Bookkeeping
Catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping
Catch-up bookkeeping for a Saudi company whose ledger has fallen behind: Finbryn reconstructs the missing months in Zoho Books, QuickBooks Online or Xero, reconciles every account, corrects miscoding and hands over an adjustments schedule, so a VAT, Zakat or Qawaem filing rests on numbers that actually tie out.
Bank reconciliation summary
Illustrative client · August 2026
SAR
| 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 28 Aug, 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.
What usually causes the gap
The books slip most often after a bookkeeper leaves without a proper handover, a bank feed silently stops syncing inside Zoho Books, QuickBooks Online or Xero, or a business simply outgrows whoever was keeping the ledger on the side. The gap rarely announces itself until a Qawaem filing deadline, a VAT period or the 120-day Zakat and tax window is already close.
Rebuilding one proven month at a time
We pull statements for every riyal and foreign-currency account across the backlog, then rebuild forward from the last month that genuinely closed clean, proving that period's closing balance before touching the next one. A duplicate bank-feed entry, a transfer wrongly coded as a sale, or VAT applied at the wrong rate gets fixed as we find it, and every fix lands on a written adjustments schedule naming the period, the entry and the reason for the change.
Splitting the backlog by ownership share
Where the company has mixed Saudi or GCC ownership alongside a non-Saudi share, the rebuilt trial balance separates the Zakat base from the taxable income the whole way through the backlog, not just for the most recent period, since ZATCA expects both figures for every year still open.
Where an already-filed VAT return was wrong
If a VAT return already submitted turns out understated or overstated once the backlog is rebuilt, the adjustments schedule shows exactly by how much and for which period, so you or your ZATCA-licensed tax agent can decide how to put it right with ZATCA rather than guessing at an amendment.
After the backlog clears
Once the ledger is current, monthly bookkeeping keeps a new gap from opening, and a MISA-licensed subsidiary mid-catch-up can pick up intercompany accounting once its own books are proven month by month.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Catch-up and cleanup bookkeeping
How far back can a Saudi catch-up realistically go?
As far as the bank and Fatoora records allow us to reconstruct honestly; we scope the exact number of months once we have seen the statements.
What happens if the backlog reveals an underpaid VAT amount?
The adjustments schedule shows the shortfall by period. Correcting it with ZATCA is then a decision for you or your licensed tax agent, not something we file ourselves.
Can you take over from a bookkeeper who left without a handover?
Yes, this is one of the most common reasons a Saudi company calls us in the first place.
Does a mixed-ownership company get the Zakat and tax split rebuilt across the whole backlog?
Yes, the Saudi and GCC share and the non-Saudi share are separated for every period we rebuild, not only the most recent one.
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
- Ecommerce (Amazon and Shopify)Bookkeeping for online sellers on Amazon, Shopify, Etsy and their own storefronts, built around clean payout and sales tax data.
- Restaurants and multi-entity franchise groupsBookkeeping for restaurant groups and franchise operators running several locations or legal entities at once.
- Real estate and property managementBookkeeping for property owners and managers tracking income, expenses and reserves at the level of each individual property.
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.