Behind? That's normal.

There is no such thing as too far behind. Six years of unopened mail is a normal Tuesday, and nothing you tell me on our call will be the worst I’ve seen.

Being behind is the most common reason someone calls me, and it is the most fixable.

How a cleanup works

1. We find the edges. What’s been filed, what hasn’t, which accounts exist, and what records actually survive. Bank statements are usually enough even when nothing else is.
2. I rebuild the ledger. Working forward from the last point the books were right — or from the beginning, if that’s where we are.
3. Everything gets reconciled. Not “close enough.” Matched to the statements, month by month, so the numbers hold up if anyone asks.
4. You get a clean handoff. Tidy books, a summary of what I found, and a set of financials your CPA can file from.

The part people worry about

Two things, usually. Neither is as bad as expected.

Cost. Catch-up is quoted as a one-time project, separately from ongoing work. I’ll send the quote in writing within two business days of our call, and you see the number before anything starts. Longer gaps cost more, but the price doesn’t balloon mid-job.

Judgment. There isn’t any. Businesses fall behind because the work got busy — which is the good problem. I’d rather you call me three years late than not call.

Migrating your records

On spreadsheets, paper, or nothing at all? Moving you onto real bookkeeping software is part of the cleanup, not an extra line on the invoice.