Bookkeeping
Catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping
Catch-up bookkeeping for Canadian businesses whose books have fallen behind. Finbryn works back through the backlog in QuickBooks Online, Xero or Sage 50, reconciles every account to statements, corrects miscoded GST/HST and duplicate entries, and logs every adjustment before your next T2 or GST/HST filing is due.
Bank reconciliation summary
Illustrative client · August 2026
CAD
| Account | Difference | Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating account··4821 | 184,220.16 | 184,220.16 | 0.00 | Reconciled |
| Reserve account··0937 | 60,000.00 | 60,000.00 | 0.00 | Reconciled |
| Company card··1006 | (12,418.52) | (12,418.52) | 0.00 | Reconciled |
| Card processor clearing | 8,905.40 | 8,905.40 | 0.00 | Reconciled |
| Payroll clearing | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | Reconciled |
Last weekly runFri, Aug 28, every account agreed to its statement.
Two open itemsTwo card receipts requested from you, marked on the card account until they arrive.
Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.
Behind on the books, in Canadian terms
A backlog usually shows up right before a T2 filing deadline, a GST/HST quarter, or a lender's request for financials. The bookkeeper who used to keep things current moves on, or an app connection breaks and nobody notices for months.
Working the backlog
We collect statements for every bank account, credit card and payment provider across the period involved, then work forward from the last month that was reconciled correctly, agreeing each month's closing balances before moving to the next.
What we correct
Duplicate bank-feed entries, personal drawings booked as business expenses, GST or HST coded at the wrong rate or missed entirely once the business passed the C$30,000 small-supplier threshold, and transfers between accounts booked as income. Every correction is written into an adjustments log naming the period, the entry and the reason.
What comes out the other end
A reconciled ledger for the whole backlog period, profit and loss and balance sheet reports for whichever periods you need, and the adjustments log. If a GST/HST return already filed turns out to be understated or overstated, the log shows by how much, and adjusting it with CRA is a decision for you and your registered preparer, not something we file on your behalf.
After the catch-up
Monthly bookkeeping keeps the backlog from building again. Catch-up work is quoted per backlog month with a published rate on pricing; billing terms are set out in your engagement letter. If a filing deadline is close, tell us on the first call and we reconcile the periods it depends on first.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping
How is catch-up work priced?
Per backlog month, quoted once we have seen the accounts and the volume involved, not billed by the hour with no ceiling.
What if a GST/HST return we already filed was wrong?
The adjustments log shows the difference. Correcting it with CRA is then a decision for you and your registered preparer.
Can you pick up after another bookkeeper?
Yes, that is one of the most common reasons a catch-up engagement starts.
What exactly is included in catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping?
Backlog months sorted into categories and reconciled to bank and card statements, and duplicate, missing and miscoded transactions corrected. This work runs inside QuickBooks Online or Xero, whichever your business already has in place, and it rolls into your regular monthly close rather than sitting off to the side as a separate, unreconciled process.
What happens to our catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping records if we switch providers?
Everything stays inside your own QuickBooks Online or Xero account, so the full history transfers with the subscription, not with Finbryn. You can hand catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping to another provider or bring it in-house at any point without losing a reconciliation or having to rebuild the file first.
How far back can you go?
As far back as you have bank and card statements. We quote per backlog month after seeing the accounts involved.
Will you change figures that were already reported?
Only where the records show an error, and every change goes in a written adjustments log.
How do we get started with catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping?
Getting started with catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping begins with a short review of your current records and software access. Once that is done we confirm scope and timing in writing, and ongoing work begins on the schedule agreed with you.
What if our records for catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping are not up to date?
If your records are behind, we scope a catch-up first so catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping starts from a clean, reconciled base. That catch-up is priced and timed separately from the ongoing engagement, so you always know what each part costs.
Related services
- BookkeepingMonthly bookkeepingOngoing monthly bookkeeping: transactions sorted into categories, accounts reconciled and month-end reports delivered in the software you already use.
- BookkeepingBank and credit card reconciliationEvery bank, card and payment-processor account reconciled line by line against its statement, so the balance in your books always matches the balance at the institution.
Industries
Next step
Talk to the team that would run your books
A short call covers your setup, your software and what a first month would look like. You get a written scope and price after it.