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Catch-Up Bookkeeping Estimator

Fallen behind? Estimate what it costs and how long it takes to get your books caught up — instantly, by how many months you're behind and your transaction volume.

Simple: one or two accounts, low monthly transaction count, no inventory.
$1,170
Estimated one-time catch-up · 6 months × $195/mo behind
Most catch-up projects finish in 1–3 weeks once we have your bank statements — even for a year or more of backlog.
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A one-time project, separate from ongoing monthly bookkeeping. Final quote confirmed on a quick call.

How catch-up bookkeeping is priced

Catch-up is a one-time project to rebuild the months (or years) your books fell behind, and it's priced separately from your ongoing monthly service. The math is simple: a per-month rate — scaled to how much work each month represents — times the number of months you're behind. A simple, low-volume business runs around $195 per month of backlog; a high-volume business with more accounts and transactions runs closer to $495. Six months behind therefore lands somewhere between roughly $1,170 and $2,970 depending on volume.

Being behind is more common than most owners think — it usually happens because the business got busy, not because anyone did anything wrong. What matters is fixing it before it compounds: a late tax filing, a loan application, or a messy handoff to your CPA all get more expensive the longer the gap sits.

What we actually need from you

You don't need to organize anything first. Catch-up is rebuilt from source documents — primarily your bank and credit-card statements, which are the ground truth of what happened. We connect those, reconstruct and categorize every transaction, reconcile each account, and hand you a clean, tax-ready set of books plus a short list of questions only you can answer (what was that transfer, is this vendor a contractor, and so on). Most projects wrap in one to three weeks.

Once you're caught up, the natural next step is staying caught up. That's ongoing catch-up bookkeeping rolling into monthly bookkeeping — estimate that piece with the bookkeeping cost calculator. For the bigger picture on staying out of the ditch, see our complete guide to small business bookkeeping.

Catch-up bookkeeping FAQ

How much does catch-up bookkeeping cost?
Catch-up is priced per month you're behind, scaled to your transaction volume — typically around $195 to $495 per month of backlog. So six months behind on a simple, low-volume business runs roughly $1,170, while the same six months on a high-volume business runs closer to $2,970. It's a one-time project, separate from your ongoing monthly bookkeeping.
How long does catch-up bookkeeping take?
Most catch-up projects finish within one to three weeks once we have access to your bank and card statements — even for a year or more of backlog. The timeline depends on how many months are involved, your transaction volume, and how quickly you can share statements and answer a few questions. You don't have to have anything organized; bank statements are the source of truth we rebuild from.
Do I need catch-up before I can start monthly bookkeeping?
Usually yes, if you're more than a month or two behind. Clean ongoing books have to start from an accurate baseline, so we rebuild the backlog first, then roll straight into a normal monthly cadence. If you're only slightly behind, we can often fold it into the first month or two of service instead of a separate project.
Is the estimate exact?
It's a close estimate using our current catch-up rates. The exact number depends on your transaction volume and how complex those months were (inventory, payroll, multiple accounts). A free 15-minute call — or a quick look at a few bank statements — gets you a firm quote with no obligation.