How far behind can your books get before it costs you?
Three months behind is a nuisance. Twelve months behind usually costs real money. Where the line falls and how catch-up work is priced.
By Priyanka Ramaswamy
5 min read
Almost every business falls behind on its books at some point. The question is when it starts to cost money, and the answer is usually earlier than owners expect.
One to three months
Mostly a nuisance. Bank feeds still import, and a few hours of reconciliation brings everything current. The risk is that you make decisions on numbers that look fine but are a quarter old.
Six months
Now it shows up elsewhere. Sales tax returns get filed on estimates, quarterly tax payments are guesses, and a lender asking for year-to-date statements has to wait. Payment platform and card statements also start to disappear from easy download.
Twelve months or more
This is where it gets expensive. Business returns get extended or filed late, deductions are missed because receipts are gone, and the eventual cleanup takes longer than doing the work monthly would have.
How we price catch-up
Catch-up bookkeeping is $350 per month behind, fixed. We start with the most recent months so you have current numbers first, then work backward to the start of the tax year that still needs filing.
Questions about your own return, books or a letter? A partner reads every message.
