the year.
- Loan payments split into interest and principal.
- An honest list of what has no supporting document.
When the tax deadline is close
If the March 15 deadline for S corporations and partnerships, or the April 15 deadline for individuals and C corporations, is only weeks away, talk to your CPA first. They decide whether to file an extension and which period they need first. GS Brasil sets the work order from that answer: the period your CPA needs goes first and the rest follows.
How it works
From behind to current, in four stages
01
Call
The three numbers of your backlog
In twenty minutes, at no cost, we map since when, how many accounts and how much volume.
02
Scope
Material and priorities
You send statements and documents. With your CPA, we set how far back to go and what comes first.
03
Rebuild
Latest month first, then back
Recording, categorizing and reconciling month by month, with the current month already in the routine.
04
Handoff
Package for your CPA
The period is closed and handed over. Then, if it makes sense, the routine continues in Strategic Bookkeeping Basic.
Deliverables
What you have when the catch-up is done
Months recorded and reconciled
Every month in the agreed period, with bank and cards tied to the statements.
P&L and Balance Sheet for the period
Profit and loss and balance sheet by month and year to date.
An organized QuickBooks Online file
A new or existing file, with a chart of accounts that fits the industry.
Contractors and W-9s
Who was paid, how much and whether a W-9 is on file.
Open items list
Transactions without support and questions only you or your CPA can answer.
CPA package
Reports, reconciliations and documents gathered in the format your CPA asked for.
Where catch-up stops.
Bringing the books current is bookkeeping work. Deadlines, extensions and amending returns already filed are decisions for your CPA. GS Brasil does not prepare or file taxes and does not file extensions.
Frequently asked
Catch-up bookkeeping questions
I do not have QuickBooks. Can you still catch me up?
Yes. A QuickBooks Online file is created from scratch with a chart of accounts for your industry, and opening balances come from the last filed return and the statements.
How far back do I need to go?
Your CPA defines the tax obligation. For management, three to six well reconciled months usually show trend and margin. When the two point to different places, the longer one wins.
The tax deadline is coming. What do I do first?
Talk to your CPA about the deadline and a possible extension. With their answer, the period they need moves to the front of the catch-up.
What if a statement is missing?
It is the most common cause of delay. You request a copy from the bank, the work continues on other months and that period stays flagged until the document arrives.
How much does catch-up bookkeeping cost?
It depends on the three numbers: months behind, accounts and volume. There is no fixed price, and the quote comes after the first call. The article on what a bookkeeper costs explains what moves the price.
Keep reading
If your situation is different
Bookkeeping clean-up
The starting point when the books are behind, wrong, or both.
QuickBooks cleanup
When QuickBooks is in use but the numbers are wrong.
Year-end bookkeeping
The October to April calendar to close the year before tax season.
Diagnosis and Strategy
A three month project to get the house in order.
Article: books behind
The step by step of a clean-up that does not stall.
Orlando and Kissimmee
Portuguese speaking bookkeeper for the Orlando area.
First step
Start with the first conversation
Twenty minutes, no commitment, to understand where your company is and point the way.