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Catch-Up Bookkeeping Cost: What You'll Pay
Catch-up bookkeeping at Alignment Capital costs $250 per month behind. See how months are counted, worked prices, and how to get a quote.
In brief
Alignment Capital charges $250 for each month of books that is behind. Three unreconciled months cost $750. Six months cost $1,500. Twelve months cost $3,000. A month counts as behind until its bank and credit card accounts are reconciled and the period can be closed. Use the cleanup quote (coming soon) to count the months and see the fee.
This article is general information, not tax advice.
What catch-up bookkeeping is
Catch-up bookkeeping is the work of bringing closed periods up to date. It covers months that were never recorded, never reconciled, or recorded only in part.
The output is a set of closed months. Income, expenses, and balance-sheet accounts should tie to source records. Your tax preparer can then work from the books.
Catch-up is not the same as ongoing monthly bookkeeping. Catch-up fixes the backlog. Monthly service keeps new months current. See monthly bookkeeping prices for the ongoing fee.
What Alignment Capital charges
Cleanup and catch-up work is priced at $250 per month behind. That rate is separate from the monthly bookkeeping fee.
Founding-client monthly rates, locked for 12 months, are listed on the pricing page:
| Annual revenue | Monthly bookkeeping |
|---|---|
| Under $100,000 | $149 |
| $100,000–$500,000 | $199 |
| $500,000–$1,000,000 | $349 |
| $1,000,000–$2,500,000 | $449 |
| $2,500,000–$5,000,000 | $599 |
| $5,000,000–$10,000,000 | $799 |
Tax filing is not included. Returns are prepared by a licensed partner when you want that service.
How to count months behind
Count backward from the last month that is fully reconciled.
A month is current only if all bank, credit card, and loan accounts for that month have been reconciled to statements, and obvious mismatches have been cleared. If January is reconciled and February is not, you are behind starting in February.
Partial months count. If the current month is already closed on the calendar but the accounts are not reconciled, include it.
Inactive months still count if the entity existed and accounts were open. A quiet month still needs a reconciliation.
Multi-entity groups are counted per set of books. Two LLCs, each six months behind, are 12 months of catch-up work.
Worked prices at $250 per month
These figures use only Alignment Capital's published rate. They are not industry averages.
| Months behind | Catch-up fee |
|---|---|
| 1 | $250 |
| 3 | $750 |
| 6 | $1,500 |
| 9 | $2,250 |
| 12 | $3,000 |
| 18 | $4,500 |
| 24 | $6,000 |
If the books are 14 months behind, the catch-up fee is $3,500. After that, the company moves to the monthly rate that matches its revenue band.
What changes the work, not the stated rate
The $250 rate is the fee per month behind. The amount of work inside a month still varies. These factors are why some files take longer to close:
- Transaction volume. A month with hundreds of bank lines takes more review than a month with a few dozen.
- Number of accounts. Each bank, card, loan, and processor account has to be reconciled.
- Payroll. Payroll liabilities, tax deposits, and wage accounts have to match payroll reports.
- Inventory or job costing. Those accounts need extra support if they are in use.
- Missing records. Gaps in statements, 1099s, or loan documents slow the close.
- File condition. A QuickBooks file with old undeposited funds, unreconciled years, or duplicated bank feeds needs cleanup as well as catch-up. See QuickBooks cleanup cost.
If the file needs extra reconstruction, that scope is identified in the quote before work starts. We do not start catch-up work without an agreed month count and fee.
What you receive
For each month in the catch-up period, the work includes:
- Recording or correcting transactions from connected bank and credit card records.
- Reconciling accounts to statements.
- Reviewing payroll, loan, and clearing accounts when they are in use.
- Closing the month once the accounts tie.
- A set of books your tax preparer can use.
Clients connect their bank and QuickBooks on a read-only basis. We do not need full admin access to begin a review.
Why the backlog matters before a filing deadline
Partnerships and S corporations file on a short calendar. For a calendar-year entity, the 2025 Form 1065 or Form 1120-S was due March 16, 2026, because March 15 fell on a Sunday. A timely Form 7004 extends the time to file to September 15, 2026. The due dates are in the IRS 2026 tax calendar (Publication 509) and the Form 1065 and Form 1120-S instructions.
An extension is time to file, not a reason to leave the books open. Late or incomplete partnership and S corporation returns can draw a per-owner, per-month penalty. For the rates and notices, see CP162A late-filing penalties. For the dates, see Form 1065 and 1120-S due dates.
Catch-up work does not prevent or remove a penalty on its own. It can make the return preparable.
How to get a quote
Use the cleanup quote (coming soon). Enter the last reconciled month, the number of entities, and a rough transaction range. The tool returns a month count and a fee at $250 per month behind.
To start monthly bookkeeping after the backlog is closed, get started or review pricing.
FAQ
How much does catch-up bookkeeping cost at Alignment Capital?
$250 per month behind. The fee is based on the number of unreconciled months, not on a percentage of revenue.
Is the catch-up fee the same as the monthly fee?
No. Catch-up is a one-time fee for the backlog. Monthly bookkeeping is a separate, recurring fee based on annual revenue.
What if I am behind two years?
Twenty-four unreconciled months cost $6,000 at the published rate. Longer backlogs are priced the same way: $250 times the month count.
Do you need full access to QuickBooks?
No. Intake uses a read-only QuickBooks connection and read-only bank connections.
Can catch-up work be done in time for a filing deadline?
That depends on the number of months behind, the condition of the file, and how soon records are available. Ask for a quote early. A Form 7004 extension, if still available, extends the time to file, not the time to pay any tax due.
Does catch-up include tax filing?
No. Tax returns are prepared by a licensed partner when you request that service.