QuickBooks cleanup, scoped before it’s quoted.
If your books are months behind, or the numbers in QuickBooks stopped matching the bank a long time ago, the honest first move is finding out how bad it actually is. We look inside your real file for a flat $497, put every problem in writing, and then give you a fixed price to fix it.
$497 · the diagnostic that scopes your cleanup · report in about a week
How much does a QuickBooks cleanup cost?
There is no rate card for cleanup, and any quote given before someone opens your file is a guess. The price comes down to two things: how many months of history need rebuilding, and how tangled each of those months is. Multiple sales channels, inventory, and payouts booked as revenue all add correction time.
What we can price up front is the first step. The In-Depth Diagnostic Review is a flat $497. Two licensed CPAs go through your actual QuickBooks, document every issue in a written findings report, record a video walkthrough so you can see what we found, and then give you one fixed quote to fix it. No hourly meter, no open-ended project.
To set expectations honestly: a cleanup covering a year or two of untouched books routinely runs into the thousands of dollars. We would rather you read that here than hear it on a call. The $497 is credited toward the cleanup, so the diagnostic is not an extra cost on top of the fix.
How long does it take?
The diagnostic takes about a week. From the day you give us access, we go through the file, write up the findings, record the walkthrough, and get it back to you with the quote attached.
The cleanup itself depends on how many months are being rebuilt, so we put a real timeline on it in the same quote as the price. You will know both numbers before you say yes to anything.
The things that make a file “messy.”
Nine problems account for most of the cleanups we take on. Some of these are quietly changing your profit number right now.
Accounts that have never been reconciled
Every bank, credit card, and loan account matched to the actual statement, month by month, instead of to itself.
Transactions parked in Uncategorized
The catch-all buckets get emptied and coded properly, with real vendor knowledge behind the calls, not a guess.
Duplicates and missing transactions
Double-entered deposits, transactions that never imported, and transfers booked twice as income and expense.
Opening Balance Equity that was never cleared
A balance sitting in that account is a sign the file was set up and then abandoned mid-setup. It gets traced and closed out.
Undeposited Funds that keeps filling up
Payments recorded but never matched to the deposit that actually hit the bank, which quietly inflates both income and receivables.
Payouts booked as revenue
Shopify, Stripe, Square, and marketplace payouts split into sales, fees, refunds, and sales tax, instead of one lump number that overstates your income.
Inventory and cost of goods that never move
Purchases expensed straight to the P&L with no cost of goods, which makes every margin on your reports wrong.
Owner money mixed with business money
Draws, contributions, loans, and payroll separated so the equity section means something and your return starts from the right number.
Vendors not set up for 1099s
Contractor payments identified and vendor records corrected before January, not during it.
Not sure you need one?
There are a handful of tells: you avoid opening QuickBooks, your accountant asks the same questions every year, the profit on your P&L does not resemble what is in the bank, or nobody has reconciled an account in months. We wrote those up in detail.
Three steps, and you can stop after any of them.
1. The diagnostic, $497
You give us read-only access to QuickBooks. We never move or change anything at this stage. About a week later you get a written findings report and a recorded walkthrough of your actual books.
2. A fixed quote
One number to bring the file current, based on what we actually found rather than an estimate over the phone. You decide from there.
3. The cleanup
Every month rebuilt and reconciled to the statement. When it is done you have books you can hand to a preparer, a lender, or a buyer without apologizing for them.
Answers before you ask.
How much does a QuickBooks cleanup cost?
There is no flat rate card for cleanup, because the price depends on two things: how many months of history need fixing, and how tangled each of those months is. What is fixed is the first step. The In-Depth Diagnostic Review is $497. We go inside your actual QuickBooks, document every problem in writing, and give you a fixed quote to fix it. The $497 credits toward the cleanup, so it is not an extra cost sitting on top of the fix. A cleanup covering a year or two of untouched books routinely runs into the thousands of dollars, and we would rather you hear that here than after a sales call.
How long does the whole thing take?
The diagnostic takes about a week from the day you give us access to QuickBooks. That is when you get the written findings report, the recorded walkthrough, and a fixed quote to fix it. The cleanup itself runs longer and depends on how many months need rebuilding, so we give you a real timeline alongside the price rather than making you guess.
How far behind can I be?
Years behind is normal and it is fine. We have picked up files that had not been reconciled since the account was opened. The further back it goes the more months there are to rebuild, which is what drives the quote, but there is no point where it becomes too late to fix.
Do I have to sign up for monthly bookkeeping afterward?
No. The Diagnostic Review and the cleanup both stand on their own, and plenty of people have us clean the file up and then take it from there. The $497 credits toward the cleanup if you move ahead with it.
Will I have to amend past tax returns?
Sometimes. If the cleanup changes a year that has already been filed, we will show you exactly what changed and walk you through your options. Amendments are quoted separately from the cleanup.
Do you need access to my bank accounts?
We start with read-only access to your QuickBooks. We do not move money and we do not need the ability to. For the cleanup itself we will need your bank and credit card statements for the months being rebuilt, so every account can be reconciled to the statement rather than to itself.
Do you only work with businesses in Knoxville?
We are based in Knoxville, Tennessee and work with clients across East Tennessee and nationwide. Cleanup work runs entirely remotely through secure document sharing and read-only access.
Ready when you are
Find out what shape your books are really in.
One flat fee, a real report, and a fixed quote if you want the fix. Nothing open-ended.
Buy the Diagnostic Review · $497 Book a free call
Questions first? Book a free 30-minute call, or email brooks@smokymountaincpas.com.