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Business Health Check

Get Your Books Cleaned Up

A few hours with the right bookkeeper can unlock a much cleaner picture of your business — and a stronger case to a lender.

The Fastest Option: Post on Upwork

A skilled bookkeeper on Upwork can often turn a 2-year clean-up around in 24–48 hours for a fixed fee. That's fast enough to keep momentum going. Copy the job post below, fill in your fiscal years, and post it.

  • Look for QuickBooks ProAdvisor or Xero Certified in their profile.
  • Filter for Top Rated freelancers with reviews on similar clean-up projects.
  • Set a fixed price upfront — most clean-ups run $150–$400 depending on complexity.
  • Give them read-only access to your accounting software — no need to hand over full credentials.
Title: Bookkeeper Needed — QuickBooks Clean-Up (2 Years, 24–48 hr Turnaround) We need a bookkeeper to clean up and reconcile 2 years of books in QuickBooks Online (or Xero — we can discuss). Ideally this is a fixed-price project and we need it done fast — within 24 to 48 hours if possible. What we need: - Reconcile bank and credit card accounts for fiscal years [YEAR 1] and [YEAR 2] - Clean up misclassified transactions - Export a clean Trial Balance and General Ledger for both years - Flag any accounts that look odd or need owner clarification What you'll have access to: - Read-only access to our accounting software - Any bank/credit card statements you request Ideal candidate: - QuickBooks ProAdvisor or Xero Certified preferred - Strong reviews and a history of similar clean-up projects - Fast communicator — we're on a timeline Budget: Fixed price preferred. Please quote in your proposal. To apply: Include your hourly rate or project estimate, turnaround time, and a brief note on similar clean-up projects you've completed.
What to Give Your Bookkeeper

The cleaner your handoff, the faster they can turn it around. Have these ready:

  • Read-only access to QuickBooks Online, Xero, or Wave (Settings → Manage Users → Add user as Accountant).
  • Bank statements and credit card statements for both years — PDF is fine.
  • A short list of any known issues: accounts you're unsure about, one-time transactions, owner draws you remember.
  • The specific deliverable: clean trial balance + general ledger in PDF, reconciled through year-end.
What to Ask Them to Deliver

Be specific so there's no back-and-forth. Ask for:

  • A reconciled Trial Balance for each fiscal year, exported to PDF.
  • A General Ledger (or Transaction Detail by Account) for each year.
  • A short written summary of any unusual entries or accounts they flagged.
  • Confirmation that all bank and credit card accounts are reconciled.

Once you have these, come back and upload them — the AI will parse both years and give you a much cleaner health score.

Prefer a Full-Service Option?

If you want ongoing bookkeeping — not just a one-time clean-up — these services are worth a look:

Bench
Monthly bookkeeping service with a dedicated team. Good for businesses that want ongoing clean books. Not a quick fix, but they can often onboard within a week.
Bookkeeper360
CPA-backed bookkeeping and accounting. Strong for businesses that need clean books quickly before a financing conversation.
Xero Find an Advisor
If you use Xero, their Advisor directory lists certified bookkeepers sorted by specialty and location.
QuickBooks ProAdvisor
Intuit's directory of certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors. Filter by specialty to find someone who does clean-ups.