Bookkeeping Cleanup & Catch‑Up

Cleanup timelines depend on transaction volume, complexity, and the extent of issues requiring resolution. We give a timeline estimate after reviewing your books and assessing the scope of work needed. Simple cleanup projects with low transaction volumes and minimal issues may be completed within a few weeks, while complex projects with high volumes, multiple periods, or extensive errors can take several months. Factors affecting timeline include number of transactions to process, number of accounts requiring reconciliation, availability of source documents, need for prior bookkeeper coordination, and complexity of errors or discrepancies. We work efficiently and systematically, but thorough cleanup requires time to ensure accuracy. During initial assessment, we review your situation, estimate scope, and provide a realistic timeline based on your specific circumstances. However, timelines can be affected by document availability, response times, or unexpected issues discovered during cleanup, so we communicate any timeline adjustments promptly.

Yes, firm-to-firm handoff is common and often helpful for smooth transition and complete information transfer. We can coordinate with your prior bookkeeper to obtain records, understand existing processes, clarify transactions, and ensure complete handoff of your books. This coordination helps ensure we have all necessary information, understand context for transactions, and can address questions that arise during cleanup. Firm-to-firm communication is typically professional and focused on ensuring your books are properly maintained and transitioned. However, coordination depends on your prior bookkeeper's availability and willingness to assist-some bookkeepers are very helpful with transitions, while others may have limited availability. We'll work with whatever information is available, but coordination with prior bookkeepers can significantly improve cleanup efficiency and completeness. We respect professional boundaries and focus on obtaining information needed for cleanup rather than critiquing prior work.

Yes, cleanup outputs are audit-friendly and organized to support lender reviews, CRA reviews, and other audit situations. We ensure transactions are properly documented, accounts are reconciled, and supporting documentation is organized and accessible. Clean books with proper categorization, complete reconciliations, and organized documentation make reviews smoother and demonstrate good record-keeping practices. We organize documentation in a way that makes it easy to locate and review specific transactions or accounts, and we ensure financial reports are accurate and based on clean data. However, audit outcomes depend on many factors including the specific issues being reviewed, completeness of documentation, and reviewer requirements, so we can't guarantee specific audit results. We focus on ensuring your books are clean, accurate, and well-documented to support reviews, but final outcomes depend on the specific review circumstances and requirements. We can also coordinate with Corporate CRA Audit & Representation services if reviews arise.

Cleanup covers multiple areas including chart of accounts organization, account reconciliations, transaction categorization, error correction, and documentation gathering. Chart of accounts cleanup involves reviewing account structure, removing duplicate or unnecessary accounts, ensuring consistent naming, and organizing accounts logically. Reconciliation cleanup involves reconciling all bank accounts, credit cards, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and other accounts to ensure balances match statements and records. Transaction categorization involves reviewing uncategorized transactions, properly coding them to appropriate accounts, and ensuring consistent coding throughout historical periods. Error correction involves identifying and fixing data entry errors, duplicate entries, incorrect amounts, or misclassified transactions. Documentation gathering involves identifying missing receipts, invoices, or other supporting documents and organizing them for easy access. The scope of cleanup depends on your specific situation-some businesses need comprehensive cleanup across all areas, while others may need focused work on specific issues. We assess your needs during initial review and tailor cleanup scope accordingly.

After cleanup is complete, we provide clean books ready for ongoing maintenance and coordinate handoff to your ongoing bookkeeping or accounting services. Handoff typically includes providing access to cleaned books, explaining any changes made during cleanup, documenting account structures and processes, and answering questions about the cleaned-up state. If you're transitioning to ongoing Bookkeeping Services with us, we seamlessly transition from cleanup to ongoing maintenance. If you're using another bookkeeper or accountant, we provide complete documentation and coordinate handoff to ensure continuity. We ensure your books are in good shape for ongoing maintenance, with clear account structures, reconciled balances, and organized documentation. However, ongoing maintenance requires consistent transaction processing and reconciliation, so we emphasize the importance of maintaining clean books going forward. We can provide training or guidance on maintaining books after cleanup, and we're available to answer questions during the transition period.