Special situations
Records reconstruction
When a Canadian business's books are missing or unreliable, Finbryn rebuilds the transaction history from bank, card and processor statements rather than starting from zero. The reconstructed file is built to a standard a lender, an EFILE-registered partner or a credentialed preparer can rely on for a T2 or T1 filing.
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.
Starting from statements, not from memory
A corporation that lost its bookkeeper, changed accounting systems badly, or never had a proper chart of accounts is not a catch-up candidate so much as a reconstruction one. Finbryn starts from bank, credit card and payment processor statements, which exist independent of whatever the prior file recorded, and rebuilds a chart of accounts that actually matches how the business operates, rather than reusing a template that never fit.
What gets rebuilt and what gets flagged
Invoices and bills get sourced where a vendor or customer can still confirm them. Where they cannot, the reconstruction says so directly rather than filling the gap with an estimate presented as fact. The output is a profit and loss and balance sheet for each affected period, alongside a documented list of every assumption made along the way, so a lender or preparer reading it later knows exactly where the numbers are certain and where they are a best estimate from incomplete records.
Feeding a real T2 or T1 return
Reconstructed books under ASPE support a T2 corporate return, due six months after year-end with the balance itself typically owing two to three months after year-end. For a sole proprietor, the same reconstructed numbers feed a T1 return. Because CRA's EFILE program requires the filer of record to be Canadian-resident and SIN-holding, Finbryn prepares the reconstruction and the supporting schedules, and a Canadian-resident EFILE-registered partner or your own credentialed preparer files the return once the reconstruction is complete.
What you get to keep
The rebuilt file lands in your own QuickBooks Online, Xero or Sage 50 account, alongside the assumptions log itself. Nothing about the reconstruction is proprietary to us; if you move on afterward, the file and its documentation move with you.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Records reconstruction
What if bank statements from several years ago are simply gone?
We work from whatever remains, vendor confirmations, prior CRA filings and remaining processor exports, and document every place the reconstruction has to estimate rather than confirm.
Can reconstructed books actually support a T2 or T1 filing?
Yes, built to a standard your EFILE-registered partner or credentialed preparer can rely on, with every estimate flagged rather than presented as a confirmed fact.
Do you file the return once the reconstruction is done?
No. A Canadian-resident EFILE-registered partner or your own credentialed preparer files it. Our team prepares the numbers and the schedules.
What exactly is included in records reconstruction?
Transaction history rebuilt directly from bank, card and processor statements, and a chart of accounts reconstructed to match how the business actually operates. 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 records reconstruction 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 records reconstruction to another provider or bring it in-house at any point without losing a reconciliation or having to rebuild the file first.
What if some records are simply gone?
We work from what remains, bank and card statements, vendor confirmations, prior filings, and document every assumption we have to make.
Can reconstructed books support a tax filing?
Yes. We build them to a standard your credentialed preparer can rely on, and we flag anywhere the reconstruction is an estimate rather than a fact.
How is records reconstruction priced?
Pricing for records reconstruction depends on your transaction volume, the software you use, and how much cleanup is needed before ongoing work starts. Current ranges are published on the pricing page, and your exact fee is confirmed in writing before anything begins.
What software works with records reconstruction?
Records reconstruction runs inside QuickBooks Online or Xero, whichever you already use. If you are not yet set up in either, we can configure a file in your name so you keep ownership of it once the engagement is under way.
Related services
- Special situationsMulti-year catch-upBringing several years of unreconciled or missing books current in one structured engagement, scoped and timed before the work starts.
- BookkeepingCatch-up and cleanup bookkeepingMonths or years of books brought up to date and reconciled, with a written record of every adjustment, so monthly bookkeeping can start from a clean base.
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.