If your QuickBooks file is broken but you don't know where to start, here's the order we work through cleanups - and why.
Every cleanup we do starts with one question: when was the last month each bank and credit card account was reconciled? Until you have that anchor point, you don't know what's true and what's not.
Once you've anchored the file, fix the Chart of Accounts. Merge duplicates, delete unused accounts, group like with like. This isn't cosmetic - a bad COA produces unusable reports.
Now work through the "Uncategorized" accounts. Every transaction needs a real home. Some will require asking the owner for context - that's normal and expected.
Opening Balance Equity should not be sitting on your Balance Sheet a year after setup. Clearing it correctly is one of the most diagnostic signs a file was rebuilt properly.
Once the file is clean, reconcile each month forward to the current period. Now you have a trustworthy file - and you can finally start running monthly bookkeeping on top of it.
If anything in this article hit close to home, schedule a free 30-minute consultation. We'll talk through your situation and the right path forward.