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Catch‑up & Cleanup · Ottawa

Bookkeeping cleanup in Ottawa for books that have gotten away from you.

Months behind, a QuickBooks file nobody’s touched since spring, or a mess left by the last bookkeeper we’ve seen worse and fixed it. We rebuild your books into something accurate and current, with no judgement.

No obligation · No lock‑in contracts · Ottawa‑based

"I’m honestly embarrassed how far behind we are. I keep putting off dealing with it."

Falling behind on the books is the most normal thing in the world when you’re busy running jobs and it’s the thing people feel worst about. Here’s the truth: we do this constantly, nothing surprises us, and every month you wait makes the eventual tax bill and cleanup bigger. There’s no upside to putting it off and a lot of relief in just handing it over.

Catch‑up and cleanup is one of the most common ways contractors and property owners start with Aldebooks. We get you current, fix what’s wrong, and if you want move you straight onto clean monthly service so it never happens again.

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We’ve untangled the books of real project businesses so a messy file with draws, subs and half‑coded jobs doesn’t faze us. More about us →

Best fit for
Months or years behindBookkeeper quit mid‑yearUnfiled HSTInherited a messy filePre‑tax‑season catch‑up

A full rescue of your books

However far behind, however messy: it ends in numbers you can actually trust.

Full file reviewWe assess exactly what state your books are in and scope the work upfront.
Historical reconciliationMonths or years of transactions reconciled against statements.
Chart of accounts rebuildRestructured properly for construction or real estate so reporting works.
Fixing miscategorized entriesErrors corrected so your reports finally reflect reality.
Catching up HST & filingsOutstanding returns identified and brought current with the CRA.
Untangling old payrollPrior payroll, remittances and slips reviewed and corrected.
Getting you currentBooks brought right up to today, ready to rely on.
Optional monthly handoffMove straight onto clean ongoing service when you’re caught up.

However far behind it’s fixable

Three months or three years, a half‑finished QuickBooks file or a shoebox of receipts, an abandoned spreadsheet or a tangle left by a previous bookkeeper. The approach is the same. We review, reconcile, correct and rebuild until your books reflect reality. Then, often for the first time in a while, you actually know where you stand.

Why it pays to do it now

Behind‑books cost money in ways that compound: missed HST input credits, late‑filing penalties, decisions made on numbers that were never right, and a year‑end that turns into an expensive emergency for your accountant. Cleaning up isn’t just tidying it frequently pays for itself.

No judgement, ever

This is genuinely one of the most common situations we see. Our only goal is to get you sorted and keep you that way.

Typical cleanup projects

Here is what most cleanups actually look like when we start:

Books 6 to 12 months behindThe most common situation. We scope the work, quote it flat, and get it done before tax season.
Previous bookkeeper left mid-yearWe take over wherever things stopped, reconcile what is outstanding, and get you current. No chasing the old bookkeeper.
Mixed personal and business expensesCommon in owner-operated trades and construction. We sort it out cleanly.
An abandoned QuickBooks fileOpened a couple of years ago, used briefly, then ignored. We go back and rebuild it properly.
Missing reconciliations for monthsThe bank balance and the books do not agree. We trace back through the statements and fix it.
Unfiled or incorrect HSTWe identify what is outstanding, reconstruct the amounts owed, and coordinate with your accountant to get you current with CRA.

Related services

Most businesses combine this with one or two of the following:

The setup behind your books

Cloud software, your account, your data.

📗 QuickBooks Online 🧾 Dext 📂 Hubdoc

Your books stay in your own QuickBooks Online account on bank-level encrypted software. We work in it; we don't hold it hostage. You get a single named point of contact, a signed engagement letter, and an NDA on request. Cancel anytime; your file is always yours.

What happens after you reach out

How a cleanup actually goes.

1. Free review

A 30-minute call to look at how far behind things are, what software is involved, and what is outstanding: HST, payroll, reconciliation gaps. No judgement, no pressure. We have seen worse.

2. Scope and quote

We get read access to the file and assess it properly. How many months behind. What is miscategorized. Whether the chart of accounts needs rebuilding. What HST is outstanding. You get a flat upfront quote before any work starts. No hourly billing, no surprises.

3. Rebuild and reconcile

Transactions categorized and reconciled month by month. Chart of accounts restructured for construction or real estate where needed. Bank feeds matched. HST identified and brought current. Payroll gaps cleared. Job costing restored if it was broken. Books brought right up to today.

4. Hand off or stay on

We deliver clean books your accountant can work with, or we roll straight into monthly service at a flat rate. Most clients stay on. The books are finally in good shape and they want to keep it that way.

Common questions

Catch‑up & cleanup, answered.

No. We regularly bring books current that are years behind. Same process: review, reconcile, correct. It just takes more work, which we scope upfront.

Never. It’s one of the most common ways clients come to us. We’ve seen every kind of mess; our only job is to fix it.

Yes we’ll identify what’s outstanding, get the books accurate enough to file, and coordinate with your accountant to get you current with the CRA.

Cleanup is a one‑time project quoted after a quick file review, since it depends how far behind and how messy things are. Ongoing monthly service is a separate flat fee.

Let’s just get it sorted.

Book a free bookkeeping review. Tell us how far behind you are no judgement and we’ll give you a clear plan and an honest quote to get current.

No obligation · No lock‑in contracts · Ottawa‑based specialists