Diane has been great getting my books all cleaned up and properly set up. She’s very responsive, detailed, and thorough. Thanks for all your help! Highly recommend!
Call (417) 323-2629 or have me call you.
If your CPA sent the file back with a list of questions, or said they can’t start until the books are caught up, you’re in good company. It’s one of the most common reasons people call me. You don’t need to understand everything on their list. Bring it to the free call and I’ll tell you what it means for your file and what it’ll take to fix.
I’m Diane Jones, a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor. I’ve kept books for more than thirty years, over twenty of them as the accounting manager for one company. I work with clients anywhere in the United States over Zoom and phone, and in person around Springfield, Missouri.
What your CPA means by “in order”
When a CPA says the books aren’t ready, it usually comes down to a short list. They have to trust the numbers before they put their name on a return built from them.
- Every bank and credit card account reconciled to its statements, every month of the year.
- Nothing sitting in uncategorized, and nothing parked in the wrong account.
- Owner draws, contributions, and transfers sorted out, so they don’t read as income or expenses.
- Loan balances that match what the lender says you owe.
- Every payroll run recorded, with the year-end payroll totals agreeing with the books.
- A Profit and Loss and a Balance Sheet that match the year you actually had.
If your file is close, my tax-ready checklist walks through the list in order. If it’s months or years behind, it’s a rebuild, and that’s the work I want most. My page on books that are behind shows how I break one down.
How I get your books ready
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A free look at your file
Thirty minutes on Zoom or the phone. Send me three to six months of recent bank and credit card statements first, and your CPA’s list if they gave you one. You’ll get an honest read and a price range on that call.
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A fixed price in writing
The written proposal has the price and the timeline in it, so you know what it costs and when it’ll be done before I touch anything.
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The work, in your own file
You give me accountant access to QuickBooks Online and read-only access to your bank and credit card accounts. I rebuild the missing months, fix what’s wrong, reconcile every account, and document each change as I go.
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A file your CPA can work from
We go through what changed together. Then the file goes to you, or straight to your CPA if you’d rather, and I’ll answer questions about what changed and why.
How I work alongside your CPA
Your CPA files the return. I get your books reconciled and tax-ready, and the year-end package comes to you. If you’d rather I send it to your CPA directly, that’s the arrangement we’ll make.
Your CPA can keep their own access to your QuickBooks Online file while I work in it, so nobody has to email spreadsheets back and forth. The questions below show how to invite them.
If you don’t have a CPA yet, I work alongside several firms and I’ll introduce you. If you’re a CPA reading this for a client, here’s how I work with firms.
If a filing deadline is close
Tell me the date on the free call. Your proposal comes with a timeline, and you’ll know before I start whether it lands in time.
Whether to file an extension is your CPA’s call, not mine. It’s worth knowing that an extension moves the date the return is due. It doesn’t move the date any tax is due. The IRS explains it on its extension page.
What to have ready
- Bank and credit card statements for every account, for every month that needs work.
- Loan statements, so the balances tie to what the lender shows.
- Payroll reports from your payroll provider, if you have employees.
- Records for anything big you bought or sold during the year.
- Last year’s tax return, and your CPA’s list of questions if they sent one.
You don’t need all of it to start. Send what you have and I’ll tell you what’s missing.
Reviews
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
What people say about working with me
Accurate, detailed and personable; three of many qualities that Diane brings to the table every single day. There is no one I would trust more than Diane with my bookkeeping.
Questions
Questions I hear a lot
My CPA says I have to get my books in order. What does that mean?
It usually means they can’t trust the numbers yet. Accounts that haven’t been reconciled to the bank, transactions sitting in uncategorized or in the wrong accounts, owner draws mixed in with expenses, or months that were never entered. Each one turns into a question they have to ask you or a guess they’d rather not make. In order means every account ties to its statements and the reports match the year you had.
Can my CPA file my taxes if my books are incomplete?
