The most important documents are your bank and credit card statements for every account used in the business during the catch-up period. These are the backbone of the entire process. Every transaction flows through a bank account or credit card, so with complete statements, a bookkeeper can reconstruct most of your financial picture even if nothing else is available. If you use online banking, you can usually download statements going back several years. If not, call your bank and request them.

Prior year tax returns are the next priority. They show what was reported to the IRS, what depreciation schedules are in play, and how your books should connect to your filings. If a previous accountant prepared your returns, they should have copies. These help ensure continuity so the catch-up work lines up with what’s already been reported.

Loan and financing documents matter if you have any business debt. Monthly statements from lenders, equipment financing agreements, or lines of credit help your bookkeeper separate principal payments from interest. Without these, loan payments often get categorized incorrectly, which throws off both your balance sheet and your deductions.

Payroll records are essential if you have employees. This includes pay stubs, quarterly 941 filings, W-2s, and any reports from your payroll provider. If you use a service like Gusto or ADP, most of this can be pulled from the platform directly.

Invoices you’ve sent to customers and receipts for larger purchases are helpful but not always required. A good catch-up bookkeeping process can work primarily from bank and credit card data, but invoices help confirm what income was for and receipts clarify purchases that aren’t obvious from a bank statement alone. Don’t let missing receipts stop you from getting started.

If you’ve collected or should have collected sales tax, any prior filings or sales tax reports from your point-of-sale system are useful. Same goes for 1099s you’ve received or issued.

Here’s the honest truth. Most business owners who are behind on their books don’t have perfectly organized records. That’s normal and expected. A bookkeeper in Franklin who specializes in catch-up work knows how to piece things together from incomplete records. Start by gathering what you can easily access, especially bank statements and tax returns, and let your bookkeeper tell you what else they need. Waiting until you have everything perfectly organized before reaching out just keeps you further behind.