Catch-Up Bookkeeping Services in Westchester, NY
Behind on your books? Catch-up bookkeeping rebuilds the months or years you missed from your bank and card statements, reconciles every account, and leaves you with books you can file, borrow and plan from. We do it from our White Plains office for businesses across Westchester, the Bronx and New York City, with a fixed quote before we start.
Signs you need catch-up bookkeeping
- You are on an October 15 extension and the books are not ready.
- Bank or credit card accounts have not been reconciled in three months or more.
- You cannot say whether last quarter was profitable.
- A lender, landlord or buyer has asked for a profit and loss statement.
- The IRS or New York State has sent you a notice.
- Business and personal spending share the same account.
- Your last bookkeeper left, or your QuickBooks file was never set up properly.
How catch-up bookkeeping works
- Free 15 minute call: How many months behind you are, which accounts are involved, roughly how many transactions, and any deadline you are working to.
- A fixed quote: You know the price before any work starts. No hourly meter running in the background.
- Send your statements: Bank, credit card and loan statements for the period, plus payroll reports and any sales tax filings, shared through a secure portal.
- Rebuild and reconcile: Every transaction categorized, every account reconciled to its statement, and duplicates or errors in any existing file fixed.
- Review it together: You get a profit and loss statement, a balance sheet, the general ledger and a short list of questions only you can answer.
- Stay current: File your return or extension from clean books, then move to monthly bookkeeping or keep the books yourself with BIB Pro.
What we need from you
- Bank and credit card statements for every business account in the catch-up period
- Loan and line of credit statements
- Payroll reports and any 1099s you issued
- Sales tax returns, if you collect sales tax
- Your most recent filed tax return
- Access to, or an export of, your existing QuickBooks or other bookkeeping file
- Receipts for cash purchases and anything that never touched a statement
Why not wait
- Deadlines do not move: Individual returns on extension are due October 15. Missing it adds a failure-to-file penalty of 5% of the unpaid tax for each month the return is late, up to 25%.
- Undocumented expenses get lost: An expense that never makes it into the books never makes it onto the return. Receipts go missing and memories fade, so every month you wait costs deductions.
- Year-end moves need real numbers: Equipment purchases, retirement contributions and S corp decisions have to happen before December 31, and they only make sense with current books.
Frequently asked questions
What is catch-up bookkeeping?
Catch-up bookkeeping brings books that have fallen behind back up to date. We rebuild the missing months from bank, credit card and loan statements, categorize every transaction, reconcile each account to its statement, and hand back a current profit and loss statement and balance sheet.
How much does catch-up bookkeeping cost?
Most catch-up projects cost $500 to $3,000, depending on how many months are behind, how many accounts and transactions there are, and the state of the records. Several years of neglected books cost more. We quote a fixed price after a free 15 minute call, before any work starts.
How far back can you catch up?
As far as you need. Most projects cover the current year and sometimes the one before it, but we also rebuild several years of books for unfiled returns or IRS notices, working from bank statements, which banks can usually provide for several years back.
Can you catch up my books before a tax deadline?
Often, if we start early and your statements are available. On the first call we tell you honestly whether your deadline is realistic. For individual returns on extension, that deadline is October 15.
Do I need QuickBooks?
No. If you already use QuickBooks or similar software, we work in your file and fix what is wrong with it. If you have no system at all, we set one up as part of the catch-up.
What happens after the catch-up?
You decide. Most clients move to monthly bookkeeping so the books never pile up again. Owners who would rather keep their own books use BIB Pro, our guided bookkeeping portal, at $29.99 a month with our team behind it.
Do you work with businesses outside Westchester?
Yes. Catch-up work is done from statements, so we work remotely with businesses in the Bronx, New York City, Rockland County and all 50 states, as well as clients who come to our White Plains office.