Bookkeeping Cleanup in Los Angeles | Los Angeles Bookkeeper

Short answer: Bookkeeping cleanup in Los Angeles fixes books that were entered but entered wrong, such as forced reconciliations, large uncategorized balances or owner charges mixed into expenses. The team reviews the file, agrees a starting point, recodes entries and reconciles every account month by month against statements. You get clean reports and a note on what changed for your CPA.

Signs your books need a cleanup

Cleanup is different from catch-up. Catch-up is for months nobody entered. Cleanup is for months that were entered, but wrong. Often a file needs both.

The bank balance in QuickBooks, Xero and more does not match the bank
Reconciliations were forced, or show old uncleared items from years ago
Large amounts sit in Uncategorized Income, Ask My Accountant or Opening Balance Equity
Loan payments were booked as one expense, with no interest split
Owner draws and personal charges are mixed into business expenses
Your CPA sent back last year's books with a long list of questions
Several people kept the books over the years, each a different way

How a cleanup runs

Diagnose The team reviews the chart of accounts, every reconciliation and the balance sheet to find where the file stopped matching reality.
Agree a starting point Usually the last balance your CPA filed from. Everything after that date gets checked.
Fix the structure Duplicate and unused accounts are merged, and the chart of accounts is set up for how your business actually earns and spends.
Fix the entries Miscoded transactions are recoded, duplicates removed, and loans, payroll and owner activity booked correctly.
Reconcile again Every account is reconciled month by month against statements, with no forced balances.
Hand over You get clean reports and a short note on what was changed and why, which your CPA will want to read.

The most common problems in Los Angeles files

Some patterns show up again and again. Production and creative businesses often run project costs through personal cards, then reimburse with transfers that get booked as income. Restaurants often book the deposit from a payment processor instead of the gross sale, so sales and fees are both understated.

Contractors often have customer deposits booked straight to income before the job starts. Real estate owners often mix several properties in one account. None of these are rare, and none of them are hard to fix once someone looks.

What cleanup will not do

Cleanup does not invent records. If a receipt or statement is missing, the team will ask for it or flag the gap. Guessing would only move the problem to your tax return.

Cleanup also does not change prior tax returns. If fixing the books shows that a filed return was wrong, the note goes to you and your CPA, who decide what to do.

After the cleanup

Clean books stay clean only if someone keeps them. Many owners move to monthly bookkeeping after a cleanup, but it is not required. If you want to keep the books yourself, the team will tell you which rules and habits keep the file in shape.

Where we work

We keep books for businesses across the City of Los Angeles, the Westside, the Eastside, the San Fernando Valley, the San Gabriel Valley, the Gateway Cities and the South Bay.

Questions

How long does a cleanup take?

It depends on how many accounts and months are involved and how quickly missing statements can be found. You get an estimate after the first review of the file.

Do I need to give you my login?

You invite the bookkeeper as a user in QuickBooks, Xero and more. You never share your own password, and you can remove access at any time.

Can you clean up QuickBooks Desktop files?

Yes. If you are thinking about a move, the better path is to clean up while moving to QuickBooks Online, so you only fix things once.

Will my CPA be involved?

Your CPA is welcome to join. Many CPAs are glad to receive a cleaned file with notes instead of a year of questions.