Provider reports do not match QuickBooks
Gross wages, deductions, taxes, or employer costs differ from the payroll-related entries in the books.
Payroll Bookkeeping Reconstruction
Reconstruct payroll bookkeeping records and reconcile them to QuickBooks.
A historical bookkeeping project that compares available payroll-provider evidence, bank activity, liabilities, and QuickBooks entries to reconstruct supported payroll-related accounting and disclose remaining differences.
ClearPath diagnostic note
Primary distinction
This service addresses historical bookkeeping entries—not payroll processing, tax filing, amendments, or agency representation.
The service is historical bookkeeping reconstruction and reconciliation. It does not run payroll, pay employees, amend filings, or speak for the client before an agency.Problem recognition
This service may fit when…
The Books Assessment separates visible symptoms from the underlying work. It is possible for one file to require more than one service category.
Payroll cash and liabilities do not tie
Withdrawals, liability balances, or clearing accounts contain unexplained differences or stale amounts.
Entries are missing or duplicated
Journal entries were not posted consistently, were posted more than once, or changed during a provider or file transition.
The discrepancy needs a bookkeeping handoff
A tax or payroll professional needs a documented view of reconstructed entries and unresolved differences—not a compliance opinion.
Scope, in plain language
The work reconstructs payroll-related bookkeeping from available evidence.
ClearPath compares provider reports and registers with cash activity, liability accounts, journal history, and the relevant QuickBooks periods. Supported bookkeeping entries may be reconstructed or corrected, and differences are tracked for review.
This is deliberately narrower than payroll operations or payroll-tax remediation. Questions about filings, amendments, penalties, employee payments, notices, or agency requirements belong with an appropriately qualified payroll or tax professional.
Usually aligned
- Historical provider evidence and bank records are available
- QuickBooks payroll-related entries are incomplete or inconsistent
- The objective is accounting reconstruction and discrepancy visibility
- A separate qualified professional can address tax or compliance questions
Not this service
- Processing current or future payroll
- Paying employees or remitting payroll taxes
- Preparing or amending payroll filings
- Tax advice, legal advice, agency representation, or compliance guarantees
Evidence and access
What the assessment considers.
Payroll-related books can involve sensitive employee and tax information. The assessment should describe the systems and periods only; record transfer follows a separately approved process.
How records are handledAssessment inputs
- Payroll-provider name, periods involved, and available registers or reports
- Bank activity showing payroll and tax withdrawals
- Payroll liability and clearing-account detail
- QuickBooks journal history and prior payroll-related entries
- Prior filings only as reference when appropriately shared
- Known provider changes, migrations, corrections, notices, or unresolved differences
Only the records relevant to the agreed scope should be transferred. Do not send credentials or financial documents through the public form or ordinary email.
A controlled project method
From evidence review to documented handoff.
Define the accounting question
Identify periods, systems, relevant accounts, evidence, and the exact bookkeeping handoff required.
Map provider activity
Organize supported wages, deductions, taxes, employer costs, cash movements, and related liabilities by period.
Reconstruct and reconcile
Compare the evidence to QuickBooks, complete supported entries, and track discrepancies without making compliance conclusions.
Document for qualified review
Provide reconciliation status, reconstructed bookkeeping entries, and unresolved items for the client and appropriate professionals.
Project outputs
A usable handoff, with unresolved items visible.
01
Supported reconstructed or corrected payroll-related bookkeeping entries
02
Reconciliation status for covered payroll cash and liability accounts
03
Provider-to-books discrepancy log
04
Unresolved-items list and accounting handoff notes
Reconciliation and limitations
A bookkeeping reconciliation does not determine filing or legal compliance.
Differences may result from timing, provider configuration, historical postings, missing evidence, or matters outside the bookkeeping scope. ClearPath documents what the records support and routes tax or compliance questions to qualified professionals.
Explicit boundaries
- No payroll processing or employee payment
- No preparation or amendment of payroll tax filings
- No tax or legal advice and no agency representation
- No compliance opinion, audit assurance, or guarantee where records are incomplete
Pricing and timing
A planning range first. A fixed quote after assessment.
The quote depends on periods, entities, provider systems, liability-account complexity, available reports, and the form of handoff required. Broader tax or legal work is excluded, not bundled into the estimate.
Provisional planning estimate
Starting at$1,500
Typical range$1,500–$3,500
These amounts are planning guidance—not a quote or promise of final price. ClearPath provides a written fixed fee after reviewing the Books Assessment and confirming the included periods, accounts, records, and deliverables.
What the starting point assumes
- One legal entity
- One payroll provider
- Up to 4 payroll quarters
- Up to 5 employees
- Provider reports and related cash evidence are substantially available
More periods, transactions, financial accounts, entities, payroll activity, missing records, or structural complexity may move the project above the typical range. Any change is discussed and approved before out-of-scope work begins.
Combined rescue projects: A full-year project involving cleanup, catch-up bookkeeping, and payroll reconstruction generally starts around $3,000 and typically falls between $3,000 and $5,500.
What shapes the fixed quote
01
Number of payroll periods and entities
02
Payroll providers, migrations, and report formats
03
Number and condition of liability or clearing accounts
04
Completeness of registers, reports, and cash evidence
05
QuickBooks journal history and prior corrections
06
Required discrepancy detail and professional handoff
Record handling starts after fit and scope are discussed.
Do not place employee information, tax IDs, payroll reports, notices, credentials, or account numbers in the public assessment or ordinary email.
Frequently asked questions
What to know before the assessment.
Will ClearPath run payroll or pay employees?
No. This service is limited to historical bookkeeping reconstruction and reconciliation. It does not process payroll, pay employees, calculate a current payroll, or remit taxes.
Will ClearPath amend payroll tax filings?
No. Filing preparation, amended returns, tax advice, notice response, and agency representation are outside this service and require an appropriately qualified professional.
What if provider reports and bank withdrawals still do not agree?
The discrepancy is investigated within the agreed bookkeeping scope and documented. If evidence is incomplete or the issue requires tax, legal, or provider action, it remains an unresolved item for qualified follow-up.
Can the reconstructed entries be used by my tax professional?
The handoff can help a tax professional understand the bookkeeping work and remaining differences, but ClearPath does not guarantee third-party acceptance or replace that professional’s review.
Has this service been reviewed as payroll tax advice?
No. The page describes bookkeeping reconstruction only. Broader payroll, tax, legal, or compliance conclusions are expressly excluded and should be reviewed by appropriately qualified professionals.
A defined first step