We do catch-up bookkeeping on Long Island for businesses that are months or years behind. You get a fixed price before we start, the back periods rebuilt in order, the returns that were missed filed, and then the books kept current every month so it does not happen again. Being behind is one of the most common reasons people call us, and it is a solvable problem.
A fixed price agreed before any work starts
Back periods rebuilt from statements, not guessed at
Missed sales tax, payroll and income tax filings brought current
Monthly bookkeeping from there, so it does not recur
A desk of unsorted receipts and statements, or the Hicksville office.
Overview
We do catch-up bookkeeping on Long Island for businesses that are months or years behind. You get a fixed price before we start, the back periods rebuilt in order, the returns that were missed filed, and then the books kept current every month so it does not happen again. Being behind is one of the most common reasons people call us, and it is a solvable problem.
What catching up looks like
Video coming soon
Two years behind, and how we work back
The order we do it in, what we need from you, and how long a catch-up normally takes.
[confirm length once filmed]
What catch-up bookkeeping actually is
Catch-up bookkeeping is rebuilding the accounting records for periods that were never done properly, or never done at all, and then filing whatever was missed. Most of the businesses that come to us this way are between one and three years behind. Some have a bookkeeper who left, some have a set of books that stopped reconciling at some point nobody can identify, and plenty have been running on a bank balance and a shoebox since they started.
The reason it matters beyond tidiness is that almost nothing else can happen until it is done. You cannot file an accurate return without it. A bank will not lend against it. A buyer will not look at it. And you cannot tell whether the business is making money, which is the part owners usually feel most.
None of this is unusual and none of it is a reason to be embarrassed. It is a normal way for a client relationship to start.
What being behind actually costs
People imagine this is worse than it is, so here are the real numbers.
What that adds up to is usually a manageable number, and it stops growing once the filings are in. The cost of waiting another quarter is almost always higher than the cost of the catch-up.
How we work back
1. We scope it before we quote it. We look at what exists: bank and card statements, whatever is in the accounting file, payroll records, prior returns. That tells us how many periods are involved and how much of it can be rebuilt from documents rather than reconstructed.
2. You get a fixed price. One number for the catch-up work, agreed before we begin. If we find something during the work that genuinely changes the scope, we tell you before doing it, not on the invoice.
3. We rebuild oldest first. Each period is reconciled to the bank and closed before we move forward, because an error left in an early period propagates through everything after it. Opening balances are agreed to the last return that was filed.
4. We file what was missed. Sales tax returns for the open periods, payroll filings, and the business and personal income tax returns that depend on them, in the right order.
5. Then we keep it current. Monthly close from that point, so the next year is a normal year.
What it costs
Catch-up is priced separately from the monthly bookkeeping, as a one-off fixed fee. What drives it is the number of periods, the number of accounts and transactions, and how much source documentation still exists. A business two years behind with clean bank statements and a working payroll system is a much smaller job than one year behind with missing statements and cash sales.
We will tell you the price before you commit, and we will tell you honestly if the work is not worth doing. There are situations where periods are old enough, and the amounts small enough, that rebuilding them serves no purpose.
Ongoing monthly bookkeeping is a flat fee, shown on this site. The catch-up is the thing that gets you to the starting line.
Staying current afterwards
The reason most businesses fall behind twice is that nothing changed about how the information reaches the books. So the last part of a catch-up is setting up the flow: bank and card feeds connected, receipts captured where they are generated, payroll and the accounting file talking to each other, and a monthly close with a date on it.
From there you get a profit and loss, a balance sheet and a short note on what moved, in the first two weeks of the following month. When the return is prepared it comes from the books rather than from a reconstruction in March.
How catch-up bookkeeping works
The five steps, in the order we do them, when books are months or years behind.
Each period is reconciled and closed before the next one starts, because an error left early propagates through everything after it.
What this looks like in practice
These are the situations we are typically brought in to fix on Long Island. Details are generalised, and we never publish a client's business.
1
A Huntington village cafe
Huntington, Suffolk County
What we found
Twenty-six months with no closed books after the bookkeeper left, sales tax returns filed on estimates, and an income tax return the owner knew was wrong but had already signed.
