Cleanup vs monthly bookkeeping
How to tell whether the file needs a one-time cleanup, ongoing bookkeeping, or the cleanup first — and the cost logic of each order.
OpenCalifornia · Cleanup & Catch-Up
California bookkeeping cleanup & catch-up — from behind to CPA-ready.
Months or years behind? A 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.
Bookkeeping cleanup: $1,200–$15,000+What sets the price
If your file needs our paid diagnostic first, its fee is credited in full against the cleanup. Either way, you get a fixed fee in writing before any work starts.
State rule
California rule: a late sales tax return or late payment each draws a 10 percent penalty (no more than 10 percent in total if both), plus interest for each month or fraction of a month a payment is late; the catch-up dates every back period’s liability. Source: CDTFA Publication 75.
§ The short version
California bookkeeping cleanup and catch-up brings books months or years behind back to CPA-ready for a fixed fee of $1,200–$15,000+. We reconcile each bank and credit-card account to source statements, investigate unmatched balances, document corrections and hand over a period-by-period exception register, with the $800 franchise tax accrued for every missed year.
They took something that felt overwhelming to me as a first-year business owner and made it simple.
What stood out the most was TechBrot Inc’s attention to detail.
Intuit QuickBooks Certification Level 2 and QuickBooks Workforce Certification,
§ 01 · California tax realities a catch-up fixes
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.
$800
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.10.25%+
District sales tax by location
California’s statewide rate is 7.25%, 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
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.§ 02 · What a California catch-up covers
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.
01
Every period reconciled
Bank, card, and loan accounts reconciled for every back month so the books match reality.Reconciliation
02
District sales tax rebuilt
CDTFA district rates corrected by location for every back period so the sales-tax history ties.Sales tax help
03
$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
04
AB5 classification cleaned
W-2 and 1099 pay separated across the back periods so the contractor position is defensible.AB5 classification
05
The classic messes fixed
Undeposited Funds, Opening Balance Equity, duplicates, and ASC 606 revenue errors cleared and documented.QuickBooks cleanup
06
CPA-ready, then monthly
A CPA-ready file your CPA can file from — and an optional monthly cadence so it stays clean.Monthly bookkeeping
§ 03 · The scope
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
- Step 1
Free file review
A QuickBooks ProAdvisor reviews how far behind the books are and what getting current takes — at no cost. - Step 2
Written fixed-fee scope
A written catch-up scope and fixed fee within 3 business days — no open-ended hourly billing. - Step 3
Catch up to CPA-ready
Every period reconciled, sales tax rebuilt, franchise tax accrued, classification cleaned. - Step 4
Stay current
Optionally move into monthly bookkeeping so the file never falls behind again.
§ 05 · The advisory line
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.
§ 06 · Around this page
Around California.
California QuickBooks ProAdvisor & bookkeeping
The state page: services, industries, cities and the California tax terms in one place.Cleanup & catch-up bookkeeping, nationally
The national engagement this page is the California version of — same scope, same written fixed fee.Also in California
California cities
Not sure where your file stands? Start with the free QuickBooks file review · how California compares: state-by-state tax quirks.
§ 07 · Around the engagement
Before you engage anyone.
QuickBooks cleanup cost estimator
A scope-based estimate for a focused, standard, or complex cleanup from your months behind, number of accounts, and transaction volume.
Open§ 08 · Common questions
California cleanup & catch-up questions.
What does California bookkeeping cleanup and catch-up include?
Reconciling and categorizing every back period, rebuilding CDTFA district sales tax by location for each period, accruing the $800 franchise tax for every missed year, cleaning up AB5 contractor classification, and clearing the classic messes (Undeposited Funds, Opening Balance Equity, duplicates, ASC 606 revenue) — to a CPA-ready standard, in your own QuickBooks file.
What’s the difference between cleanup and catch-up?
Cleanup fixes periods that exist but are structurally wrong; catch-up builds and reconciles periods that were never done. Most California businesses that have fallen behind need both, and we scope them as a single engagement to a CPA-ready standard so there’s one clear cost and timeline.
How far behind can you take on?
From a few months to several years — a multi-year file is rebuilt period by period from bank and card statements and source documents. The further behind you are, the more carefully we scope it in writing first, so the cost and timeline are clear before any work begins and there are no surprises.
Do I still owe the $800 franchise tax for years I didn’t file?
Generally the $800 California franchise tax is owed for each year an LLC or corporation was registered or doing business, even if no return was filed and even at a loss. We accrue it for every missed year so your CPA can file the back returns accurately; the filing and any penalty or revivor matter are handled by your CPA or EA.
How much does a California catch-up cost?
Fixed-fee against a written scope, never open-ended hourly — typically $1,200–$15,000+ for cleanup and $2,000–$20,000+ for multi-year catch-up, depending on how far behind and how messy the books are. The free file review tells you what it takes before any work begins.
Do you work in my own QuickBooks file?
Yes — your file, your data, in QuickBooks Online or hosted Desktop. If there’s no usable file yet, we build one from your source documents to a CPA-ready standard.
What happens after you catch me up?
You get a CPA-ready file and a written summary of what was fixed. You can then move into monthly bookkeeping with the same preparer so the file stays clean and never falls behind again.
Checked against the California Franchise Tax Board and the CDTFA.
California businesses start here
Behind on the books? Start with a free file review.
Tell us what’s wrong with the books. We’ll tell you whether cleanup, catch-up or monthly bookkeeping fits.
Or send the details instead