A stack of unopened mail beside bundles of statements clipped by month and an open ledger

Catch-up bookkeeping · St. Augustine + Jacksonville

Catch-up bookkeeping that gets you current, no judgment.

However far behind you are, I do the bookkeeping for every missing month and bring your books current through last month.

Or map your catchup first

One price, in writing
Sales tax and payroll included
Ready for your tax preparer
You get me, start to finish

Sound familiar?

You’ve been meaning to catch up on the books for months now.

It started with one busy month. Now it’s unopened statements, a QuickBooks file full of “uncategorized,” and a pile you don’t want to look at.

“Nobody is going to judge you. Falling behind usually means the business grew faster than the paperwork.”
Natalie Hays, Owner and Bookkeeper

Most people call when something suddenly needs the numbers:

Tax time is close, or already passed
A lender or landlord wants financials
The Florida Department of Revenue sent a letter
Your last bookkeeper left mid-year
You opened and never started the books

What a catchup is

What is catch-up bookkeeping?

Catch-up bookkeeping is all the bookkeeping for the months you missed, done in order, oldest first, until your books are current through the end of last month. I categorize every transaction, reconcile every account, and file any Florida sales tax returns you missed, so you start the current month clean.

A records review
Every missing month categorized
Every account reconciled
Bills and receivables brought current
Payroll recorded, sales tax filed
One list of questions, not a drip of emails

At the finish: reconciled books, a profit and loss statement and balance sheet, and a short summary of what I found.

How a catchup works

Getting caught up takes three steps.

Book a fit call.
Twenty minutes, free. Tell me how far behind you are and what’s driving the deadline.
Get a records review.
Give me access to your books, and within 24 to 48 hours you’ll have scope, price, and timeline in writing.
Get caught up.
Oldest month first, until you’re current through last month.

Once your records are in, most catchups take 2 to 6 weeks. A full 12 months takes 4 to 6.

Then keep the clean file yourself, or hand it to me with Monthly Bookkeeping and never fall this far behind again.

Natalie Hays, owner and bookkeeper at Sabal Palms Bookkeeping

Your bookkeeper

The same person catches you up, start to finish.

I’m Natalie Hays, owner and bookkeeper at Sabal Palms. I keep the books for local service businesses around St. Augustine and Jacksonville, and I work every month of your file myself. Questions get an answer within one business day.

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What changes

You don’t know what last year madeA profit and loss statement for every month you missed
Tax season means an extensionYour tax preparer gets a clean file to work from
A lender asks for financials and you stallCurrent, reconciled books you can hand over

Your investment

Every month you wait is another month to catch up.

A catchup is priced as one project, in writing, before any work starts. No hourly billing, and no invoice you didn’t approve.

Catchup

Priced per project

What sets the price

How many months are missing
How many bank, card, and loan accounts you have
How many transactions come through each month
Whether payroll, sales tax, or inventory are involved

Payment plans on larger catchups

50% to start, the rest in two payments.

Free records checklist

Not sure what you have? Start with this list.

Every statement, report, and login a catchup needs, on one page. Pull what you can before we ever talk.

Get the free records checklist

Catch-up bookkeeping FAQ

Catchup, answered plainly.

How much does a catchup cost?

Each catchup is priced as one project, based on how many months are missing and how much work each month takes: how many accounts you have, how many transactions come through, and whether payroll or sales tax are involved. You’ll get the price in writing within 24 to 48 hours of giving me access to your existing books, before any work starts.

How long does it take?

Once your records are in, most catchups take 2 to 6 weeks. A full 12 months takes 4 to 6 weeks. You’ll get a timeline in writing with your price. If you have a deadline, like a tax extension or a loan application, say so up front.

How far back can you go?

Most clients need 12 months or less. If you need more than that, we’ll schedule a call to go over the project before anything is quoted.

What’s the difference between a catchup and a cleanup?

A catchup does months that were never done. A cleanup fixes months that were done wrong. The records review tells us which one you need, or whether it’s a bit of both.

Can you file my back taxes?

I file any Florida sales tax returns (DR-15) you missed. The Florida Department of Revenue may charge penalties or fees for late returns; those are paid to the state, separate from the catchup fee, and don’t go to Sabal Palms. Back income tax returns belong with a licensed tax professional, and I’ll hand them clean, current books to file from. Don’t have a tax professional yet? I can give you names.

What do I need to gather?

Bank, credit card, and loan statements for the missing months, access to your accounting file if you have one, and payroll reports if you run payroll. The free records checklist lists everything.

Do I have to sign up for monthly bookkeeping afterward?

No. Plenty of people take the clean file and keep it themselves. If you’d rather not fall behind again, Monthly Bookkeeping picks up right where the catchup ends.

See all catchup questions