Catch-up bookkeeping is a project, not a subscription: someone works through every statement for the missing periods, classifies each transaction, reconciles each account, and hands you books you can file from. What differs between providers is whether the prior-year returns are brought current in the same engagement, and whether they carry on monthly afterward so it does not happen again.
We have not used these providers. Everything below comes from their own websites.
How we chose
- Catch-up offered by name. The provider's own site offers catch-up, cleanup or back bookkeeping — not just monthly service.
- Massachusetts first. Firms based in Massachusetts come before national online services.
- Currently operating. Checked on the date shown. One national service we list shut down in 2024 and has since restarted; we say so.
The providers
1.Murphy Accounting
Best for: Owners who also need prior-year returns brought current
187 Washington Street, North Easton, MA 02356
We start by assessing how far behind the books actually are, then reconstruct the missing periods and bring prior-year returns current alongside them. After that, the books move to a monthly cadence so the backlog does not rebuild. The work is scoped and priced after the assessment, not before.
- Reconstruction of prior periods.
- Prior-year returns brought current in the same engagement.
- Transition to monthly bookkeeping afterward.
2.Janek Business Solutions
Best for: Owners who want a published starting price
Bellingham, MA
A Bellingham firm that works remotely and lists catch-up bookkeeping, monthly bookkeeping, job costing and full-service payroll, with contractors and service businesses among its stated clients. It publishes prices on its website.
- Its pricing page lists catch-up bookkeeping “from $1,500”.
3.Kent, Parker & Associates
Best for: Cape Cod businesses wanting a CPA firm for the cleanup
Falmouth, MA
A Falmouth CPA firm with a dedicated cleanup and catch-up bookkeeping service for businesses whose books have fallen behind, alongside monthly QuickBooks bookkeeping, payroll and tax resolution.
Visit Kent, Parker & Associates’s website →4.VAST Accounting
Best for: North Shore and Merrimack Valley businesses
Andover, MA
An Andover firm working remotely, whose catch-up offer is for books behind six months or longer. It also lists monthly bookkeeping, payroll and fractional CFO work.
Visit VAST Accounting’s website →5.Carnes Bookkeeping Services
Best for: Solo owners who want a small, fully remote bookkeeper
Remote, Massachusetts-based
A fully remote Massachusetts bookkeeping firm listing financial clean-up, ongoing bookkeeping and payroll. Its site does not give a street address.
- Lists QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor on its website.
6.Bench
Best for: Owners comfortable with a national online service
National, online
A national online bookkeeping service. Bench shut down in December 2024 and was acquired shortly afterward; its website is taking customers again and says catch-up is free when you sign up for an annual plan.
Visit Bench’s website →7.RemoteBooksOnline
Best for: QuickBooks cleanup from a national remote team
Knoxville, TN (remote)
A remote provider offering catch-up bookkeeping, QuickBooks cleanup and monthly bookkeeping nationwide. Its only listed address is in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Visit RemoteBooksOnline’s website →
What to ask before a catch-up engagement
- How will you assess the backlog, and when will I get a price?
- Do you bring the unfiled or late returns current, or only the books?
- What do you need from me — statements, receipts, logins — and in what order?
- What happens after the catch-up: do you continue monthly, and at what cost?
- If records are missing, how will you reconstruct them?
General information, not advice for your specific situation. Tax rules, prices and product features change, and firms change what they offer — check with the provider before relying on anything here, and talk to us or another qualified professional before acting on it.
