Bookeeper is a modern bookkeeping service designed to keep your business organised, accurate, and confident with its numbers. We manage your day-to-day bookkeeping so you can focus on running your business, while your accountant or BAS agent handles the lodgements.
- Sydney, NSW
- 0451081081
- customer@bookeeper.com.au
- www.bookeeper.com.au
Behind on Your Business Books? Let’s Get You Back Up to Date
Falling behind with bookkeeping can happen quickly. A busy period, staff changes, rapid business growth or simply not having enough time can leave weeks or months of financial records waiting to be completed.
Bookeeper provides catch-up bookkeeping services for small businesses across Australia, helping business owners bring overdue financial records up to date and regain a clear view of their business finances.
Whether you’re a few months behind or have a longer backlog, we can review what has been completed, identify what is outstanding and develop a practical plan to bring your bookkeeping up to date.
Need a bookkeeper to catch up on overdue records? Request a tailored catch-up bookkeeping quote today.
Behind on Your Bookkeeping? Let’s Get You Back Up to Date
If your books are weeks or months behind, you don’t need to figure out the backlog yourself. Bookeeper can review your current records, identify what’s outstanding and explain what needs to be done.
- Fixed Monthly Pricing
- Xero & MYOB Specialists
- GST & BAS Support
- 100% Australian Support
What Is Catch-Up Bookkeeping?
Catch-up bookkeeping is designed for businesses whose regular bookkeeping has fallen behind.
Instead of starting again, we review your existing records, determine which periods or transactions are incomplete and work through the outstanding bookkeeping in an organised way.
Depending on your situation, catch-up bookkeeping may include:
- Recording missing transactions
- Categorising income and expenses
- Reconciling bank accounts
- Reconciling credit card accounts
- Organising supplier bills
- Updating customer invoices
- Allocating customer and supplier payments
- Reviewing outstanding balances
- Organising available receipts and supporting records
- Updating bookkeeping records for review by your accountant or registered BAS agent
Once the outstanding work is completed, we can also help establish a regular bookkeeping schedule to prevent another backlog.
How Do You Know Your Bookkeeping Is Behind?
Sometimes it is obvious that bookkeeping has fallen behind. In other situations, the backlog gradually builds until financial records are no longer current.
Your business may need catch-up bookkeeping if:
- Several weeks or months of transactions have not been recorded
- Your bank or credit card accounts have not been reconciled
- Supplier bills are waiting to be entered
- Customer payments have not been allocated
- Receipts and financial documents have accumulated
- Your bookkeeping software is months behind your bank account
- You cannot rely on your current financial reports
- Your accountant is waiting for updated records
- You have been managing bookkeeping yourself but no longer have enough time
- You need to bring your records up to date before moving to regular bookkeeping support
The longer bookkeeping is left incomplete, the larger the backlog can become. Starting with a review helps establish exactly what needs to be completed.
Our Catch-Up Bookkeeping Process
Every business has a different bookkeeping backlog. We first determine what is outstanding before recommending the work required.
1. Review Your Current Bookkeeping
We start by understanding when your bookkeeping was last properly maintained and reviewing the financial records currently available.
Depending on your situation, we may review:
- Accounting software
- Bank and credit card accounts
- Transaction history
- Existing reconciliations
- Supplier bills
- Customer invoices
- Payment records
- Available receipts and documents
- Existing financial reports
This helps us identify how far behind the books are and what information may be required.
2. Identify the Bookkeeping Backlog
Once the initial review is complete, we identify the outstanding periods and bookkeeping tasks.
For example, your transactions may already be imported into Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks but still require categorisation and reconciliation. In other situations, invoices, bills or payments may also need to be brought up to date.
Understanding the backlog first helps avoid unnecessary work.
3. Bring Outstanding Transactions Up to Date
We work through the agreed outstanding bookkeeping systematically.
This may include recording or categorising transactions, updating invoices and bills, allocating payments and organising available supporting information.
The objective is to bring your day-to-day bookkeeping records forward to the current agreed period.
4. Reconcile Bank and Credit Card Accounts
As outstanding bookkeeping is completed, relevant bank and credit card accounts can be reconciled against available statements.
Reconciliation helps identify missing transactions, duplicate entries, incorrect allocations and other differences that may prevent the accounts from balancing correctly.
5. Review the Updated Records
Once the agreed catch-up work is completed, relevant records and bookkeeping reports can be reviewed for obvious inconsistencies.
Organised and current bookkeeping can also make it easier for your accountant or registered BAS agent to review the financial information and determine whether any additional accounting, tax or BAS work is required.
6. Keep Your Bookkeeping Up to Date
After catching up the backlog, the next goal is preventing the same situation from happening again.
Depending on your business needs, bookkeeping can then be maintained weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
Our monthly bookkeeping services can provide ongoing support for businesses that want their financial records maintained regularly.
How Far Behind Can Catch-Up Bookkeeping Be?
There isn’t a fixed limit.
Some businesses contact us when they’re only a few weeks behind. Others may have several months or longer periods of outstanding bookkeeping.
The amount of work required depends on factors such as:
- How long the bookkeeping has been outstanding
- Number of transactions
- Number of bank and credit card accounts
- Availability of bank statements
- Available invoices, bills and receipts
- Accounting software
- Accounts payable and receivable activity
- Payroll records
- Condition of the existing bookkeeping
The best starting point is to review what has already been completed and identify what remains outstanding.
Catch-Up vs Clean-Up Bookkeeping: What's the Difference?
Although catch-up and clean-up bookkeeping are closely related, they address different problems.
