Catch-up
How catch-up bookkeeping actually works
The order of operations for rebuilding months of missing books, what documentation is required, and how long each stage takes.
The short answer
- Catch-up work is done in chronological order because each month's ending balances feed the next.
- Bank and card statements are the backbone; receipts fill in detail and support deductions.
- A six-month catch-up with good documentation usually takes two to four weeks.
- The output is reconciled months plus filing-ready financial statements.
Stage one: establish the starting point
Find the last month that was genuinely reconciled. If none exists, the starting point is the opening of the first tax year still in scope, using bank statements to establish opening balances.
Stage two: import and categorize
Every transaction is imported and categorized by pattern, with rules built as vendors repeat. Uncertain items are batched into a question list rather than guessed.
Stage three: reconcile, month by month
Each month is reconciled to the statement before the next month is touched. This is what prevents a cleanup from becoming a second cleanup.
Stage four: balance sheet cleanup
Loans agreed to lender balances, payroll liabilities cleared, opening balance equity zeroed, owner draws pulled out of expenses, and fixed assets recorded properly.
Stage five: delivery
Reconciled financials by month, a summary of the corrections made and a handoff package your CPA can file from.
What you see inside LedgerDude
One page with your money in and money out, your cash on hand, and a short list of questions when we need your help.
Catch-up bookkeeping, stage by stage
- 1
Find the starting point
Identify the last reconciled month or establish opening balances from statements.
- 2
Collect statements
Gather bank, card and loan statements for every open month.
- 3
Categorize
Code every transaction, building rules as patterns repeat.
- 4
Reconcile in order
Prove each month against its statement before moving forward.
- 5
Clean the balance sheet
Fix loans, payroll liabilities, draws and fixed assets.
- 6
Deliver
Issue reconciled financials and a correction summary.
Questions people ask
What do I need to provide?
Bank, credit card and loan statements for the open months, payroll reports if you have employees, and receipts for larger purchases.
Can you work from bank feeds alone?
Feeds usually reach back 90 days only, so statements are required for older periods.
Will this fix my prior tax returns?
It gives your CPA accurate numbers. Whether to amend a filed return is their call, based on how material the corrections are.
Keep reading
What catch-up bookkeeping costs, and why quotes vary
How catch-up pricing is built, the five factors that move the number, and how to compare two quotes that look nothing alike.
How far back should catch-up bookkeeping go?
How to decide how many years to rebuild, what tax filings require, and when older periods are not worth the money.
All catch-up guide library guides
Every guide in this library.
All guide libraries
Accounting, QuickBooks and catch-up.
Our services
Hand the whole thing to us instead.
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We read your receipts, match your bank activity, and close your books every month. You get one short list of questions and a dashboard that always tells the truth.