Quick answer
A QuickBooks cleanup reviews your file, fixes errors and miscategorized transactions, reconciles accounts and brings your books up to date so reports can be trusted.
1What a cleanup covers
- Reviewing the chart of accounts
- Fixing miscategorized and duplicate transactions
- Reconciling bank and credit card accounts
- Clearing old uncategorized and ask-my-accountant items
- Checking customer and vendor balances
- Correcting opening balances and old errors
2Signs you need one
- Reports do not match your bank
- Large uncategorized balances
- Duplicate or missing transactions
- Opening balances look wrong
- Your accountant cannot use your file
- Months of reconciliations are missing
3How a cleanup works
A good cleanup follows a clear order so nothing is missed.
- Review the file and the statements
- Agree on scope and a fixed quote before any work begins
- Correct errors month by month, oldest first
- Reconcile each account
- Send a summary of what was found and changed
- Move to monthly bookkeeping so the file stays clean
4What it does not do
A cleanup fixes the past. It does not prepare tax returns or replace a CPA. It gives your CPA reliable records to work from.
Tip
Never start a new QuickBooks file to escape a messy one. The history is usually fixable and worth keeping.
5How long does it take?
It depends on the number of months and accounts involved and how messy the file is. We review your statements first and give a fixed price before work starts.
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