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Prime Partners, Chartered Accountants
Prime Partners accountant carrying out accounting clean-up and financial rectification
Accounting Clean-Up & Financial Rectification

Accounting clean-up and financial rectification for businesses that can't move forward on numbers they can't trust.

We restore your financial records to a state where every number can be relied upon, by you, your bank and the ATO.

Clean-up and rectification is the work of reviewing, correcting and rebuilding your records, reconciling accounts, fixing coding errors, amending BAS and regularising your position with the ATO. Every engagement is scoped up front for an agreed fixed fee, so you know the cost before the work starts.

In short

More than maintenance, this is rebuilding.

When financial records no longer reflect reality, decisions get made on numbers that cannot be trusted. We rebuild historical records, correct BAS, GST, payroll and superannuation, and regularise your position with the ATO, so the business has an accurate baseline to move forward from. The work suits businesses changing accountants, behind on lodgements, or preparing the books for finance, sale or ATO review. It is senior-led, scoped up front, and quoted as a fixed fee.

When you need it

The situations that usually bring businesses to us.

There is no single trigger that tells a business it needs a clean-up. These are the most common reasons it becomes necessary.

1
Transitioning from a previous accountant
Changing accountants often surfaces issues that were not visible before. Incomplete or disorganised handover files can make it impossible to prepare current-year returns without first correcting the historical position.
2
Rapid growth outpacing finance processes
When revenue doubles but the bookkeeping stays the same, errors accumulate quickly. What worked at $500,000 in revenue does not work at $5 million, and the chart of accounts and reconciliation processes stop being fit for purpose.
3
Statements not reflecting reality
If the profit and loss does not match the bank balance, or the balance sheet carries assets and liabilities that do not exist, the records need attention before management decisions can rely on them.
4
A general loss of confidence in the numbers
Sometimes it is not one error but a broad sense that the reports cannot be trusted. Owners and directors operating without reliable numbers are operating blind. Clean-up restores the integrity of reporting so decisions can be made with confidence.
5
Preparing for funding, due diligence or sale
Banks, investors and buyers all need records they can trust. If the books are not at that standard, the preparation starts with a clean-up, whether for refinancing, investment, a trade sale or succession.
6
Correcting BAS, GST or prior year tax errors
Errors in lodgements create ongoing exposure, and ATO data matching means discrepancies are increasingly likely to be identified. Proactive correction is always preferable to waiting for a review or audit.
7
Outstanding ATO lodgements
Overdue BAS, income tax returns or STP reporting bring escalating penalties and the risk of enforcement. Bringing lodgements up to date, with a genuine effort to regularise, often supports penalty remission.
Why it comes first

Accurate records are the prerequisite for everything else.

You cannot build tax strategy, cash flow planning or growth advisory on a foundation of unreliable data. Until the records are right, the rest is guesswork.

Cash flow decisions rest on assumptions, not position

Businesses overspend, underspend or miss opportunities because the numbers they are working from are wrong.

Tax positions cannot be planned

Effective planning requires knowing exactly where you stand. If historical positions are uncertain, forward planning becomes guesswork.

Funding conversations stall

Banks and investors will not advance capital on financial statements that cannot be verified. Clean books are a prerequisite for external funding.

Risk stays hidden

Undisclosed liabilities, incorrect GST positions, superannuation shortfalls and outstanding ATO obligations grow over time. Rectification surfaces them so they can be resolved.

This is why we recommend completing the clean-up before moving into broader business accounting and tax advisory work. The strategy is only ever as good as the data underneath it.

What it covers

Two halves of the same job.

Every business reaches a point where the numbers simply need to be right, whether you are moving on from a previous accountant, correcting years of accumulated errors, or preparing the books for a transaction. Clean-up and rectification are two halves of that work, and most engagements involve both.

Accounting clean-up

Reviewing, correcting and rebuilding your records so they reflect the true financial position. This goes well beyond bookkeeping, into forensic review of historical transactions, reconciliation of bank accounts, correction of coding errors and realignment with accounting standards and ATO requirements.

The goal is simple. Get the books to a point where every number can be relied upon, by you, your bank, the ATO and anyone else who needs to trust the data.

Financial rectification

Where clean-up corrects the records, rectification addresses the compliance consequences of inaccurate reporting. That means amending lodged BAS, correcting GST positions, fixing payroll and superannuation obligations, and regularising your position with the ATO.

It is not about assigning blame for past errors. It is about establishing an accurate baseline so the business can operate with confidence from here on.

