What's the difference between catch-up and clean-up bookkeeping?
The short version is that catch-up is for books that were never done, and clean-up is for books that were done wrong.
Catch-up bookkeeping is what you need when there are months, sometimes years, with nothing recorded at all. You opened the practice, set up a business account, started seeing clients, and the statements have been piling up ever since. There is nothing to correct because there is nothing there yet. The work is building it from scratch. I gather your statements and access, record each period in order, reconcile every account, and bring everything current through last month.
Clean-up bookkeeping is what you need when the records exist and you do not believe them. Transactions sitting in Uncategorized Expense. EHR deposits entered twice. Personal spending mixed in with practice spending. Accounts that have never been reconciled, so the balance in QuickBooks and the balance at the bank have not matched in a year. Sometimes that comes from doing it yourself at nine at night between notes. Sometimes a previous bookkeeper left it that way. Either way, the work is reviewing what is there, finding what is wrong, correcting it properly, and reconciling until the numbers hold up.
Here is an easy way to tell which one you have. Open your accounting file and scroll through the last twelve months. Empty stretches with no activity point to catch-up. Full months with numbers you would not want to read out loud to your tax preparer point to clean-up.
Plenty of practices need some of both, and that is completely normal. A therapist who kept up in January and February, drifted through spring, then tried to fix it all in one weekend usually has gaps and errors sitting side by side. That is why I scope and price these per engagement after I actually look at what exists instead of quoting a number before I know.
Both jobs finish in the same place. Accurate books that are current, records organized so your tax preparer has what they need without chasing you, and then steady private practice bookkeeping every month so it never builds back up. Monthly service starts at $165, and it is worth confirming current pricing when we talk since that can change.
If you are behind, I am not going to make you feel bad about it. Falling behind while carrying a full caseload is one of the most ordinary things in private practice. Book a consultation with me and I will look at what you have and tell you honestly which one you need.
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Tell me where your books stand right now, even if the honest answer is that nobody has looked at them in a year. I'll ask a few questions and give you a clear idea of how I can help.
More Questions
What's different about bookkeeping for a psychologist who does testing?
Testing behaves like a second business inside the same practice. The engagements run long, the money often arrives on a different schedule than the work, and materials cost real money, so testing revenue and testing costs belong in their own categories.
Read answerWhat should an addiction counseling practice's books account for?
Separate income by the kind of work behind it, since individual sessions, groups, assessments, and education programs earn very differently for the time and space they use. Your books also need a consistent way to record sliding scale fees, payment plans, and partial payments, plus clear tracking of group revenue and unpaid balances.
Read answerDoes keeping my office make financial sense versus staying telehealth?
This is arithmetic your books can settle. Add up the true all-in monthly cost of the office, divide it by the sessions you actually held in that room, and compare that to what the in-person work brings in.
Read answerWhat financial records should a private practice actually keep?
Business bank and card statements, revenue reports from your practice management system, receipts for deductible expenses, payroll and contractor records, and the bookkeeping file that ties them together. Keep them organized by year and month so any question has a findable answer.
Read answerCan you run payroll for my group practice?
Yes, as long as your payroll system is already up and running. Aretha processes payroll every pay period and makes sure it posts correctly in your books. She does not handle initial payroll system setup, so a brand new practice would establish that first with its provider.
Read answerWhat kind of practice fits AD Keeps The Books best?
Mental health practices with one to about ten people, anywhere in the country. Solo therapists, psychologists, LCSWs, addiction counselors, psychiatric nurse practitioners, group practices, telehealth practices, and ABA providers. If you want your books current and a bookkeeper who already speaks your language, you're the fit.
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