After a Bookkeeper Leaves

Fired your bookkeeper? Here is what to do next.

Get your records back. Then find out what shape the books are really in. If your books were left in poor shape, cleanup and catch-up is most of what we do, remotely, for businesses anywhere in the country.

Where You Might Be

The bookkeeper is gone. The questions are not.

  • You do not trust the numbers. Accounts that will not reconcile, transactions categorized wrong.
  • You do not know what was left undone. Some of it may never have been entered at all.
  • Your CPA is waiting. Or your lender, or a buyer. Someone needs numbers you cannot produce.
What You Get Back

Books you can hand to anyone.

  • Every account reconciled back to the last point the books were correct

  • Transactions categorized properly, including the ones that were wrong before

  • Duplicates, missing entries and misapplied payments resolved

  • All outstanding transactions entered and reconciled

  • A clear record of what was changed and why

What should you get from your old bookkeeper?

Everything that belongs to you. Statements matter most.

  • Your accounting file, or access to it
  • Any earlier bookkeeping file, even a half-finished one
  • Bank and credit card statements
  • Loan documents
  • Receipts and invoices they were holding
  • Payroll records

If some of it does not come back, start with what you have. Bank, credit card and loan statements are what we reconcile to, so they matter most. Tell us what is missing on the first call.

What does it cost?

In writing, before you commit to anything.

Cleanup is priced at your monthly rate × the number of months that need cleaning up. Catch-up is priced at your monthly rate × the number of months you're behind. Your monthly rate is set by transaction volume, shown in the Transactions per Month table on our pricing page. We look at your file and give you the number in writing before you commit to anything.

See full pricing Free Consultation

How do cleanup and catch-up work after a bookkeeper leaves?

We fix what was entered wrong and enter what never was.

Catch-up and cleanup are related but not the same. Catch-up is recording what was never entered. Cleanup is correcting what was entered wrong. Most jobs need both.

  • A free 30-minute call about what was left behind and where things stand
  • We look at your file before either of us commits to anything
  • You get the scope and the cost in writing, with no surprises later
  • We work through it account by account rather than guessing at totals
  • You see what we find as we find it

Cleanup transitions to monthly bookkeeping once the file is current. We only take cleanup work that becomes ongoing, because a cleaned file drifts again within months if nobody keeps it current. Here is how cleanup and catch-up fit together, and if more than a year was never entered, here is how we catch up past years.

Who works with your CPA now?

We do. Your CPA prepares and files the returns.

We are bookkeepers, and we do not prepare income tax returns. We get the books tax-ready and coordinate directly with your CPA. If you do not have a CPA, we can refer you to one we trust.

FAQ

Questions after a bookkeeper leaves.

What if my old bookkeeper will not hand over my records?

Start with what you have. Bank, credit card and loan statements are what we reconcile to, so they matter most. Tell us what is missing on the first call.

Can you tell me how bad the books are before I commit?

Yes. We look at your file before either of us commits to anything, tell you what shape it is in, and give you the scope and the cost in writing.

What if the books my old bookkeeper left are wrong?

That is cleanup: correcting what was entered wrong. We work through it account by account, reconcile every account back to the last point the books were correct, and keep a clear record of what was changed and why.

How much does cleanup cost after a bookkeeper leaves?

Cleanup is priced at your monthly rate × the number of months that need cleaning up. Catch-up is priced at your monthly rate × the number of months you're behind. Your monthly rate is set by transaction volume. The Transactions per Month table is on our pricing page.

Do you file my tax returns?

No. We get the books current and tax-ready and coordinate directly with your CPA. If you do not have a CPA, we can refer you to one we trust.

Can you help if my business is not in Wyoming?

Yes. We are based in Laramie and work remotely with businesses across the country, in QuickBooks Online or Xero, with read-only bank access.

Just let your bookkeeper go and not sure where to start?

Schedule a free 30-minute consultation. We'll listen to your situation and tell you honestly what makes sense and what doesn't.

Rather write it down first? Send us a message and we will reply within one business day.