What happened in the bank
The payment happened once.
- Opening bank balance
- $10,000
- Actual supplier payment
- − $900
- Statement closing balance
- $9,100
QuickBooks cleanup services.
Make your numbers make sense.
Bookeeping.us helps US businesses investigate duplicate expenses, reconciliation differences and unreliable QuickBooks reports. AI assists preparation; your named bookkeeper checks the evidence, agrees the corrections with you and reviews the work. We assess your edition and file before committing.
Request a bookkeeping assessmentYour current software. A scoped project. A named human reviewer.
Find the reason.
Then decide the correction.
A difference can come from a missing transaction, an opening balance, a duplicate or a genuine timing item. Changing a number until a report looks right does not explain what happened. We assess the cause and the periods affected before agreeing the work.
| What you notice | What we investigate | Information that helps |
|---|---|---|
| Bank or card balances do not match. | Opening balances, recorded movements and reconciliation items. | Complete statements and prior reconciliation reports. |
| The same expense appears twice. | Whether a bill, payment, check or bank-feed entry duplicated the same event. | The invoice, payment record and related entries. |
| Money moved between accounts appears as sales. | Whether a transfer was recorded as income rather than movement between accounts. | Both sides of the transfer and its business context. |
| Outstanding invoices or bills look wrong. | Payments, links and items remaining in receivable or payable reports. | Customer and supplier records, with confirmation where needed. |
| Uncategorized items keep accumulating. | Descriptions, account mapping and questions needed to assign the agreed categories. | Receipts, bills and the purpose of the transactions. |
A mismatch is a question to investigate, not a reason to force an adjustment. Our bank reconciliation guide explains the records behind the check.
A useful assessment
starts with the records.
Tell us what looks wrong first. During onboarding, we agree the records and access needed to investigate the accounts and periods in scope.
| Record | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Edition, company file and import history | Identify the active Online or Desktop file, conversions, uploads and apps that may have posted the same activity. |
| Complete bank and card statements | Check actual transactions and balances for the affected period, including the preceding statement where the starting balance needs investigation. |
| Previous reconciliation reports | Identify the last completed period and items that may have changed since it was reconciled. |
| Invoices, bills and payment records | Check whether a payment is already linked to an invoice or bill before treating another entry as a duplicate. |
| Open-item reports and business context | Explain old receivables, payables, transfers and uncategorized entries. For rental accounts, include the property and entity mapping. |
| Reports already relied on | Tell us which periods were used for filed returns or lender reports, so changes can be coordinated with the relevant professional. |
A live bank connection is optional. Complete manual statements can support the agreed workflow. Keep financial files, passwords and account numbers out of the initial enquiry form.
With suitable permissions, QuickBooks Online’s audit log can help investigate user activity and transaction changes. Available history and access are checked during assessment; we do not assume every historical event can be recovered.
For ongoing work after cleanup, see our QuickBooks bookkeeping service. A software subscription or an automated match does not replace the agreed records checks.
Understand.
Correct. Review.
Describe what looks wrong
Tell us which reports, balances or periods concern you. We also ask about prior reconciliations, software changes and reports already used for a return or lender.
Agree what will be assessed
We confirm accounts, periods, available evidence, access and project boundaries. Any assessment charge and the basis for additional correction work belong in the proposal.
Investigate the recorded items
AI assistance supports the team’s preparation; your bookkeeper examines the discrepancy and the related records. We request explanations where the business purpose or intended treatment is uncertain.
Make the agreed corrections
The correction method follows the evidence, software workflow and period being changed. Previously filed or otherwise relied-on periods may require coordination with your accountant before a change.
Check the effect and hand over
A named bookkeeper checks the agreed work, including affected balances and reports. We explain the resolved issues and any exceptions or further work identified.
Illustrative example · Fictional data
One supplier payment.
Two recorded expenses.
A fictional business incurs and pays a $900 supplier bill this month. The bill and linked payment are correct, but an additional check entry records the same payment again. These are the only movements in this simplified bank example.
What the file shows
The payment was recorded twice.
- Opening book bank balance
- $10,000
- Linked bill payment
- − $900
- Additional duplicate check
- − $900
- Uncorrected book bank balance
- $8,200
After the duplicate is confirmed and the appropriate correction is made, the book bank balance returns to $9,100. The expense for this limited example returns from $1,800 to $900. The legitimate bill and its paid status must still be correct.
This is an explanation of the effect, not instructions to delete entries. Matching amounts alone are insufficient evidence. In a real file, linked invoices, tax periods, outstanding items and other balances can change the appropriate treatment.
QuickBooks cleanup services.
Other software, assessed.
We assess QuickBooks cleanup in the context of your edition, access and existing records. Bank-feed duplication, account mappings and invoice-payment links require different checks. Tell us what changed before the reports started looking wrong.
We can also assess cleanup needs in Xero, Sage or another accounting system. Support depends on the workflow and scope; a new subscription or migration is not the default answer to a discrepancy.
