Catch-up bookkeeping for Austin home-service owners who got behind

KWK Books is an Austin, Texas bookkeeping firm that catches up behind books for home-service businesses, then keeps them current every month in QuickBooks Online. Whether you're 3 months behind or 3 years behind, we look at the books, give you a clear scope and price, and get you current. After that, you can move to monthly bookkeeping or stop there. No judgment.

Not sure how big the job is? The scope tool below gives you a Light, Standard, or Heavy label. It does not give a price. For that, book a 30-minute call or call 512.230.4212.

See the scope Book a free discovery call 512.230.4212

Built for home-service owners whose books fell behind

Most of our clients are home-service and trade owners in Austin and Central Texas. They run crews, buy materials, and bill by the job. Most owners start with catch-up when the books stopped matching the work.

Catch-up is for you if:

You're months (or years) behind and need to get current
Your QuickBooks Online file is a mess, or you're not on QuickBooks Online yet
The books stopped matching what's in the bank
Your CPA needs clean books and you don't have them

We work with HVAC, plumbing, residential roofing, landscaping and lawn care, electrical, general contractors, gutters, cleaning, and similar home-service trades.

What catch-up includes

Historical transaction clean-up
Account reconciliation from day one
Reclassification of miscoded entries
Clean, accurate financials you can trust
Monthly service after that, only if you want it

Catch-up is scoped and priced separately from monthly bookkeeping, and you can buy it on its own. Monthly service is not required. We don't prepare income tax returns. That stays with your CPA. Our job is to get the books clean, reconciled, and CPA-ready.

Here's what the labels mean:

Light: 3 months or less behind, 1 or 2 bank or card accounts, light transaction volume, and already on QuickBooks Online.
Heavy: 13 months or more behind, 5 or more bank or card accounts, not on QuickBooks Online yet, or a busy file that's 12 months or more behind.
Standard: anything in between.

The label is a starting point for the call. It's not a quote.

Why trade books fall behind, and what gets fixed

Every trade has money that doesn't land the same way on a retail P&L. Catch-up reclassifies miscoded entries so these pieces sit where they belong and the monthly numbers mean something again.

HVAC: install vs service, memberships, parts and inventory, and tech payroll. See HVAC bookkeeping in Austin.
Plumbing: service vs install, parts, vans and tools, and membership vs one-off work. See plumbing bookkeeping in Austin.
Residential roofing: homeowner deposits, insurance checks that come in more than one payment, supplements, deductibles, and materials bought up front for each job. See roofing bookkeeping in Austin.
Landscaping and lawn care: spring and fall deposit spikes, crew payroll, fuel, and equipment notes. See landscaping bookkeeping in Austin.
Electrical and general contractors: project-based tracking, lien waivers, and subcontractor costs.

Once you're current, job costing in QuickBooks Online can show which jobs made money. Here's how job costing in QuickBooks Online works.

How a catch-up engagement works

Check the scope (optional). Use the tool above to get a Light, Standard, or Heavy label.
Free discovery call. About 30 minutes on Calendly, or call 512.230.4212. We talk about your business and how far behind the books are.
Scope, price, and proposal. We look at the books and send a custom proposal through Ignition with the scope and the price.
Connect and catch up. We connect to your QuickBooks Online file, even a messy one, or set one up if you don't have it. Then we clean up the history, reconcile every account from day one, and fix miscoded entries.
Monthly service, if you want it. Once you're current, you can stop there or move to monthly bookkeeping at a fixed monthly rate. Monthly service is month-to-month, and you can cancel anytime with 30 days notice.

Documents and client login run through the secure Financial Cents client portal. Ignition is for proposals only.

What you get once you're current

If you choose monthly bookkeeping after the catch-up, you get:

Transaction categorization and reconciliation
Monthly P&L and balance sheet
A one-page monthly financial summary
QuickBooks Online maintenance
CPA-ready books year-round

Need payroll too? As a Gusto Pro Partner, we handle payroll processing and payroll tax filing. Contact us for payroll pricing. See all services.

Who does the work

KWK Books is owner-operated in the Austin metro. You work with Kipp Koeppel, a QuickBooks Online Certified ProAdvisor. Before KWK Books, Kipp did retirement plan work at Vanguard and Wells Fargo (VP-level). Then he owned and ran a Brothers That Just Do Gutters franchise in Austin and sold it. He has sat in the owner's seat, so he reads a P&L like an operator. More on the About page.

KWK Books is a member of the West Austin Chamber of Commerce.

Frequently asked questions

We don't publish a catch-up price. After a 30-minute call and a look at the books, we give you a clear scope and price. The size of the job depends on how far behind you are, how many bank and card accounts you have, how many transactions you run, and whether you're on QuickBooks Online. The scope tool asks about the same things. If you want monthly service after that, it's a fixed monthly rate.

Whether you're 3 months behind or 3 years behind, we'll assess the situation, give you a clear scope and price, and get your books current. Catch-up and clean-up is one of the most common things we do.

Not required, but we do work in QuickBooks Online. If you don't have it, we can set it up as part of onboarding. If you're already on QBO (even a messy one), we'll connect directly and get to work.

It's a size label from the scope tool, not a price. Light is a short gap on a simple file already in QuickBooks Online. Heavy is 13 months or more behind, 5 or more bank or card accounts, no QuickBooks Online yet, or a busy file that's a year or more behind. Standard is anything in between.

Yes. Storm season for roofers, peak season for HVAC, and spring and fall for landscapers are busy stretches, and the books can slip. We'll assess the situation, give you a clear scope and price, and get your books current.

No. We don't prepare income tax returns. That stays with your CPA. We get the books clean, reconciled, and CPA-ready so your CPA can do the filing. We work alongside your existing CPA or can refer you to one.

Yes. Catch-up can be bought on its own, and monthly service is not required. If you do want monthly bookkeeping after the catch-up, we quote a fixed monthly rate after a 30-minute call. It's month-to-month, and you can cancel anytime with 30 days notice.

Financial Cents is the secure client portal. That's where documents and client login live. Ignition is for proposals only. Client login: https://app.financial-cents.com/client-portal