California · Cleanup & Catch-Up
California bookkeeping cleanup & catch-up — from behind to CPA-ready.
Months or years behind? A Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor brings your California books current — reconciled, categorized, district sales tax and the $800 franchise tax fixed across every back period, contractor classification cleaned — to a CPA-ready standard. Fixed-fee, all 58 counties. We get you current; your CPA files.
Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor team · Independent · not Intuit · Fixed-fee · written scope in 3 days
TechBrot provides bookkeeping cleanup and catch-up for California businesses — books that are months or years behind brought current and CPA-ready by a named Certified ProAdvisor: every period reconciled, district sales tax and the $800 franchise tax fixed, contractor classification cleaned, in your own QuickBooks file. The full California cleanup & catch-up summary is below.
Reviewed by the Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor team at TechBrot Inc., an independent firm — not affiliated with Intuit Inc. California tax references ($800 FTB franchise tax; CDTFA district sales tax; AB5) reflect rules current as of the review date; TechBrot does not file California taxes.
The short version.
TechBrot provides bookkeeping cleanup and catch-up for California businesses — books that are months or years behind brought current and CPA-ready by a named Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor. We reconcile every back period, rebuild CDTFA district sales tax to the correct rate by location, accrue the $800 franchise tax for each missed year, clean up AB5 contractor classification, and fix the common messes (Undeposited Funds, Opening Balance Equity, ASC 606 revenue). Then, if you want, we keep it clean with monthly bookkeeping. Fixed-fee against a written scope ($1,500–$15,000+ cleanup; $2,000–$20,000+ multi-year catch-up). Independent firm — not affiliated with Intuit Inc.; we get you current, your CPA files.
California bookkeeping cleanup & catch-up, in five questions.
What is California bookkeeping cleanup and catch-up?
Bringing books that are months or years behind current and CPA-ready — every period reconciled and categorized, CDTFA district sales tax and the $800 franchise tax fixed across back periods, contractor classification cleaned — by a named Certified ProAdvisor. We get you current; your CPA files.
Cleanup or catch-up — what’s the difference?
Cleanup fixes a period that’s structurally wrong; catch-up builds and reconciles periods that were never done. Most behind-California-businesses need both — we scope it as one engagement to a CPA-ready standard.
How far behind can you take on?
Months or several years — we’ve rebuilt multi-year California files from bank statements and source documents. The further behind, the more we scope it in writing first so the cost and timeline are clear before any work begins.
What does it cost?
Fixed-fee against a written scope: cleanup $1,500–$15,000+; multi-year catch-up $2,000–$20,000+, by how far behind and how messy. Exact fee in writing within 3 business days of a free file review.
What happens after you catch me up?
You get a CPA-ready file and a summary of what was fixed. Many California businesses then move into monthly bookkeeping so it never falls behind again.
Every back period, brought current.
Cleanup and catch-up aren’t just data entry — in California, every back period has to be reconciled, sales-tax-corrected, and CPA-ready.
Every period reconciled
Bank, card, and loan accounts reconciled for every back month so the books match reality.
Reconciliation →District sales tax rebuilt
CDTFA district rates corrected by location for every back period so the sales-tax history ties.
Sales tax help →$800 franchise tax caught up
The FTB minimum tax and LLC fee accrued for each missed year so your CPA can file the back returns.
California overview →AB5 classification cleaned
W-2 and 1099 pay separated across the back periods so the contractor position is defensible.
AB5 classification →The classic messes fixed
Undeposited Funds, Opening Balance Equity, duplicates, and ASC 606 revenue errors cleared and documented.
QuickBooks cleanup →CPA-ready, then monthly
A CPA-ready file your CPA can file from — and an optional monthly cadence so it stays clean.
Monthly bookkeeping →Three California facts a catch-up gets right — for every year.
When books fall behind in California, these three drift the most — and the catch-up corrects each across the back periods.
California’s $800 FTB franchise tax
Every LLC and corporation owes the Franchise Tax Board $800 a year — even at a loss — plus an income-based LLC fee. Catch-up accrues every missed year so your CPA can file; we don’t file.
District sales tax by location
California’s 7.25% base is the highest in the U.S., and district add-ons push the combined rate past 10.25%. Catch-up rebuilds CDTFA sales tax to the correct rate by location for every back period.
AB5 worker classification
The ABC test reclassifies many core-work contractors as employees. Catch-up separates W-2 from 1099 across the back periods so the exposure is visible; EDD disputes go to your CPA or counsel.
What we do — and what we don’t.
What TechBrot does
- Reconcile and categorize every back period
- Rebuild CDTFA district sales tax by location for each period
- Accrue the $800 franchise tax for every missed year
- Clean up AB5 contractor classification across back periods
- Clear Undeposited Funds, OBE, duplicates, and ASC 606 errors
- Deliver a CPA-ready file and a summary of what changed
What your CPA does
- File California or federal income, franchise, or sales-tax returns
- Represent you before the FTB, CDTFA, or EDD
- Resolve worker-classification disputes or audits
- Provide legal or tax advice
Four steps from messy to handled.
Free file review
A Certified ProAdvisor reviews how far behind the books are and what getting current takes — at no cost.
Written fixed-fee scope
A written catch-up scope and fixed fee within 3 business days — no open-ended hourly billing.
Catch up to CPA-ready
Every period reconciled, sales tax rebuilt, franchise tax accrued, classification cleaned.
Stay current
Optionally move into monthly bookkeeping so the file never falls behind again.
Automation handles the data entry. We handle the judgment.
Falling behind in California is expensive in a specific way: every missed year still owes the $800 franchise tax, and every back period has district sales tax that has to be reconstructed. Catching up correctly is what lets your CPA file and you move on.
Once you’re current, monthly bookkeeping keeps it that way, and advisory turns a clean history into decisions — in coordination with your CPA.
California cleanup & catch-up questions.
What does California bookkeeping cleanup and catch-up include?
What’s the difference between cleanup and catch-up?
How far behind can you take on?
Do I still owe the $800 franchise tax for years I didn’t file?
How much does a California catch-up cost?
Do you work in my own QuickBooks file?
Do you file my California taxes?
What happens after you catch me up?
Reviewed by the TechBrot Certified ProAdvisor team.
Reviewed and maintained by the accounting team at TechBrot Inc., an independent Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor and bookkeeping firm serving California businesses remotely across all 58 counties. California tax figures — the $800 FTB minimum franchise tax, CDTFA district sales tax, and AB5 worker classification — reflect rules current as of the date below and are reviewed periodically against the California Franchise Tax Board, the CDTFA, and the EDD. TechBrot brings the books current and CPA-ready and coordinates with your CPA, who files; we do not file California returns or represent clients before tax authorities.
Reviewer
TechBrot Certified ProAdvisor team · 40+ years combined operational accounting experience
Standards
Verified vs the CA FTB, CDTFA & EDD · No tax-filing or representation claims (out of scope) · Reviewed periodically · No fabricated data
Independence
Independent Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor firm · Not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
California businesses start here
Behind on the books? Start with a free file review.
A Certified ProAdvisor reviews where the books stand, tells you honestly how far behind you are and what getting current takes, and sends a written fixed-fee scope within 3 business days. No pitch, no judgment. Independent firm — does not file CA taxes; coordinates with your CPA.