QuickBooks Online CleanUp FAQs

QuickBooks Online cleanup projects often come with questions about scope, pricing, communication, timing, and what happens once the work is complete. These answers explain what accounting, bookkeeping, and tax firms can expect when working with CleanUp Consultants.

Are You in the Right Place?

CleanUp Consultants works exclusively with accounting, bookkeeping, and tax firms, not directly with business owners. If you are looking for cleanup help for your own company, visit Books Prep, my sister company built specifically for business owners.
Both companies provide the same caliber of QuickBooks Online cleanup work, to different clients. CleanUp Consultants works with accounting, bookkeeping, and tax firms on their clients' files. Books Prep works directly with business owners on their own books.
If your firm prefers not to manage the engagement, you are welcome to refer your client directly to Books Prep. I bring the same expertise to that work, and it lets your client engage me directly without your firm carrying the coordination.

Choosing the Right Service

A Books Inspection is an in-depth diagnostic review with detailed written findings and a summary of the most important issues identified. It is a good fit when your firm needs a documented understanding of the file before recommending next steps or discussing the condition of the books with a client.
A Books CheckUp is a narrower, high-level review that includes a one-page report card. It highlights general areas of concern but does not provide the detailed analysis included with a Books Inspection. A Books Inspection starts at $400, and a Books CheckUp starts at $250.
A TurnKey CleanUp Project is the right fit when you want the file reviewed and corrected from start to finish. The engagement includes written findings, a file status report, recommendations, and a strategy wrap-up session. It is designed for firms that would rather hand off the cleanup work and receive a file their team can confidently take forward.
A Professional Consultation may be a good place to start. During this focused 60-minute Zoom session, we can review the QuickBooks Online file, troubleshoot a difficult issue, discuss cleanup strategy, evaluate scope and pricing, or work through a specific area together.
The session includes a recording, but not written findings, file corrections, or follow-up work. If we identify a need for additional support, I can provide a separate proposal for a clearly defined service to assist with your needs.
Yes. Often, I am invited to review files with very few transactions and limited historical details, so there is not enough information in QBO for me to evaluate the work.
To prepare a meaningful quote, I ask for a representative sample of the records needed to reconstruct the missing activity. This will usually include three to six months of bank and credit card statements and may also include a prior tax return or other relevant documents.
After reviewing the file and sample records, I will let you know whether I need anything else to determine the scope and prepare an accurate quote.
Yes. In some situations, starting with a new QBO file is more practical than trying to repair one that is corrupted or in very poor condition. I can also create a new QBO file for a business that wants to move to QuickBooks Online without migrating its existing accounting file.
The work is scoped based on the starting date, the historical information that needs to be included, and the source records available. I will review the situation with your firm and recommend whether cleaning up the existing file, rebuilding missing activity within it, or creating a new file is the most reliable approach.
CUC specializes exclusively in QuickBooks Online. I do not clean up QuickBooks Desktop files or perform Desktop-to-Online migrations. If a traditional migration is not the best approach, however, I may be able to create a new QBO file using the available source records and the historical information your firm wants included. If another provider performs the migration, I can evaluate the new QBO file after the migration has been completed and validated.
CUC does not provide ongoing monthly bookkeeping, prepare tax returns, clean up QuickBooks Desktop files, or perform migrations. I may also decline a project when the requested outcome cannot be supported by the available records or appropriate accounting treatment, or when the timing and cooperation needed to complete the work are not available. If I do not believe a project is a good fit, I will explain why so your firm can consider another path.

Working With CleanUp Consultants

CleanUp Consultants works exclusively with accounting, bookkeeping, and tax firms. Most firms contact me when a new or existing client has a QuickBooks Online file that needs more cleanup work than the firm has the time, capacity, or specialized experience to handle. I step in as a cleanup partner, manage the project through my established process, and return the file with clear documentation so your firm can move forward confidently.
No. CUC focuses on defined QuickBooks Online cleanup, rebuild, diagnostic, and consultation engagements. Once a TurnKey CleanUp Project is complete, your firm can resume or begin the ongoing bookkeeping with a clear picture of what was corrected, what remains open, and what may need attention going forward.
CleanUp Consultants is an independent business engaged by your firm to provide a defined QuickBooks Online cleanup service. We are not part of your staff, and your firm remains responsible for and at the center of its client relationship. Our work is governed by our own agreement, scope, pricing, processes, and policies.
CUC does not pass your project to a junior team member or outsource it to another contractor. Valerie Armstrong personally reviews the file, performs the cleanup work, communicates with your firm, and leads the final strategy session, giving you continuity from the initial review through the final handoff.
That is up to your firm and how you choose to present the engagement. Your firm remains the client's primary point of contact, and I communicate with your firm rather than directly with the client.
I communicate through one designated person at your firm. I send questions and requests to that person, and the firm coordinates the client's response. Direct client communication occurs only in rare circumstances, with your firm's written approval in advance and with someone from your firm included in the communication.
No. I respect the relationship your firm has built with the client. My role is to provide the specialized cleanup service your firm engaged CUC to perform. I will not seek additional work from your client or market other services to them.

Quotes, Pricing, and Payment

Every project service is individually scoped and quoted, based on the condition of the file, the periods involved, the volume and complexity of the activity, and the work needed to produce a reliable result. Books Inspections and Books CheckUps have starting fees, and TurnKey CleanUp Projects are quoted as a fixed project fee once the scope is understood. The written quote explains what is included, giving both firms a clear understanding of the project before work begins.
Ideally, yes. A file may contain problems that are not apparent from the client's description or a brief review. Receiving the CUC quote first gives your firm better information before deciding what to quote your client. Your firm remains free to structure and price its client engagement in the way that makes sense for your business.

