How far behind can catch-up bookkeeping fix?

Catch-up bookkeeping can bring businesses current whether they're 6, 12 or 24 months behind. It's treated as a scoped project with a defined start and end, not an open-ended slog.

What are the steps in a catch-up bookkeeping engagement?

A catch-up engagement scopes the backlog by months behind and transaction volume, then reconstructs the books period by period, reconciling every bank and card account. Historical transactions are categorised, the financials are restated, and a tax-ready package is handed off at the end.

How much does catch-up bookkeeping cost?

Catch-up bookkeeping is priced per month of backlog, so six months behind costs half what twelve months does. A business six months behind needs far less work than one two years behind.

What happens after catch-up bookkeeping is finished?

Most catch-up engagements convert into an ongoing monthly retainer once the books are current, so the backlog doesn't recur. It's usually the fastest way to demonstrate value to a business considering ongoing bookkeeping.

Is falling behind on bookkeeping common?

Yes — falling behind on bookkeeping is more common than founders admit, and it is entirely fixable with a scoped catch-up project. Treating it as a project rather than a source of guilt is what actually gets it resolved.

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Bookkeeping5 minApril 22, 2026

Behind on Your Books? A Founder's Guide to Catch-Up Bookkeeping

What to do when you're 6, 12 or 24 months behind — and how catch-up turns chaos into tax-ready clarity.

Falling behind on bookkeeping is more common than founders admit — and entirely fixable. The trick is to treat it as a scoped project, not an open-ended slog.

How catch-up works

A good catch-up engagement runs in four steps:

Scope the backlog by months behind and monthly transaction volume.
Reconstruct period by period — reconcile every bank and card account.
Categorise historical transactions and restate the financials.
Hand off a tax-ready package, then move to a monthly retainer.

What it costs

Catch-up is priced per month of backlog, so the cost scales with how far back you go rather than with a bracket. You get a fixed quote within 24 hours of us reviewing your accounts.

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Catch-up bookkeeping

Find out what the backlog costs before anyone starts.

Catch-up work is priced per month of backlog, scoped and quoted in writing before we start. Tell us how many months are open and which software the books are in.

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