Calculator
Estimate your catch-up bookkeeping timeline
Tell us how many months you're behind and how complex the file is, and this returns an estimated range of weeks to get caught up. It's elapsed calendar time, not a quote of hours — the exact dates are committed after a free review. The formula it uses is shown under the result.
Catch-up timeline estimate
Rough inputs are fine — you can refine anything in the free review.
Estimated catch-up time
3 – 4 weeks
6 months behind · Moderate
Elapsed weeks at a steady reconcile pace, not full-time hours. A free review sets the committed dates.
How this is calculated — the exact formula
- Weeks = months behind × a per-month pace: about 0.35 weeks per month for a simple file, 0.55 for moderate, 0.85 for complex.
- The range shown is that figure minus 20% to plus 20%, rounded to whole weeks, with a floor of one week.
- Complexity means what's in the file — mixed personal and business spending, missing statements, prior corrections — not just how far back it goes.
- The estimate is elapsed calendar time. Work overlaps and waits on documents, so weeks are always more than raw hours.
- Rescue work (a broken file, prior-year tax prep) is scoped and timed separately.
Why months behind is only half the estimate
How far back you are sets the size of the job, but complexity sets the pace. A year of clean, single-account activity with every statement on hand moves fast. The same year with commingled personal spending, several accounts, missing statements, and prior-period corrections moves slowly, because each reconciled month surfaces exceptions that have to be chased down. That's why the calculator multiplies months by a complexity pace rather than assuming every month takes the same time.
Turning the range into dates
The band is intentionally wide because the honest answer depends on what a review finds in the file. Once a senior specialist has looked, the estimate becomes a committed schedule with real dates. Read the full method in the catch-up bookkeeping guide, or see how the service works on QuickBooks catch-up bookkeeping.
About this estimate
Is this the hours of work or the calendar time?
Calendar time — elapsed weeks from start to caught-up. Catch-up work overlaps and waits on documents, so elapsed weeks are always more than raw hours. The estimate is the wall-clock band, not a full-time count.
Why such a wide range?
Because months behind and complexity only tell part of the story. Missing statements, mixed personal and business spending, and prior-year issues all stretch a timeline. The band is deliberately wide until a review sees the file.
Is anything I enter here saved or sent?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.
What happens after the estimate?
If the range works, the next step is a free, read-only review. A senior specialist confirms the scope and replaces the estimate with committed dates.