Catch-up bookkeeping focuses on completing bookkeeping that has not been done. For example, your business may have three months of transactions that still need to be categorised, reconciled and brought up to date.
Bookkeeping clean-up focuses on correcting problems in records that already exist, such as duplicate transactions, incorrect categorisation, reconciliation differences or inaccurate account balances.
Some businesses need both services. Existing errors may need to be corrected before overdue bookkeeping can be completed accurately.
If your records are current but contain errors or inconsistencies, our bookkeeping clean-up service may be more appropriate.
Catch-Up Bookkeeping for Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks
Bookeeper can provide catch-up bookkeeping using commonly used accounting platforms including Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks.
Where practical, we work within your existing accounting software rather than unnecessarily changing your bookkeeping system.
For example, if several months of bank transactions have already been imported into your accounting software but have not been categorised or reconciled, we can review the outstanding work and establish what is required to bring the records up to date.
Businesses using Xero can also explore our Xero bookkeeping services for ongoing support.
What Records Do We Need to Catch Up Your Bookkeeping?
The exact information required depends on your business and how far behind the bookkeeping is.
We may require access to or copies of relevant:
- Accounting software records
- Bank statements
- Credit card statements
- Customer invoices
- Supplier bills
- Receipts
- Loan or finance records
- Payment information
- Payroll records
- Previous bookkeeping reports
Don’t worry if everything isn’t perfectly organised when you contact us. The initial review can help identify what information is available and what may still be required.
Why Catch Up Your Bookkeeping?
Know Where Your Business Stands
Current bookkeeping gives you better visibility over income, expenses, outstanding invoices and upcoming bills.
Make Financial Reports More Useful
Reports based on incomplete bookkeeping may not provide a reliable picture of business performance. Bringing records up to date provides a stronger foundation for useful reporting.
Make Accountant Review Easier
Organised and current records can make it easier for your accountant or registered BAS agent to review your financial information.
Reduce the Bookkeeping Backlog
Leaving bookkeeping unfinished allows the backlog to continue growing. Catching up gives you an opportunity to establish a regular process going forward.
Spend Less Time Worrying About Your Books
Instead of repeatedly returning to months of unfinished bookkeeping, you can establish where things stand and focus on keeping the records current.
How Much Does Catch-Up Bookkeeping Cost?
Catch-up bookkeeping costs depend on the amount and complexity of outstanding work.
Factors may include:
- Number of weeks, months or years outstanding
- Transaction volume
- Number of bank and credit card accounts
- Number of invoices and supplier bills
- Condition of the existing bookkeeping
- Availability of supporting records
- Accounting software
- Reconciliation work required
- Payroll records
- Whether bookkeeping clean-up is also required
After reviewing your current bookkeeping position, we can provide a clearer scope of work and tailored quote.
Request a catch-up bookkeeping quote to find out what is required to bring your books up to date.
Why Choose Bookeeper for Catch-Up Bookkeeping?
Falling behind with bookkeeping doesn’t necessarily mean starting your financial records again.
Bookeeper takes a structured approach by first understanding what has already been completed, identifying what remains outstanding and then working through the agreed bookkeeping backlog.
Our catch-up bookkeeping support can help you:
- Identify outstanding bookkeeping periods
- Bring transactions up to date
- Reconcile relevant accounts
- Organise invoices and bills
- Improve the completeness of bookkeeping records
- Prepare organised records for accountant or BAS-agent review
- Establish an ongoing bookkeeping routine
We provide remote bookkeeping support for small businesses across Australia using commonly used cloud accounting platforms.
Ready to Get Your Books Back Up to Date?
Falling behind with bookkeeping can make it harder to know where your business stands. You don’t have to tackle months of unfinished records on your own.
Bookeeper can review your current bookkeeping, identify what’s outstanding and help bring your records up to date.
- Fixed Monthly Pricing
- Xero & MYOB Specialists
- GST & BAS Support
- 100% Australian Support
Frequently Asked Questions
What is catch-up bookkeeping?
Catch-up bookkeeping involves completing bookkeeping work that has fallen behind. This may include outstanding transaction recording, categorisation, bank reconciliation, invoices, supplier bills and payment allocations.
How far behind can my bookkeeping be?
Businesses may require catch-up bookkeeping for a few weeks, several months or longer. The scope depends on the period outstanding, transaction volume, available records and condition of the existing bookkeeping.
Can you help if I'm several months behind on bookkeeping?
Yes. We can review what has already been completed, identify the outstanding periods and determine what work is required to bring your bookkeeping up to date.
What's the difference between catch-up and clean-up bookkeeping?
Catch-up bookkeeping primarily completes work that hasn’t been done. Clean-up bookkeeping primarily corrects errors or inconsistencies in existing records. Some businesses require both.
Can you catch up Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks bookkeeping?
Yes. We can work with commonly used accounting platforms including Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks, depending on your current setup and service requirements.
What information do I need for catch-up bookkeeping?
Requirements vary but may include accounting-software access, bank and credit-card statements, invoices, supplier bills, receipts, payroll records and other relevant financial information.
How long does catch-up bookkeeping take?
The timeframe depends on how far behind your bookkeeping is, transaction volume, number of accounts, complexity and availability of supporting information.
How much does catch-up bookkeeping cost?
Pricing depends on the amount of outstanding work and complexity of your records. We can review your bookkeeping situation and provide a tailored scope and quote.
Can you continue doing my bookkeeping after catching it up?
Yes. Once your books are up to date, ongoing weekly, fortnightly or monthly bookkeeping can help keep your records current and prevent another backlog.
Do I need to organise everything before contacting you?
Not necessarily. We can first review your current bookkeeping position and identify what records or information may be required to complete the catch-up work.