What we did
Rebuilt from bank and merchant statements oldest first, reconciled each month before moving on, corrected the sales tax periods and amended the return that had been filed on bad numbers.
Where it landed
Current within nine weeks, penalties limited to the periods actually late, and a monthly close since.
2
A Hicksville HVAC contractor
Hicksville, Nassau County
What we found
Three years of transactions in an accounting file that had never been reconciled to the bank, with an opening balance nobody could explain and a suspense account holding a five figure total.
What we did
Traced the opening balance back to the last filed return, cleared the suspense account item by item, and rebuilt job costing from the invoices.
Where it landed
Books that reconcile, and the first accurate view of margin by job the owner had ever had.
3
A Bay Shore marina and boat service yard
Bay Shore, Suffolk County
What we found
Trading for two seasons without a Certificate of Authority while collecting sales tax on service work, so the tax was collected and never remitted.
What we did
Registered the business, quantified the collected tax by period, filed the back returns, and set up the split between dockage, storage and service.
Where it landed
Registered and current, with the exposure quantified, filed and paid.
What it costs
A flat monthly fee, quoted from your transaction volume, your accounts, and whether you run payroll. You get the number in writing before any work starts. Catch-up work is quoted separately so it does not inflate the ongoing fee.
Basics
$250per month
Solo owners and single-location businesses under about $50k of monthly expenses.
Monthly bank and card reconciliation
Expense categorization with bank rules
Profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow every month
Sales tax return prepared and filed at your county rate
Ro Sokhi is a New York licensed CPA. The person who signs off on your numbers is the person who can tell you what they mean for your tax bill.
Flat monthly fee
You know the number before the month starts. No hourly meter, no surprise invoice for a phone call in March.
On Long Island, not a call center
Staffed offices in Melville and Hicksville. We will come to the shop if the shoebox is easier to hand over than to scan.
Catch-up work is normal here
Most businesses that call us are behind. Some by a quarter, some by three years. That is the job, and it is quoted separately so the monthly fee stays clean.
Our offices
Both offices are staffed. Most work happens electronically wherever you are, and the offices are there for the businesses that would rather hand something over in person.
Suffolk County Office
68 S Service Rd #100 Melville, NY 11747
On the South Service Road off the LIE, serving Suffolk County and eastern Long Island.
Sales tax rates by county.Publication 718: New York State Publication 718 lists the combined rate for every jurisdiction, including Nassau at 8.625 percent and Suffolk at 8.75 percent.
Suffolk's rate change.Sales tax rates bulletin: Suffolk raised its local rate from 4.25 to 4.375 percent effective March 1, 2025, which is why the two counties no longer match.
Clothing under $110.Publication 718-C: Publication 718-C sets out which localities exempt clothing and footwear under $110 and which continue to tax their local portion.
MCTMT employer rates.MCTMT employer rates: The payroll expense threshold and the Zone 2 bracket rates that apply to Nassau and Suffolk employers.
MCTMT if you are self-employed.0.34 percent on Zone 2 self-employment earnings: Long Island is Zone 2, where net earnings from self-employment are taxed at 0.34 percent above a threshold that rises to $150,000 for tax year 2026.
The vendor collection credit.5 percent of tax due, up to $200 a period: Quarterly and annual filers who file on time keep 5 percent of the tax due, up to $200 a period. Monthly filers and PrompTax enrollees are not eligible.
Property tax, full value rates.Overall full-value tax rates by county: New York State's overall full-value tax rates by county: Nassau $36.90 and Suffolk $18.90 per $1,000 for 2021, against $27.70 statewide outside New York City.
Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge.1,300 companies at the Innovation Park: HIA-LI, the park's steward, publishes the 1,300 company count cited in the capital map.
CPA licence verification.NYSED licence register: The New York State Education Department register, where any CPA licence can be checked, including ours.
Every rate on this page links to the New York State authority that publishes it. Figures are current as of the date shown above. They explain how the numbers work and are not tax advice for your situation.
Nassau County Clerk Business name filings, if the registration side also needs fixing.
