Cleanup & catch-up

Bring Your Books Up to Date in Chicago, IL

A backlog does not fix itself by starting fresh next month. We reconstruct what is missing, correct what is wrong and restate every period we touch.

  • One point of contact for the whole project
  • Restated statements for every period we touch
  • Backlog scoped on the real file, not estimated

Long-established businesses fall behind for reasons that have nothing to do with carelessness. A bookkeeper retires, an illness intervenes, a system changes. The records exist and are usually sound; what has gone is the person who knew how they were meant to be kept.

What's included

What our service covers in Chicago

Everything below is part of the engagement — no surprise add-ons.

Post-catch-up review call

A call at the end covering what the restated numbers show and what to do differently, so the backlog does not rebuild itself.

Sales tax figure preparation

We prepare the corrected sales tax figures for each backlog period and hand them to your CPA or tax preparer. We do not file the returns ourselves.

Transfer cleanup

Money moved between your own accounts is a common source of phantom income. We identify transfers across the backlog and stop them inflating revenue.

Vendor and customer rebuild

Where the lists were never maintained, we rebuild them so the restated reports break down by who you actually paid and who paid you.

Documented change log

Every correction recorded — what it was, what it became and why — so amended returns are defensible later.

How it runs

What happens after you get in touch

Only the first step needs anything from you.

1

Free assessment call

We look at the file together and establish the real scope — months behind, accounts involved, condition of the records. No judgment.

2

One fixed quote

A single flat fee for the whole project before any work starts. It does not move unless you ask us to expand the scope.

3

We rebuild, then hand over

The backlog is reconstructed period by period, reconciled and documented. At the end you get corrected statements, the change log and a file your CPA can work from.

Why us

Why Chicago businesses choose Feather Accounting

Work sequenced in period order so progress is visible
Restated statements you can take to a lender or CPA
Plain-English explanations of what the restated numbers mean
A free assessment call before anything is quoted
Your CPA given what they need without a second cleanup
Good fit

This is a good fit if…

  • You genuinely do not know how far behind you are
  • A lender or buyer has asked for statements you cannot produce
  • Accounts have not been reconciled in a year or more
  • A previous bookkeeper left the file in poor shape

Catching up without the person who knew

The difficulty is rarely the transactions. It is the conventions — a category that meant something specific, an adjustment made every year for a reason nobody wrote down.

We work out the existing treatment from the historical records before touching the backlog, so the reconstruction continues the same approach rather than silently switching to ours. A period that changes basis halfway through is not comparable with the ones either side of it.

Where the old treatment was genuinely wrong we say so and propose a change at a period boundary rather than folding it quietly into the catch-up.

FAQ

Questions about this service

Anything we have not covered, ask on the call — it is free and there is no follow-up sequence.

Sometimes, and it is usually good news — corrected books frequently reduce what was owed. We give your CPA the restated statements and change log so they can decide what needs amending.

Free consultation

Get your free consultation

Tell us about your business and we'll show you how we can simplify your QuickBooks bookkeeping.

What you get

  • Free 15-minute consultation
  • No long-term contracts
  • Dedicated QuickBooks expert
  • Books delivered monthly, on time
  • Flat-rate, transparent pricing

Prefer to talk? Call us directly at (803) 757-4800

No spam, no commitment. We'll reach out to schedule your free consultation.

Free consultation

Let's get your books current

Tell us where your books stand today. In 20 minutes you will have a flat rate, a start date and a plan — whether or not you hire us.

New business owner? Ask about our first-year startup rate.