Behind on Your Books? How to Get Ready for Tax Season

Find the last reliable month

Start with the last month that was reconciled to its bank and credit card statements. A bank feed full of transactions does not tell you whether earlier balances are correct. If you cannot identify a reliable starting point, mark that as a question for your bookkeeper.

Make an account-by-month checklist

• List every business bank, credit card, loan, and payment-processing account.
• Mark which monthly statements you have and request the missing ones.
• Export invoices, sales records, and payment reports before changing software.
• Collect receipts and add explanations while you still remember them.

Work forward in order

Bring one period into agreement before moving to the next. Investigate duplicates, transfers, and unmatched customer payments. Keep a separate questions list so one unclear purchase does not disappear into a miscellaneous category. Save a copy of the original reports before any cleanup begins.

Tell your preparer early

If filing is approaching, explain how many months are unfinished and what documents are missing. Ask your tax preparer about the filing and payment steps appropriate to your situation. Do not assume that a bookkeeping project can be completed on the same day as the return.

Agree on a finish line

A useful catch-up scope identifies the accounts, months, reports, and open questions to be addressed. SV can discuss cleanup and tax filing together, with each service clearly scoped. After the catch-up work, choose a monthly date to send records and review questions.