QuickBooks cleanup · Standard tier
Standard QuickBooks cleanup: multi-issue, brought to CPA-ready.
The mid tier of QuickBooks cleanup — for when more than one thing is wrong and the books are several months, up to about a year, behind. A few months unreconciled plus miscategorizations plus a messy chart of accounts; a bank-feed mess plus duplicates plus an off reconciliation; or post-migration cleanup of a year. We reconcile every account, fix the categorization, catch up the backlog, and hand off CPA-ready — typically a $3,000–$7,500 fixed fee. Independent firm, not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
A standard QuickBooks cleanup is the mid tier of the cleanup ladder: a fixed-fee project that fixes several related issues at once and/or catches up books that are several months — up to about a year — behind, then brings the file to CPA-ready condition. It covers reconciling all accounts, fixing miscategorized and duplicate transactions, rationalizing a messy chart of accounts, and bringing the backlog current. It sits between the focused tier ($1,200–$3,000, one contained issue) and the complex tier ($7,500–$15,000+, multi-year, structural, or multi-entity), and is typically a $3,000–$7,500 fixed fee. We do the cleanup; your CPA files the return — we don’t file taxes.
Reference maintained by the Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor team at TechBrot Inc., an independent firm — not Intuit, and not Intuit’s official software support. Not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
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The standard cleanup tier, in five questions.
What is a standard QuickBooks cleanup?
It’s the mid tier of QuickBooks cleanup: a fixed-fee project to fix several related issues at once and/or catch up books that are several months to about a year behind, then bring the file to CPA-ready condition. Think a few months unreconciled plus miscategorizations plus a messy chart of accounts — not a single fix, and not a multi-year structural rebuild. Typically $3,000–$7,500 fixed-fee.
How do I know I’m in the standard tier and not focused or complex?
You’re in standard when more than one thing is wrong and the books are some months — up to roughly a year — behind, but it’s not multi-year, multi-entity, or structurally broken. A single, contained problem is the focused tier ($1,200–$3,000). Multiple years behind, a corrupted or restructured file, or several entities is the complex tier ($7,500–$15,000+). A free file review confirms which tier fits before any quote.
How much does a standard QuickBooks cleanup cost?
Typically $3,000–$7,500 as a fixed fee, scoped in writing before any work starts. The range reflects how many accounts and months are involved and how tangled the categorization and chart of accounts are. You see the exact number in a written scope after the free file review — no hourly surprises.
What does a standard cleanup actually fix?
Reconciliation across all accounts, miscategorized and uncategorized transactions, duplicate and missing entries, a messy or bloated chart of accounts, and several months of catch-up bookkeeping — all reconciled to bank and statement reality and handed off CPA-ready. Common triggers: a bank-feed mess plus duplicates plus an off reconciliation, or post-migration cleanup of a year.
Do you file my taxes after the cleanup?
No. We do the cleanup — we bring the books to CPA-ready condition and hand off clean, reconciled files and a summary of what was fixed. Your CPA or tax preparer files the return. We’re an independent Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor firm, not a tax-filing firm and not Intuit.
The standard cleanup tier, plainly.
A standard cleanup is the middle of three cleanup tiers. You’re here when more than one thing is wrong and the books are several months — up to roughly a year — behind: a few months unreconciled plus miscategorized transactions plus a chart of accounts that’s grown messy; or a bank-feed mess that left duplicates and an off reconciliation in its wake; or a year of history that landed scrambled after a migration. It’s more than a single contained fix, but it isn’t a multi-year, multi-entity, or structurally broken file.
The work is straightforward in shape and fixed in price: reconcile every bank, credit-card, and loan account to its statements; clean up the categorization and the chart of accounts; remove duplicates and recover gaps; and catch the backlog up to the present period — then hand the file off CPA-ready. A standard cleanup is typically a $3,000–$7,500 fixed fee, scoped in writing after a free file review. Where a single, contained issue is the focused tier ($1,200–$3,000) and a multi-year or structural mess is the complex tier ($7,500–$15,000+), standard is the cluster-of-issues middle ground. We do the cleanup; your CPA files the return — we don’t file taxes, and we’re not Intuit.
What a standard cleanup covers.
The standard tier addresses these together — a cluster of related issues, ranked by how often they drive a standard-tier engagement.
Covers 01 · Several months unreconciled across accounts
The core of a standard cleanup. Several months — up to roughly a year — where bank, credit-card, and loan accounts haven’t been reconciled, so the balances in QuickBooks no longer match real statements. We reconcile every account month by month until each ties to the statement.
Covers 02 · Miscategorized and uncategorized transactions
Months of transactions posted to the wrong accounts, dumped in Uncategorized, or split inconsistently — the kind of mess that throws off the P&L and the balance sheet. We re-categorize against a clean structure so reports actually mean something.