That’s their call, and most would rather not sign a return built on numbers they can’t stand behind. My job is to get the books to where they can. If the deadline is close, ask them about an extension. It moves the filing date, not the date any tax is due.
How far back do my books need to be cleaned up?
Back to the last point where the numbers were right, which is often the last year your CPA filed. We work that out on the free call, and your written proposal covers every month from there forward.
What if the cleanup changes a year that’s already been filed?
It happens. I document every change as I go, so you and your CPA can see what changed and why. Whether anything needs amending is your CPA’s decision, not mine.
What do I need to give my accountant for small business taxes?
From the books: reconciled accounts, a Profit and Loss and a Balance Sheet for the year, and the detail behind any number they ask about. That’s the file a cleanup produces. They’ll also want things that live outside the books, like last year’s return and any 1099s you received, so ask them for their list.
How do I give my accountant access to QuickBooks Online?
In QuickBooks Online, go to Settings, then Manage users, then the Accounting firms tab, and invite them by email. Accountant users don’t count against your regular user limit. Most plans allow two accounting firms at once and Advanced allows three, so remove an old accountant’s seat first if you need the room. Your CPA and I can both work in the same file.
Do bookkeepers do taxes?
Some do. On my desk, your CPA files the return and I get them a reconciled, tax-ready file to file from. If you don’t have a CPA yet, I’ll introduce you to one I work with.
I’m several years behind. Can you still help?
Yes. Multi-year cleanups are the projects I want most. I rebuild the missing months in order, one account at a time, until every balance ties to a statement. It’s slow work, and you’ll get a plan from me, never a lecture.
How much does it cost to get my books ready for my CPA?
Cleanup projects, including books that are months or years behind, get a fixed project quote in writing before any work starts. It’s sized by how many accounts and how many months need work. Send three to six months of recent bank and credit card statements before the free call and you’ll leave it with a price range. The pricing page has more.
How long will it take?
It depends on how many accounts and how many months need work. Your written proposal comes with a timeline, so you’ll know the finish date before I start. If you’re up against a filing date, tell me on the call.
A Form 990 on extension is due November 16, 2026. Your CPA needs reconciled, fund-level books to finish it, and that’s the part I do.
Filed an extension for 2025? Those returns are due October 15, 2026. Your CPA needs a reconciled 2025 file before then, and the sooner I see it the more room we both have.
1099s for your subs and vendors are due February 1, 2027, and they’re built from a full year of entered payments. If 2026 is behind, the last weeks of the year are the time to catch it up.
1099s for your subs and vendors are due February 1, 2027, the same day your payroll provider sends W-2s. If the 2026 books aren’t entered yet, that’s the first thing I’d fix.
S corporation and partnership returns are due March 15, 2027. Your CPA needs a reconciled 2026 file to file on time.
Individual returns are due April 15, 2027. A reconciled 2026 file is what your CPA needs to file, or to file the extension with real numbers.
Talk to me
Get the file your CPA asked for.
A free 30-minute call tells you what your books need and what it’ll take. You get a fixed price in writing before any work starts, and it’s fine to say no.
A Form 990 on extension is due November 16, 2026. Your CPA needs reconciled, fund-level books to finish it, and that’s the part I do.
Filed an extension for 2025? Those returns are due October 15, 2026. Your CPA needs a reconciled 2025 file before then, and the sooner I see it the more room we both have.
1099s for your subs and vendors are due February 1, 2027, and they’re built from a full year of entered payments. If 2026 is behind, the last weeks of the year are the time to catch it up.
1099s for your subs and vendors are due February 1, 2027, the same day your payroll provider sends W-2s. If the 2026 books aren’t entered yet, that’s the first thing I’d fix.
S corporation and partnership returns are due March 15, 2027. Your CPA needs a reconciled 2026 file to file on time.
Individual returns are due April 15, 2027. A reconciled 2026 file is what your CPA needs to file, or to file the extension with real numbers.
I’ll call you back within 15 to 20 minutes during the day.