Catch-up bookkeeping for contractors
However far behind you are, we bring your books up to date, with CIS and VAT right for every period. You get a fixed price, agreed before any work starts.
What to expect from us
No judgement, however far behind you are
Bring whatever you have, even if it is a bag of receipts and months of nothing. We sort it out, and nobody here will comment on the state of it.
You know the price before any work starts
We look at what you have first, then give you a fixed price in writing. If the job changes once we start, we tell you before we carry on, not after.
A one off price, separate from any monthly fee
You should not pay a monthly fee for months when you had no monthly bookkeeping, so catch-up work is quoted and billed on its own.
What being behind can cost you
These penalties apply whether or not HMRC has been in touch. CIS adds up fastest, because a return is due every month, even in a month you paid nobody.
The penalty for each late CIS return, by how late it is.
| How late | Penalty | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day late | £100 | Charged on each monthly return, so a year behind means twelve of these to start with. |
| 2 months late | £200 | This is on top of the first penalty, not instead of it. |
| 6 months late | £300 or 5% of the CIS deductions on the return, whichever is higher | Charged again at 12 months. |
| 12 months late | £300 or 5% of the CIS deductions on the return, whichever is higher | Higher still where HMRC judges the delay deliberate. |
Late VAT returns now build up penalty points, and a penalty comes once you have enough of them, which is easy to miss until it happens. There is also the year end: an accountant given unsorted records has more to sort out before they can start.
How catch-up bookkeeping works
We look at what you have
Send us your bank statements, invoices and whatever other paperwork you have, plus access to your accounting software if you use any. A look through them tells us the size of the job.
You do not need to tidy anything first. Sorting it out is our job.
You get a fixed price in writing
The price is based on how many months are behind and how complicated they are, not on an hourly rate.
We bring the books up to date, month by month
Every transaction is put in the right category and checked against your bank, so the finished books match what actually happened.
If paperwork is missing, we ask for it once, list anything still missing and mark it in the books. We never make figures up.
We get CIS and VAT right for each period
We work out CIS deductions at the rate that applied at the time, split out the materials, and apply the VAT reverse charge only to the invoices it covers.
You get books that are up to date
Your accounts match your bank, your accountant gets a set of working papers they can use, and our monthly bookkeeping can carry on from there.
The books and the working papers are yours to keep.
How catch-up bookkeeping is priced
It is a fixed, one off price based on two things: how many months are behind, and how complicated they are. CIS and VAT together take more work than neither. Three bank accounts take more work than one. Photos of receipts take more work than a bank feed.
Catch-up starts from the figure on our pricing page and is priced once we have seen your books. You get the price in writing before any work starts. It only changes if the job turns out to be very different from what we were shown, and if so, we tell you at that point, not on the invoice.
What we do not do
- File your year end accounts or corporation tax return. Your accountant does those. They get clean, up to date books, so there is less for them to sort out.
- Send anything to HMRC before you have seen it and approved it.
- Backdate, recategorise or hide anything to make a past period look better than it was.
- Claim to be accountants. We are bookkeepers.
Once you are up to date, our monthly bookkeeping keeps you there.
Common questions about catch-up bookkeeping
How far back can you go?
As far back as your records go, including several years if needed. What matters is whether the bank statements and invoices still exist, not how long ago it was. Companies must keep records for six years from the end of the financial year they cover, and self-employed people for five years after the January filing deadline, so most of what we need is usually still there.
What if I have almost no records?
Bank statements alone get you a long way, because every payment in and out is on them. If you have lost them, ask your bank for copies. We start from the bank, then tell you exactly what else to look for. Anything that cannot be backed up with paperwork is marked as such, never guessed, because a made up figure is worse than a gap.
Will HMRC find out that I am behind?
You do not report being behind on your bookkeeping to HMRC. What HMRC sees is late or missing returns, and those get penalties whether your books are tidy or not. Getting your records up to date stops that carrying on, and you need them before any late return can be put right.
Do I have to tell HMRC I got it wrong?
If a return you already sent was wrong, it usually needs correcting. How depends on which return it was and how far out it was. We tell you plainly when we find something that needs correcting. We prepare the correction. For CIS you send it; for VAT we file it once you approve it. Separately, from 1 April 2028, a new general duty is set to require taxpayers to correct inaccurate tax returns and documents once they know they are wrong (needs Parliament to pass Finance Bill 2026-27); which returns it covers will be set out in the Finance Bill.
What is the difference between catch-up and clean-up bookkeeping?
Catch-up is for months nobody recorded. Clean-up is for months that were recorded but went wrong, such as costs in the wrong place or books that do not match the bank. Most backlogs have some of both, and we do both as one job, for one fixed price.
Will you deal with my missing CIS and VAT returns?
Yes. We prepare each missing CIS return for you to submit to HMRC yourself. We prepare your missing VAT returns too and, once you have approved them, file them for you. A late CIS return's penalty grows the longer it is left, so the sooner they go in, the better. Any penalties from before you came to us stay with you, and from then on we keep your deadlines.
How long does it take?
It depends on how much paperwork there is, more than how many months are behind. We give you a realistic finish date with your quote, before you agree to anything.
Can I pay for it in stages?
Ask us when we give you your quote. Whatever we agree, you will know the full price before any work starts.
Primary sources and further reading
Everything on this page is drawn from HMRC's own published guidance.
- What you must do as a Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) contractorGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Construction Industry Scheme (CIS)GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Penalty points and penalties if you submit your VAT Return lateHMRC (opens in a new tab)
- Running a limited company: company and accounting recordsGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Business records if you're self-employedGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Budget 2026: Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates (OOTLAR)GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
Get your books up to date
When you join, tell us how far behind you are. We look at what you have and give you a fixed price, and there is nothing to tidy up first. Join the waitlist for 2027.