Covers 03 · A messy or bloated chart of accounts
Duplicate accounts, vague catch-all categories, and accounts created on the fly that never should have existed. We rationalize the chart of accounts to a clean, CPA-friendly structure and re-map the history to it.
Covers 04 · Duplicate and missing transactions
Entries downloaded twice, manually keyed and then re-imported, or dropped entirely after a bank-feed mess. We remove genuine duplicates carefully — without deleting real transactions — and recover the gaps so the register reflects reality.
Covers 05 · A bank-feed mess that broke the books
A common standard-tier trigger: a feed that disconnected or doubled up, leaving duplicates, miscategorized downloads, and a reconciliation that won’t tie. We fix the downstream damage in the books, not just the connection.
Also covers · Post-migration cleanup of about a year
After a move between QuickBooks versions or platforms, a year of history can land with balances off, categories scrambled, or reconciliations broken. Cleaning up roughly a year of post-migration damage sits squarely in the standard tier.
How a standard cleanup runs.
Seven steps, in order — from a free file review to a CPA-ready handoff, with a written fixed fee agreed before any work starts.
Free file review
We look at your QuickBooks file first — how many months and accounts are behind, how tangled the categorization and chart of accounts are, and whether you’re truly in the standard tier and not focused or complex. No charge, and no work begins until you’ve seen the scope.
Written fixed-fee scope
You get a written scope with a fixed fee — typically $3,000–$7,500 for a standard cleanup — spelling out exactly what we’ll fix, the accounts and months covered, and what CPA-ready means for your file. No hourly meter, no surprises.
Reconcile all accounts
We reconcile every bank, credit-card, and loan account, month by month, until each balance ties to the actual statement. Reconciliation is the foundation — nothing downstream is trustworthy until the accounts tie.
Fix categorization and the chart of accounts
We rationalize the chart of accounts to a clean structure, then re-categorize the history against it — clearing Uncategorized, correcting misposted entries, and removing duplicates — so the P&L and balance sheet finally read true.
Catch up the months behind
We bring the several months — up to about a year — of backlog current: entering, matching, and reconciling everything missing so the books are complete through the present period, not just patched.
CPA-ready handoff
We hand off clean, reconciled files with a summary of what was fixed and any open items — ready for your CPA or tax preparer to work from. We do the cleanup; your CPA files the return. We don’t file taxes.
Optional monthly upkeep
If you’d rather the books never drift behind again, we can continue with monthly bookkeeping on a separate engagement. Optional — the cleanup stands on its own, and there’s no obligation to continue.
Several issues, several months behind?
A Certified ProAdvisor reviews the file free, then scopes a standard multi-issue cleanup — typically a $3,000–$7,500 fixed fee — and brings the books to CPA-ready. Independent firm; we do the cleanup, your CPA files.
Three signs you’re in the standard tier.
Several months behind — up to about a year
The books stopped being kept current some months ago, and you’re looking at most of a year of catch-up — but not multiple years. That window is the heart of the standard tier; multi-year backlog pushes you into complex.
More than one thing is wrong
It’s not a single contained issue — it’s a cluster: unreconciled months and miscategorizations and a messy chart of accounts, or a bank-feed mess plus duplicates plus an off reconciliation. Multiple related problems together is what makes it standard rather than focused.
It’s not multi-year or structural
The file itself is sound — one entity, no corruption, no restructuring needed. If you had years of backlog, multiple entities, or a broken file, you’d be in the complex tier instead. A free file review confirms which side of the line you’re on.
A Certified ProAdvisor reconciles, fixes, and hands off CPA-ready.
A standard cleanup is methodical work, not guesswork. A Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor with active Online and Desktop certifications reconciles every account to its statements, rationalizes the chart of accounts and re-categorizes the history against it, removes duplicates without deleting real transactions, recovers the gaps, and brings the backlog current — all against a written fixed-fee scope, with a summary of what was fixed at handoff. The file goes to your CPA or tax preparer CPA-ready; they file the return. Independent firm — not Intuit, and not Intuit’s software support; an Intuit account, login, or billing matter stays with Intuit.
Free
file review first — we look before we scope
$3,000–$7,500
typical fixed fee for a standard multi-issue cleanup
CPA-ready
clean, reconciled handoff — your CPA files; we don’t
What people ask about a standard cleanup.
Is this Intuit’s official QuickBooks support?
What counts as a standard cleanup?
How much does a standard cleanup cost?
How is standard different from focused or complex cleanup?
How long does a standard cleanup take?
Do you file my taxes after the cleanup?
What does “CPA-ready” mean?
Do I have to sign up for monthly bookkeeping?
Several issues, several months behind?
Start with a free file review — then a written fixed-fee scope.
If the books are some months behind and more than one thing is wrong, a standard cleanup brings them back to CPA-ready. Start with a free file review; from there a standard multi-issue cleanup is typically a $3,000–$7,500 fixed-fee scope, written and agreed before any work begins. Independent ProAdvisor firm — we do the cleanup, your CPA files.