Catch-Up Bookkeeping Services in Springfield, MO

Melton Bookkeeping and Accounting Services provides catch-up bookkeeping services in Springfield, MO for business owners whose books have fallen months or years behind. I am Paula Melton, a CPA, and I do the catch-up work myself. Every project starts with a $175 diagnostic review, so you know how far behind your QuickBooks file is and what it costs to fix before any work begins.

Falling behind is common. Three months behind is normal and easy to fix. A year behind starts costing you in missed deductions and late filing penalties, so the sooner we start, the less it costs.

What Catch-Up Bookkeeping Services Include

Catch-up bookkeeping services bring books that have fallen behind back up to date, one month at a time, until every account matches your statements. I record what is missing, reconcile each account and fix what was entered wrong along the way. The finished file is ready for your tax return.

Historical Financial Reconstruction for Books Years Behind

When records are missing or a file has not been touched in years, catch-up turns into rebuilding. My pricing page lists historical financial reconstruction as its own service. We discuss and approve it in advance, like every other additional service, so there are no surprises.

Every catch-up includes:

Recording every missing month of income and expenses
Reconciling all bank and credit card accounts, month by month
Clearing uncategorized transactions and bank feed backlogs
Correcting duplicate income and miscategorized expenses
Clearing old checks and deposits that should not still be outstanding
Fixing loan and credit card payments recorded as expenses
Tax-ready financial statements when the catch-up is done
An easy move into monthly bookkeeping, if you want it

Catch-Up Bookkeeping vs. QuickBooks Cleanup

Catch-up bookkeeping fills in months that were never recorded. QuickBooks cleanup fixes months that were recorded wrong. Most behind files need some of both. That is why the diagnostic review looks at the whole file before I quote anything.

Comparison	Catch-up bookkeeping	QuickBooks cleanup
The problem	Months or years with nothing recorded	Entries that are recorded but wrong
What I do	Record missing income and expenses, then reconcile each month	Correct duplicates, miscategorized transactions and unreconciled accounts
How you notice it	Tax season arrives and the books stop months ago	Your Profit and Loss does not look like the business you run
Where it starts	$175 diagnostic review	$175 diagnostic review

If your books are current but the numbers look wrong, my QuickBooks cleanup services are the better fit.

How Catch-Up Bookkeeping Works, Step by Step

Catch-up bookkeeping with me follows five steps, and you see the price before any catch-up work starts.

Book a $175 diagnostic review and invite me into your QuickBooks file as an accountant.
Before we meet, I go through the file and find what is missing, unreconciled or miscategorized.
At our appointment I walk you through what I found and give you a written proposal.
Once you approve it, you send the statements I ask for and I catch up the books month by month.
You get reconciled, tax-ready books, plus the option to move into monthly bookkeeping so you stay current.

How Far Behind Is Too Late for Catch-Up Bookkeeping

There is no point at which it is too late. Three months behind is normal and easy to fix. Several years behind is still fixable, and I do it regularly. The diagnostic review shows you what you are dealing with first.

Documents you may need to send:

Why Choose a CPA for Catch-Up Bookkeeping

A CPA doing your catch-up bookkeeping checks whether each entry balances and what it will do to your tax return. With 23 years preparing business returns, I catch the things that get expensive later. Think of an S corporation missing reasonable owner payroll, or a prior period that was never closed properly.

Catch-Up Bookkeeping and Your Tax Return

Catching up your books and filing your return go together. I prepare business returns for S corporations (Form 1120-S), C corporations (Form 1120), partnerships (Form 1065) and single-member LLCs (Schedule C). Already have a tax preparer? I work with your CPA so the caught-up books are ready for them.

About Paula Melton, Your Catch-Up Bookkeeper Near Springfield

I am Paula Melton, a CPA and the owner of Melton Bookkeeping and Accounting Services in Marshfield, Missouri. I handle every catch-up bookkeeping project myself, with over 23 years of business tax and accounting experience behind it. That experience includes bookkeeping, tax preparation, sales tax, 1099 filings and payroll. Bringing order to messy books is something I genuinely enjoy.

I work with business owners in Springfield, Marshfield, Nixa, Bolivar and across Southwest Missouri, and I work remotely too. Catch-up bookkeeping does not need you in my office. You invite me into QuickBooks, send your statements and we talk through the results.

Common Questions About Catch-Up Bookkeeping

How much does catch-up bookkeeping cost in Springfield, MO?

Catch-up bookkeeping with Paula Melton, CPA starts with a $175 QuickBooks diagnostic review. I go through your file before we meet, then give you a written proposal with the cost to bring your books current. You approve that price before any catch-up work begins, so there are no surprises on the bill.

Is it too late to catch up books that are years behind?

No, there is no point at which it is too late to catch up your bookkeeping. I handle catch-up work and historical cleanup, including QuickBooks files that have not been touched in years. Several years behind takes more work than three months behind, so the diagnostic review comes first.

How do I catch up on my bookkeeping?

To catch up on bookkeeping, first find out how far behind the books are and what is wrong in them. With me, that is a $175 diagnostic review. From there I record the missing months, reconcile every bank and credit card account, correct errors and hand back tax-ready books.

Can I switch to monthly bookkeeping after catch-up?

Yes, catch-up bookkeeping is often the first step before regular monthly bookkeeping can begin. My monthly packages start at $250 a month for Foundation reconciliation and $550 a month for Growth, which adds monthly financial statements and payroll recording. Once your books are current, monthly bookkeeping keeps them that way.

Start Catch-Up Bookkeeping Services in Springfield, MO

If tax season is coming and your books stopped months ago, catch-up bookkeeping services from a local CPA can get you current. Call me at 417-630-0057. Or book a QuickBooks Diagnostic Review so we know exactly how far behind your books are.