Test the balances owners depend on
We inspect bank reconciliations, customer and supplier balances, clearing accounts, sales-tax accounts and opening entries. Common problems include a deposit recorded again as sales, duplicated bank feeds, repayments posted entirely as expenses and old customer credits left unexplained.
For businesses using several payment channels, we compare the ledger with source reports before adjusting it. An unexplained processor balance may represent money in transit, a reserve or a real error. Its age and settlement history tell us which.
Leave a documented correction trail
The cleanup scope identifies affected periods, proposed adjustments and decisions that need owner or accountant approval. We retain explanations so the next person reviewing the file understands what changed. A prior-year error may need a different treatment from an error in an open month, particularly where returns have already been submitted.
Illustrative example: doubled online revenue
A downtown retailer imports Shopify sales and also categorizes every bank payout as new revenue. Cleanup traces one sample payout from orders through fees to the bank, removes confirmed duplication in the agreed periods and changes the ongoing matching rule. The solution includes both corrected history and a usable routine.
Questions about this work
How is cleanup different from catch-up?
Catch-up fills missing periods. Cleanup repairs entries and balances already in the file. A business can need both.
Will the file be replaced?
We first assess whether documented corrections in the existing file are practical. Any migration, opening balances and historical access need their own agreed scope.
Put this into practice
A practical next step
Bring the records you have.
We can identify missing information, agree on the scope and organize the next bookkeeping step.
Request a bookkeeping review