Catch-Up Bookkeeping in Northern Virginia
Behind on your books? Catch-up bookkeeping from Ledger & Logic brings your records up to date so you can see where your business stands.
Books fall behind for ordinary reasons, and we know running the business usually comes first. The same person handles your books from the first conversation onward. We review your records, tell you what the work involves, and give you a clear scope before anything begins.
Catch-up and cleanup
Catch-up brings overdue bookkeeping up to date by recording missing transactions and completing unfinished work.
Cleanup is for bookkeeping that was done but needs correcting. The transactions are there, but they are miscategorized, duplicated, or posted to accounts that do not reflect what happened.
You might need one, or both. We will guide you through deciding which is right for you, and where both apply they come as a single proposal with a clear scope.
Who catch-up bookkeeping helps
You are in the right place if any of these sound familiar:
- You are behind on your bookkeeping
- Your accounts have not been reconciled in a while
- Your tax preparer has asked for records you cannot produce
- You are applying for financing and need current financial statements
- Your QuickBooks was set up in a way that has not worked for your business
- You moved from spreadsheets and some of it did not come across
- You are preparing to sell and a buyer will be reviewing your numbers
Ledger & Logic works with small businesses across Northern Virginia, and because the work happens in your cloud-based QuickBooks file, we can support clients anywhere in the country.
For contractors, landscapers, and other project-based businesses, we also review how materials, subcontractor costs, customer deposits, and progress payments are recorded to identify any areas that need attention.
Sound like your situation?
How it works
A personal consultation
Tell us roughly how far back the records go and which accounts are involved. Based on what you share, we can usually give you a broad range on the call.
A review of your books
We review the records you have before quoting, so the scope reflects their condition.
Scope and price
We put both in writing before any work begins.
Access
We help you grant accountant access to QuickBooks Online and, where available, read-only access to your business bank and credit card accounts so we can retrieve statements directly. If your financial institution does not offer that access, you can share statements through QuickBooks Online or a shared Google Drive folder.
The work
We reconcile, categorize and correct month by month, starting with the earliest.
Your finished books
You get reconciled accounts and updated reports, ready to hand to whoever needs them.
What catch-up bookkeeping includes
- Business bank and credit card accounts included in the agreed scope, reconciled month by month against your statements
- Transactions categorized so your reports are accurate
- Duplicate entries removed
- Miscategorized entries corrected
- Your chart of accounts reviewed and adjusted to fit how your business works
- Opening balances reviewed and corrected as needed
- A list of outstanding customer balances and unpaid vendor bills
- Updated financial reports for the period, including a profit and loss statement and a balance sheet
Personalized scope and pricing
Each catch-up project is quoted as a fixed fee based on your needs and a review of your books. You receive a clear scope and price before work begins. If we identify additional work outside that scope, we discuss any proposed changes with you and obtain your approval before proceeding.
Want a number for your own books?
What we need from you
Less than you might expect. For bank and credit card accounts we ask for read-only access, so we can pull the statements ourselves rather than asking you to gather them. Everything else is shared securely through QuickBooks Online or a Google Drive folder set up for you.
That leaves:
- Access to your existing QuickBooks file, if you have one
- Loan statements and payment schedules
- Payroll records for the period, if you ran payroll
- Prior tax returns, if available, to help review opening balances
- Notes on any large or unusual transactions you can explain
If a receipt is missing, we will ask you for the details or any supporting paperwork rather than guessing. If something still cannot be resolved, we will work it out with you, and bring your tax preparer in where that helps.
After your books are current
A catch-up is a one-time project with an end date. Once your records are current, keeping them that way takes much less effort than getting there did.
Some clients switch to monthly bookkeeping so they do not fall behind again. Others keep the books themselves in a properly configured QuickBooks file. We will talk through which one fits your situation, and why. If your QuickBooks itself is part of the problem, we can fix that through QuickBooks setup services.
Getting current often shows you what you would like help with next. If you would like us to follow up with the customers who owe you, or pay your vendor bills for you, we’d be happy to discuss adding accounts receivable and accounts payable services. If you bill by the job and want to see the profit on each one going forward, we can explore job costing services with you.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a catch-up take?
It depends on how much time is missing and how quickly the statements come in. Gathering documents is usually the longest step. You get a projected completion date along with your scope and price.
Can you catch up more than one year at once?
Often, yes. Whether we can take on a multi-year project depends on the records available, how complex the work is, and our capacity at the time, so it is best talked through on a call. Where we do take one on, we start with the earliest year, because correcting a recent one first produces numbers that change once the years before it are done.
What if I am not sure how far behind I am?
That is common. A rough idea of when things last felt under control is plenty to get started, and the review will tell us the rest.
Not seeing your question? Read the full FAQAsk Kris on a call
A note on taxes. Ledger & Logic provides bookkeeping services and does not prepare or file income tax returns. We help organize your financial records for tax preparation and, with your permission, work directly with your tax preparer on bookkeeping questions and adjustments. We do handle sales tax filing and 1099 preparation, and both are separate work from an income tax return.
See what it would take to get your books current.
Book a personal consultation. We’ll discuss your needs, provide a broad pricing range when possible, and explain the next steps toward a formal quote.