Cleanup diagnostic

Riverside Landscaping LLC

Don't quote a cleanup blind. Here's what the books actually look like before you put a number on them.

Period: 01/01/2026 – 06/30/2026 Transactions reviewed: 186 Source: QuickBooks Online export

5/ 100

Disaster

These books need a full cleanup before they can be trusted

150 issues across 186 transactions. Nearly every category is affected, uncategorized spend, missing payees, duplicates and an "Ask My Accountant" pile that's never been cleared. This is not a tune-up; it's a rebuild.

Books-health score

5/100

Tier: Disaster

Estimated cleanup effort

26–38 hrs

Based on issue mix & volume

Suggested quote range

$1,450–$3,250

What to charge for this cleanup

Issue breakdown, 150 total

Every issue we flagged, grouped by type. These are the line items you'll be cleaning.150 issues

49Uncategorized transactionshigh

27Missing payee / namemed

26Sitting in 'Ask My Accountant'high

24Likely duplicate transactionshigh

23Suspense / to-be-categorizedmed

1Opening Balance Equity activityhigh

How we scoped the quote

The range isn't a guess. Heavy-touch issues (duplicates, OBE activity, AMA clearing) take real investigation; bulk issues (uncategorized, missing payees) move faster once rules are set. We weight the mix against the transaction count to land an honest hours estimate, then attach a rate band so you can quote with confidence, fixed-fee or hourly.

~32Midpoint hours used for pricing

$45–$85Blended cleanup rate band

99High-priority issues (investigate first)

Client approval packet

Ready to put in front of the client

Plain-English summary + a send-ready proposal email. Edit the numbers, hit send, win the cleanup.

What we reviewed

186 transactions in Riverside Landscaping LLC's QuickBooks Online file covering 01/01/2026 through 06/30/2026, every bank and credit-card line, the chart of accounts, and the equity accounts.

What we found

49 transactions never categorized, they're not landing in any P&L account.
26 items parked in "Ask My Accountant" that were never resolved.
24 transactions that look like duplicates (same amount, near-same date).
27 entries with no payee, so vendor reporting is unreliable.
23 items sitting in suspense / to-be-categorized, plus activity hitting Opening Balance Equity that shouldn't be there.

Why a cleanup is needed

As they stand, the books can't be trusted for tax, lending, or decision-making, income and expenses are mis-stated and the duplicates inflate both sides. Before any reporting, taxes, or financing conversation, the file has to be reconciled and recategorized so the numbers reflect what actually happened.

Recommended scope

Recategorize all 49 uncategorized transactions and clear the 26 "Ask My Accountant" items.
Investigate and resolve the 24 suspected duplicates; remove or correct as needed.
Add missing payees and clear suspense / to-be-categorized entries.
Correct the Opening Balance Equity activity and re-reconcile the period.
Deliver clean financials for 01/01/2026–06/30/2026 once the file is verified.

To: Dana, Riverside Landscaping LLC

Subject: Your QuickBooks file, what I found and what I'd recommend

Hi Dana, I went through the QuickBooks file for the first half of the year before putting together a quote, and I want to be straight with you about where things are. Across the 186 transactions from January through June, I flagged about 150 issues. The big ones: 49 transactions were never categorized, 26 are still sitting in "Ask My Accountant," there are 24 that look like duplicates, and 27 are missing a payee. Right now the books aren't reliable enough to use for taxes or any lending conversation, the duplicates alone are throwing off both income and expenses. Good news is it's all fixable. I'd recommend a full cleanup of the period: recategorize everything, clear the AMA and suspense items, sort out the duplicates, add the missing payees, fix the equity activity, and re-reconcile so you end up with financials you can actually trust. For the scope above I'm estimating 26–38 hours of work, which comes to a range of $1,450–$3,250 depending on how the duplicate review shakes out. I can do it as a fixed fee on the low-to-mid end if you'd prefer a set number. Want me to get started? I can have the cleanup wrapped within two weeks of getting the go-ahead. Thanks, [Your name]

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