Cleanup guide
What to Gather for a Bookkeeping Cleanup
The full list, in order of how much each item helps, and how to get the things you no longer have. Send what you can find. Missing items are requested while the work goes on.
The essentials
- Statements for every business checking and savings account, for the whole period
- Statements for every business credit card, for the whole period
- Statements for any personal account or card that carried business activity
- The last business tax return that was filed, and the last personal return
- Access to the existing bookkeeping file, if there is one
With only these five, most of a cleanup can be done. Statements in PDF are best, because they show opening and closing balances. Spreadsheet downloads are a useful extra and speed up entry.
What fills in the rest
- Loan and financing documents: agreements, statements and payoff letters for every loan, line of credit, vehicle, equipment lease and cash advance
- Processor and platform reports: Square, Stripe, PayPal, Shopify and similar, plus any 1099-K forms
- Payroll reports and filed payroll returns, with the provider login
- Sales tax returns filed, and the state account login
- Forms issued and received: W-2s, 1099s, and W-9s from contractors
- Purchase records for vehicles, equipment and property, with dates and amounts
- Entity documents: formation papers, the EIN letter, any S corporation election and the ownership split
- Any letters from the IRS or the Department of Revenue
- Your own notes, spreadsheets, invoices and receipt books
How to get what you no longer have
Old bank and card statements
Online banking often shows only the recent past. Call or visit the bank and ask for statements for each account for the full period, in PDF. Banks keep these for several years, including for closed accounts, and some charge a fee. Ask for every account at once.
IRS records
IRS transcripts show what returns were filed, what was assessed, and what income third parties reported for you. They are available through an IRS online account or by written request, and we can request them with your signed authorization.
Past returns
Your previous preparer can usually supply copies. If not, transcripts show the main figures.
Processor, payroll and supplier history
Processors and payroll providers keep reports for years and let you download them. Suppliers will normally resend an account history on request.
Sending it
Do not sort it first. Label each file with the account and the period if you can, and send it in batches as it arrives. We keep a list of what has come in and what is still outstanding, by account and month, and share it with you so nothing is chased twice.
If records are gone for good, see missing receipts and records. For personal tax documents, see the tax preparation checklist.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum you need to start a cleanup?
Bank and credit card statements for the period, the last filed tax return, and access to any existing bookkeeping file. Everything else can follow while the work is under way.
How do I get bank statements from several years ago?
Ask the bank directly for statements for each account covering the full period, in PDF. Banks generally keep them for several years, including for closed accounts, and may charge a fee per statement.
Do you need my receipts?
Not every one. Statements show the payment, and receipts matter most for large or unusual items, asset purchases, and travel and vehicle costs. Send what you have and we will ask for specific ones where they are needed.
Not the question you had? The full tax FAQ covers more ground, and our client reviews say what the work is actually like.
Related situations and guides
Missing receipts and records
Lost statements and no receipts. What can be replaced, from where, and which deductions need more.
Learn moreHow a cleanup works, step by step
The seven stages from first call to current books, and what each needs from you.
Learn moreCleanup Planner
Eight questions, then a plan: what comes first, what to gather, and which guides apply.
Learn moreBooks that are years behind
Two to five years or more with nothing entered. How a multi-year rebuild is ordered and what it needs.
Learn moreCleanup Planner
Eight questions, then a plan: what comes first, what to gather, and which guides apply.
Part of Messy Books Help, alongside our catch-up bookkeeping service.
Tell us what you need
Send a short note about your situation and we’ll come back to you with a straight answer — whether that’s a quote, a next step, or a referral if it isn’t something we handle.
Prefer to talk it through first? Book a consultation and we’ll find a time, in the Easley office or virtually.
Send us the mess. We will send back a plan.
Call (864) 781-4035 or book a consultation, in the Easley office or virtually.