Services
Bookkeeping cleanup and catch-up
A one-time project with a defined end. Latonia takes a file that has drifted and brings it back to something you can file from.
What this is
Behind is the most common place to start
Files fall behind for ordinary reasons. The business got busy. The person doing the books left. QuickBooks was set up by someone who meant well and did not know what a chart of accounts was for. None of it is unusual and none of it is a reason to put off the call.
Cleanup is scoped as a project: Latonia reviews the file, tells you what is wrong and what it will cost to put right, and then does it. There is a start and a finish, and a fixed price agreed before work begins.
What you get
A chart of accounts that fits how the business actually works
Duplicate and unused accounts merged or retired
Months or years of unreconciled transactions brought back into line
Uncategorised and miscategorised transactions sorted properly
Opening balances corrected against prior filed returns
A written summary of what was wrong and what was changed
Who it is for
What a file usually looks like when we start
Nothing reconciled since last year
The bank feed has been importing but nobody has matched anything, so the balance in QuickBooks and the balance at the bank have no relationship.
A chart of accounts nobody designed
Forty expense categories, six of which mean the same thing, and an Ask My Accountant account with two years of transactions in it.
Books that do not match the return
The return was filed from a spreadsheet, the books say something else, and the two have never been reconciled to each other.
How it works
Scoped and priced before anything starts
The first call is free and takes about twenty minutes. Latonia looks at your file and your last filed return, then comes back with a written scope and a fixed price. You decide from there. No hourly meter, and no charge for the conversation.
Start here
Book twenty minutes
Pick a time that suits you. Bring your questions and the honest state of your books.
See available timesQuestions
About bookkeeping cleanup
How far back can you go?
As far as you need. Multiple years is common. If prior returns were filed from figures that do not match the books, Latonia will tell you whether amending is worth it, and as an Enrolled Agent she can handle that filing too.
How long does cleanup take?
Most projects run two to six weeks depending on how many months are involved and how quickly statements and documents come back. The scope letter gives you a timeframe before you commit.
Will you judge the state of it?
No. Latonia has cleaned up files that had not been touched in two years and files where the previous bookkeeper had been inventing entries. Whatever shape yours is in, it is a normal starting point.
Do I have to sign up for monthly work afterwards?
No. Cleanup is a standalone project. Plenty of clients take the clean file and carry on themselves. Others hand it straight to monthly bookkeeping so it does not drift again. Both are fine.
Service area
Where Farris Fair works
Based in Oakbrook Terrace and working across the western suburbs and into Chicago. Most work is done remotely, so distance rarely matters, but there is an office if you would rather sit down together.
Also offered
Other services
Get in touch
Book twenty minutes with Latonia
No charge, no pitch. Bring your questions and the state of your books.
Phone
Office
18W140 Butterfield Rd, Suite 1500
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Hours
Mon to Fri, 8am to 6pm Central
Sat, 9am to 2pm Central