5 Simple Steps to Clean Up Your QuickBooks Online (Without Crying Into Your Coffee)
Your guide to fixing your messy books, saving your sanity, and finally making sense of QuickBooks Online.
If you’ve typed “How do I clean up my QuickBooks Online?” while side-eyeing your laptop and wondering if it’s too late to become a barista... breathe. You’re not alone.
At DBR Bookkeeping, we specialize in helping overwhelmed small business owners—especially service-based entrepreneurs like coaches, consultants, contractors, and creatives—turn chaos into clean books. And no, it doesn’t have to involve spreadsheets and stress-eating.
Let’s break it down. No jargon. No panic. Just results.
Guide Overview (a.k.a. The “Make-Your-Life-Easier” Steps)
Step 1: Categorize Transactions Correctly
Stop letting QuickBooks throw everything into “Uncategorized.” That’s like shoving clutter into a closet and calling it clean. Categorize expenses and income properly so your reports make sense—and your tax pro doesn’t cry.
Step 2: Fix Open Invoices & Unapplied Payments
Your reports say clients still owe you money... but your bank account says otherwise. It’s time to match those payments to the right invoices and clear the confusion (and the panic).
Step 3: Review Payroll and Sales Tax Records
Payroll and taxes aren’t fun, but they’re even less fun when wrong. Double-check that everything matches your filings—or risk letters from the IRS that feel like bad exes showing up uninvited.
Step 4: Reconcile Your Bank & Credit Card Accounts
Reconciling is like balancing your checkbook—only cooler (and more necessary). Make sure every QBO transaction matches your real bank activity. If it doesn’t? It’s detective time.
Step 5: Generate Financial Reports & Identify Issues
Now that your books are clean-ish, run your Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet reports. If anything looks weird (like negative numbers where there shouldn’t be), dig in—or call a pro.
BONUS: DIY or Hire?
Not sure if you should do this yourself or outsource it? We’ve got a checklist for that.
📘 Grab your FREE Cleanup Guide here:
👉 https://bit.ly/CleanYourBooks
🎥 Need to see it in action?
Watch Dr. Bryan Raya break it down step-by-step in this quick video:
👉 Watch the YouTube Video
FAQ: QuickBooks Cleanup (a.k.a. “What Did I Just Get Myself Into?”)
Q: My numbers look like alphabet soup. Can this be fixed?
Absolutely. If you can break it, we can help clean it.
Q: Is this going to take forever?
Not with the right steps—and definitely not with help from DBR.
Q: What if I don’t even know what went wrong?
That’s common. Our guide and video help you spot red flags and fix them fast.
Let’s be honest—cleaning your books might not be your favorite task, but it doesn’t have to be painful.
Let’s start Doing Business Right—with a little less stress and a lot more clarity.
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