If you have already quoted the client, tell me when you request the CUC quote. We can look at the actual scope and discuss the available options.
I generally provide the quote within three business days after receiving the completed quote request, QuickBooks Online access, and enough supporting information to evaluate the file. A particularly complex file or unanswered questions may require a little more time. If so, I will keep you informed rather than leave you wondering where things stand.
The quote review is limited to understanding the likely scope and determining the project fee. It does not include the detailed findings or written assessment provided with a Books Inspection. I may share a few preliminary observations when they help explain the quote, but they should not be treated as a complete evaluation of the file. If your firm needs documented findings before deciding what to recommend to the client, start with a Books Inspection that includes a TurnKey quote.
I will need to evaluate the file and quote the work based on what the cleanup actually requires. If your firm has already quoted an amount, let me know. We can discuss whether another CUC service or a narrower scope could help. I cannot promise that every project will fit the amount already quoted, but I will help you understand the options before you decide how to proceed.
Books CheckUps, Books Inspections, and Professional Consultations are paid in full upon engagement. TurnKey CleanUp Projects require a 50% initial payment to reserve the project and begin work. The remaining balance is due when the project is completed or 28 days after I send the Project Start Requirements, whichever comes first. The payment terms for your specific project will also be included in the proposal and engagement agreement.
This is uncommon, as most projects stay within the scope of the original quote. If I do discover something significant that falls outside the agreed scope, I will pause that part of the work and talk with you before moving forward. I will explain what I found, why it matters, and what options are available. Together, we can decide whether to expand the scope and fee, leave the item for your firm or tax preparer, or handle it through a separate engagement. You will not receive an unexpected charge for additional work you did not approve.
Please share the actual deadline when you request the quote. I will consider the condition of the file, the information needed, my current project schedule, and how quickly your firm and client can respond to questions. If the timing is workable, the project schedule will be included in the engagement. If it is not, I will tell you before you make a commitment based on a date I cannot reasonably meet.

Preparing for the Project

For Books Inspections and Books CheckUps, I only need QuickBooks Online access and a completed intake form, both handled before the engagement begins. Because these services diagnose the file as it stands, nothing further is requested once the review starts.
For TurnKey CleanUp Projects, I will send a detailed Project Start Requirements request within 3 business days from the start of the engagement, tailored to the file and the agreed scope. It may include online access, source documents, statements, prior tax returns, schedules, or explanations about particular transactions or the business in general. Your firm should review the request, coordinate with the client, and ask questions if anything is unclear. A complete response is due within 28 days of this request being sent.
All source documents and other confidential information must be shared through a secure project platform. I prefer to use whatever platform your firm already has in place, with an invitation for my access, since it lets us stick with the systems and processes your firm has already established with the client. If your firm does not have one in place, I initiate a secure platform of my own. Account credentials and financial records should never be shared through a website form or ordinary email. If a separate password needs to be shared, I ask your firm to initiate that through a secure password manager for a one-time login.
Security is of utmost importance to me, and so is staying out of the way of the onboarding systems your firm already has running. Wherever possible, I want the process to stay simple and straightforward: invite me into what I need access to, and your firm retains the client's information once the project is complete.
I know that gathering records from a client can take time. If something is missing, let me know as soon as possible so we can determine whether the project can begin without it.
This is not unusual with cleanup work. Tell me what is missing, and I will look for another reliable way to support the work when one is available. In some cases, the item can be documented as unresolved. In others, the missing information may affect the scope, timing, or how confidently an area can be completed. We will discuss the practical options so your firm can make an informed decision.

During the Cleanup

Your firm designates one primary contact, and I work directly with that person throughout the engagement. I generally combine questions and requests when practical, so communication stays organized rather than becoming a steady stream of interruptions. Interim requests typically go out after the Project Start Requirements are complete, either to clarify the initial information or when the project hits an unexpected roadblock. Final questions are compiled once the project is close to completion, to finalize everything at once. The process is designed to minimize endless back and forth with your client while keeping things moving efficiently. Your contact coordinates client responses and any decisions that belong to the firm or tax preparer, and I keep your firm informed on progress and let you know promptly if something may affect scope or schedule.
Sometimes, with coordination. Unplanned changes can duplicate work or alter balances that are already under review, so it is important that we agree on who will work where before the project begins. Current bookkeeping may be able to continue in clearly defined areas outside the cleanup scope. If your firm or client needs to make a change during the project, contact me first so we can avoid working at cross-purposes.
I take on the full project rather than a portion of it. My process involves reviewing every transaction in the file, not sampling or spot-checking, so a partial engagement does not actually reduce the work required on my end, even if it looks like it could save time or money. Once I am in a file, I need to see all of it to trust any of it.

Timing, Completion, and Handoff

Most TurnKey CleanUp Projects are scheduled for completion within two to four weeks after all project start requirements are satisfied. The timeframe depends on the number of periods involved, the complexity of the file, the availability of source documents, and how quickly questions can be resolved. We will agree on the expected project window before work begins, and I will let you know if a new issue or missing information is likely to affect it.
Generally three to five business days after the engagement begins.
The handoff includes the QuickBooks Online file corrected within the agreed scope, a written Findings and File Status Review, and a strategy wrap-up Zoom session. The Findings and File Status Review covers action required, unresolved items, notes for the tax preparer, account notes, and recommendations going forward. You will not simply receive a message saying the file is finished. We will review what was wrong, what was changed, what still needs attention, and what your firm should know as it takes the file forward.
The Findings and File Status Review and wrap-up session identify the periods completed, the reconciliations and balances addressed, and the point from which ongoing bookkeeping should resume. The goal is for the next person working in the file to have both a clear starting point and the context behind it.