Historical statements can be provided manually. Onboarding confirms how records and access will be shared. Keep passwords and account numbers out of the initial enquiry.
Background on cleanup checks: Intuit’s bookkeeping cleanup guidance. Our project scope and correction method are agreed for your own records; this is not a claim of Intuit affiliation or certification.
A specific problem.
A clear agreement.
The price depends on what needs investigation and correction, how far back it goes, the quality of the evidence and the reports affected. We agree the project before starting the additional work.
Your proposal should identify
- Periods, accounts, entities and known issues covered.
- Assessment and correction work, including fees.
- Records required and who answers open questions.
- Review responsibilities, reports and handover criteria.
- The timeline, dependencies and additional-work process.
Work to scope separately
Entirely missing months belong to catch-up bookkeeping. Inventory valuation, complex revenue recognition, consolidation and other specialist issues require their own assessment.
Tax filing, amended returns, audit and legal advice are outside this cleanup service. We do not promise an audit outcome, tax saving or lender approval.
Keep historical project fees separate from the recurring service. The bookkeeping cost comparison guide shows how one-time work changes the total.
Know what was corrected.
Know what remains open.
Agree the handover before work starts, so completion means more than a balance that happens to match.
Issues and affected periods
The agreed discrepancies, evidence considered and correction work completed, with unresolved questions identified.
Balances and reports checked
The reconciliations and reports in your proposal, reviewed by a named bookkeeper after the agreed changes.
Exceptions and additional work
Items waiting on your explanation, missing records or your accountant’s decision. Extra work is discussed before it is added.
A recurring month-end starting point
If you want ongoing support, agree a separate monthly bookkeeping scope, records schedule and review process.
Give the next month
a better starting point.
Once the cleanup is reviewed, we can discuss a separate monthly bookkeeping service with an agreed records schedule and human review. A recurring month-end routine helps surface unresolved items before they become another historical project.
Preparing records for your tax adviser? Our business tax checklist explains how to organize the handoff and flag open questions. Your tax professional decides how corrections affect the return.
Questions before
you get started.
What is bookkeeping cleanup?
Cleanup is an assessment and correction project for transactions, balances or account mappings already recorded. The aim is to resolve the agreed issues and understand their effect on the books. It is different from entering entirely missing periods or providing ongoing monthly support.
How much do bookkeeping cleanup services cost?
We need to understand the affected periods, accounts, transaction volume and likely causes before quoting. A single account mismatch and a multi-year file with duplicated entries require different work. The proposal distinguishes assessment, corrections, reporting and any work outside the agreed project.
Can you clean up QuickBooks Online or Desktop?
Tell us which QuickBooks edition and version you use. We assess access, available records and the workflow before committing. We do not require you to switch systems by default, and do not claim every edition, add-on or integration is supported.
Can AI clean up my books on its own?
AI can assist with preparation and identifying items to examine. Your bookkeeper still needs evidence, business context and an appropriate correction method. A named human reviewer checks the agreed work; AI does not independently decide whether a transaction is valid or a prior tax return should change.
Will you delete duplicate transactions?
The correction depends on how the transaction entered the file, whether it is genuinely duplicated and whether it is linked to invoices, bills or closed periods. We assess the records first. Two payments with the same amount do not, on their own, establish a duplicate.
What if my books were already reconciled?
A previously reconciled period can still require investigation if recorded transactions or opening balances changed. Tell us when the last reconciliation was completed and whether reports were used for tax, lending or other purposes. We assess the affected periods before agreeing changes.
Does cleanup include amending my tax return?
Tax return review, preparation and amendment are not included. If the agreed corrections affect a period used in a filed return, the matter needs coordination with your tax professional. Bookkeeping corrections alone do not establish whether an amended return is required.
How long will the cleanup take?
Timing depends on the scope, history of the file, availability of records and responses to questions. We agree a project schedule after assessment and identify dependencies. There is no blanket same-day or fixed-week turnaround for every file.
What records do you need for a QuickBooks cleanup assessment?
We discuss the affected bank and card statements, last completed reconciliation reports, invoice and bill balances, supporting receipts and the history of imports or connected apps. Tell us which periods were used for filed returns or lender reports. Share a short description in the enquiry; financial records and access are arranged during onboarding.
What happens at the end of the cleanup?
The proposal identifies the corrections, reconciliation work and reports included in the handover. Your named bookkeeper reviews the agreed work and explains remaining questions or exceptions. Newly discovered work outside the scope is discussed before it is added. Monthly bookkeeping has a separate agreement.
Can you also record missing months?
Yes, missing periods can be assessed as catch-up bookkeeping alongside cleanup. We explain each part of the work and agree the combined project. Once historical issues are addressed, ongoing monthly support has a separate scope.
A clear next step
for your books.
Tell us which balances or reports look wrong, the affected periods and the software you use. We’ll discuss assessment and project scope before confirming the work and fee.
Please share a short description only. Keep financial documents, passwords and account numbers out of this enquiry form.