The honest answer is it depends on how bad things got and how long they stayed that way. A single year of disorganized books for a straightforward business might take two to four weeks. Three or more years of neglected records with high transaction volume, missing documentation, and balance sheet accounts that haven’t been reconciled in ages can take three to six months or longer.

The main variables are the number of years that need correction, how many transactions run through the business each month, the complexity of your operations, and whether source documents still exist. A service business with 50 transactions a month is very different from an e-commerce company processing thousands of orders across multiple sales channels.

Missing bank statements and receipts slow everything down. If your bank only provides 18 months of statements online and you need three years reconstructed, someone has to request older records. Credit card companies are the same. Vendor invoices that were never saved mean estimates and best guesses instead of actual figures.

What cleanup actually involves is reconciling every bank and credit card account month by month, fixing miscategorized transactions, removing duplicates, correcting the balance sheet accounts that accumulate errors over time, and making sure your books reflect what actually happened. Accounts receivable and accounts payable often show amounts that were paid or collected years ago but never cleared. Loans show incorrect balances. Asset accounts include things that were sold or disposed of.

The income statement is usually easier to fix than the balance sheet. Recategorizing expenses and revenue takes time but is straightforward. Balance sheet problems are harder because they compound. An error in January 2022 affects every month after it. Finding and fixing the original mistake, then flowing that correction through subsequent periods, requires more detective work.

Financial records cleanup typically happens in phases. First is assessment to understand the scope and identify the biggest problems. Then reconciliation work starts, usually going year by year from oldest to most recent. Finally comes review and documentation so you understand what was changed and why.

Businesses that need cleanup usually need it done before a specific deadline. Tax filing, loan application, potential sale, or new investor due diligence. If you have a hard deadline, start earlier than you think necessary. Cleanup always takes longer than expected because new problems surface once you start digging.

The goal isn’t just getting the books “done” but getting them accurate enough to trust. Controller services in Boca Raton can help maintain that accuracy going forward, but the cleanup has to happen first. Rushing the process to meet a deadline often means cutting corners that create new problems later.

If you’ve been putting off cleanup because you’re not sure how long it will take, the best first step is an assessment. A qualified professional can review your records and give you a realistic timeline and cost estimate before work begins.