Every rate on this page links to the New York State authority that publishes it. Figures are current as of the date shown above. They explain how the numbers work and are not tax advice for your situation.
Questions
How far back can you go?
As far as the records support. Most catch-ups we do run one to three years. If source documents for a period genuinely no longer exist we will tell you what can and cannot be rebuilt, rather than inventing figures to fill the gap.
Will I be in trouble with the state?
Filing late costs a penalty and interest, and those are published figures you can look up in advance. What causes real problems is continuing not to file, if you are making taxable sales without a Certificate of Authority, where the penalty runs daily up to $10,000. Coming forward and filing stops the meter.
What do you need from me to start?
Bank and credit card statements for the periods involved, access to whatever accounting file exists, payroll records, and the last returns that were filed. If some of that is missing, tell us at the start; it changes the approach, not whether we can do it.
How long does it take?
A straightforward year with clean statements is usually a few weeks. Two to three years, or missing records, takes longer. We give you a timeline with the fixed price so you know before you commit.
Do I have to switch software?
Not usually. We work in what you already have unless it genuinely cannot do the job, and if that is the case we will say so plainly and explain why.
How much does a bookkeeper cost on Long Island?
Our plans start at $250 a month for a solo owner and run to $850 for a multi-entity business, set by your monthly expense volume rather than by the hour. You get the number in writing before any work starts. Independent bookkeepers on Long Island often quote hourly, which looks cheaper until a busy month arrives; a flat fee is a number you can budget.
My books are two years behind. Is that a problem?
It is the most common reason people call. We work backwards from the last filed return, rebuild the periods in between, and reconcile to the bank rather than to whatever the prior file says. You get a clean starting balance and a written list of what changed. Catch-up is quoted as a one-time project, usually one to two months of the recurring fee.
Do you file sales tax returns?
Yes, and on Long Island that matters more than most places. Nassau charges 8.625 percent and Suffolk charges 8.75 percent, so a business selling in both counties collects at two rates and has to report them separately. We register you if you are not registered, review what you are collecting, and file on whatever schedule the state has put you on.
Are you a CPA firm?
Ro Sokhi is individually licensed as a CPA in New York and leads the work. The operating entity is a business corporation and is not registered with NYSED as a public accounting firm, so we do not perform audits, reviews, or compilations. If your bank or a buyer needs assurance work we will tell you plainly and point you to a registered firm.
What is the difference between a bookkeeper and a CPA?
A bookkeeper records what happened. A CPA is licensed, can represent you before the IRS, and can tell you what the numbers mean for your tax position and your decisions. Most small businesses are sold one or the other. Here the bookkeeping is done to a standard a CPA is willing to sign off on, and the same person handles the return.
Do you work with QuickBooks, or do I have to switch?
QuickBooks Online for most clients, and Xero where a business is already on it. We do not force a migration for its own sake. If you are on spreadsheets, a shoebox, or a system your last bookkeeper set up badly, that is a normal starting point and we will move you when moving is worth it.
How long does it take to get started?
A first call takes about twenty minutes and a quote follows the same day. Once you accept, we need read-only access to your bank and card feeds and your last filed return. Most businesses are fully onboarded inside two weeks; a business needing catch-up work takes longer, and we tell you how much longer before you commit.
Do we have to meet in person?
Only if you want to. Most clients send documents electronically and talk to us on a call. The Melville and Hicksville offices are there for the businesses that would rather hand over a box of receipts than scan them, and for anyone who wants to meet the person doing the work before handing over the books.
Can you handle payroll as well as the books?
Yes. We process payroll, file the NYS-45, and track the MCTMT, which applies here because Nassau and Suffolk are inside the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. We also review worker classification, because contractors who work like employees are the payroll issue New York challenges most often.
What happens if I get a letter from New York State or the IRS?
Send it to us the day it arrives. Most notices are routine and are resolved with a reconciliation and a reply. Ro is a CPA and holds unlimited representation rights before the IRS, so if a notice turns into something more, you are not looking for help at that point.
Are you taking new clients right now?
Yes. We keep the client list small enough that the same person reviews your file every month, so there are periods when onboarding runs a few weeks out, and we tell you that on the first call rather than after you sign.
