Catch-up bookkeeping cost: your first bill and monthly fees

Separate the first bill from the monthly bill

Catch-up pays for earlier months. Your monthly plan pays for ongoing bookkeeping. The examples below assume one business, two accounts, 100 transactions per month, no inventory, and no other circumstances requiring a scoping call.

After that first bill, the same Books scope is $399/month. These are Unfret price examples, not estimates of what every provider charges. The questionnaire checks your eligibility and shows your itemized scope before you commit.

What changes the quote?

• Accounts and activity. The base plan includes two accounts and up to 200 monthly transactions. Each additional account is $75/month; higher transaction bands add a monthly charge.
• The plan you choose. Books + All Taxes starts at $649/month. Tax preparation is not included in the Books-only examples above. Compare the plans.
• Work that needs a conversation. More than six prior months, more than four accounts, more than 1,000 monthly transactions, inventory, and other scope flags require a call. Do not extend the table into a quote for those situations.

For example, three prior months and three accounts at the base transaction level means $897 once, plus $474/month: $1,371 on the first bill, then $474/month.

Ask what “catch-up” actually includes

Recording missing months and correcting errors in existing books can be different jobs. Before comparing quotes, confirm the period covered, accounts included, treatment of missing records, expected deliverables, and whether ongoing service is required. Unfret’s published catch-up charge is part of its ongoing bookkeeping flow; it is not a promise of unlimited cleanup or a standalone service.

Confirm the completion schedule for your backlog. A monthly bookkeeping deadline does not establish how long historical cleanup will take. Filing missing tax returns, payroll corrections, and sales-tax filings should not be assumed to be included in a bookkeeping quote.

Have these details ready

• The last month your books were reconciled, and which months need attention.
• A list of business bank and credit-card accounts, with statements for the relevant months.
• Your current accounting records, supporting receipts and invoices, and payroll or inventory records where applicable.
• An estimate of monthly transactions and a note of any missing records.

The IRS recordkeeping guidance explains why records should support business income and expenses. Bank statements do not automatically replace every supporting document your situation requires.

Start with the scope questions. Upload financial documents through your dashboard after onboarding; please do not email them.