QuickBooks a Mess? Here’s How to Clean It Up in 5 Easy Steps (for Office Staff)
If your team’s QBO file is messy, your whole workflow probably feels messy too.
The good news? You don’t need to be a CPA to fix it—you just need the right checklist.
Whether you're helping prep for tax season, trying to untangle transactions, or just want reports that actually make sense, here are 5 practical steps to clean up your QuickBooks Online (QBO)—without the panic.
✅ Step 1: Fix Uncategorized Transactions
“Uncategorized Income” and “Uncategorized Expense” are red flags for your reports.
🔧 What to do:
Head to the Banking tab in QBO and assign categories to any uncategorized transactions. Set up bank rules to automate this step moving forward.
💡 Why it matters:
Accurate categorization = clean reports, easier tax prep, and less back-and-forth with your accountant.
✅ Step 2: Match Open Invoices & Payments
If your reports show unpaid invoices but your bank account says otherwise, this is for you.
🔧 What to do:
Run the Accounts Receivable Aging Report. Match outstanding payments to open invoices. Fix duplicates or misapplied entries.
💡 Why it matters:
You’ll stop chasing clients who’ve already paid and clean up your revenue reporting.
✅ Step 3: Check Payroll & Sales Tax Entries
If anything needs to be 100% accurate, it’s payroll and taxes.
🔧 What to do:
Review payroll and sales tax entries to make sure they match your filings. Cross-check with actual payments to federal and state agencies.
💡 Why it matters:
Prevents scary letters from the IRS and keeps your business compliant.
✅ Step 4: Reconcile Every Month
Reconciling is the truth serum for your books.
🔧 What to do:
Go to the Reconcile tab and match your QBO transactions to your bank/credit card statements. Fix anything that’s off.
💡 Why it matters:
It’s how you confirm your books are accurate—and avoid making business decisions based on bad data.
✅ Step 5: Run Reports & Look for Red Flags
Now that your file is cleaner, use those reports!
🔧 What to do:
Run your Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet. Look for weird stuff: negative balances, random totals, or missing categories.
💡 Why it matters:
This is how you spot financial health—or catch mistakes before they become costly.
🧠 FAQ
Q: How often should I do this?
👉 Monthly is best. At minimum, quarterly and always before tax season.
Q: What if our books are too messy for me to fix alone?
👉 No worries. Book a free call with a QBO expert like Dr. Bryan Raya for help.
Q: Do I reconcile credit cards too?
👉 Yes! Reconcile all accounts with incoming or outgoing money.
Q: Doesn’t QBO auto-categorize with rules?
👉 It does—but manual oversight is still needed for accuracy.
📞 Need help cleaning up QuickBooks fast?
Book a free call with Dr. Bryan Raya, QuickBooks ProAdvisor:
👉 https://calendly.com/dbr_bookkeeping/book-a-free-call-with-dbr
Let’s start Doing Business Right.
#QuickBooksHelp #CleanUpQBO #BookkeepingSupport #AdminTeamTips #SmallBusinessFinance #DBRBookkeeping #DoingBusinessRight