What we fix

What our accounting clean-up and rectification covers.

Every engagement is scoped to the specific issues affecting your business. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and you only take on the work that the diagnostic shows you need.

Historical accounting clean-up
Correcting the general ledger, chart of accounts and transaction history as far back as needed, reconciling banks, clearing suspense accounts and restoring an accurate balance sheet.
BAS & GST reconstruction
Rebuilding GST positions from source documents, correcting input tax credits and reporting categories, and preparing amended activity statements, including unlodged returns.
Payroll & superannuation rectification
Reviewing payroll, correcting PAYG withholding, STP and entitlements, and calculating the Superannuation Guarantee Charge where shortfalls exist, with voluntary disclosure where appropriate.
Prior year tax review & amendments
Reviewing lodged returns for errors, missed deductions or incorrect positions, then preparing and lodging amendments within the applicable periods.
Accounting system repair & rebuild
Repairing or rebuilding the system itself in Xero and MYOB, from chart of accounts and bank feeds through to reporting templates, including migration between platforms.
Entity record reconstruction
Reconstructing records across companies, trusts and partnerships, reconciling intercompany balances and establishing a consolidated view of the group.
ATO position regularisation
Lodging outstanding returns, applying for remission of penalties and interest, negotiating payment arrangements, managing voluntary disclosures and addressing director penalty notices.
Financial file preparation for transactions
Preparing books to withstand due diligence for sale, funding or joint venture, with normalised statements, proof of earnings, working capital analysis and clean audit trails.
Who we work with

Built for mid-market businesses that need more than a bookkeeper.

Our clean-up and rectification work is designed for established Australian businesses that need real technical depth, but are not yet at the scale where a Big Four practice makes sense.

Family-owned businesses

Informal financial processes tend to work until they do not. Succession, family change or growth can expose gaps in record-keeping that need professional rectification.

Growing SMEs

Businesses that have grown quickly often find their accounting infrastructure lagging behind. We bridge the gap between where the systems are and where they need to be.

Multi-entity groups

Groups across companies, trusts and partnerships need clear intercompany accounting and consolidated reporting. Where that has not been maintained, we reconstruct the position and establish proper group accounting.

Businesses preparing for scrutiny

Whether the trigger is an ATO audit, bank refinancing, investor due diligence or a sale, clean records are non-negotiable. We bring the books to the standard external review requires.

We work across professional services, construction, property, agribusiness, healthcare and technology, and more. Each industry carries its own financial pressures, and our sector pages set out how we help with them.

Our approach

A structured path from diagnosis to resolution.

Every engagement follows the same four stages, designed to move efficiently from understanding the problem to handing back records you can rely on.

1
Diagnose
Diagnose the position
We review the current system, assess the quality of historical records, identify outstanding lodgements and quantify the gap between reported and actual position. The phase typically takes one to two weeks and produces a clear scope document setting out what needs correcting, in what order, and the expected timeline and fixed fee.
2
Prioritise
Prioritise corrections
Not everything is fixed at once. We prioritise by regulatory risk, financial materiality and business urgency, so ATO and cash-impacting issues are resolved first, followed by balance sheet corrections and reporting improvements. The most critical issues clear quickly while the broader work continues.
3
Rebuild
Rebuild reporting integrity
With corrections complete, we rebuild the reporting framework, configure the system for accurate ongoing reporting, establish reconciliation processes and produce a clean set of statements as your reliable baseline. We document what was corrected, why, and the impact on each period, which matters for both ATO compliance and your own records.
4
Transition
Transition to ongoing support
We help you move into a sustainable model, whether that is our ongoing business accounting and tax advisory service or processes with your internal team or bookkeeper. The objective is always the same, that the problems we fixed do not recur.
After rectification

Once the books are right, the work the mess was holding back can begin.

Clean-up is rarely the end of the journey. With accurate records and a regularised compliance position, you are in a position to pursue the objectives that were on hold.

Why Prime Partners

Senior-led, with the depth the work demands.

Prime Partners are chartered accountants with offices in North Sydney and Orange. We combine the technical depth of a specialist practice with the accessibility and responsiveness mid-market businesses need.

Our team has extensive clean-up and rectification experience across professional services, construction, agriculture, healthcare, technology and retail, so we understand the compliance requirements and industry norms that apply to each. We are not a volume practice. Every engagement is led by a senior practitioner who takes responsibility for the outcome, so you work directly with the person making the decisions, not a junior who escalates everything.

Common questions

Questions, answered.

Will this disrupt day-to-day operations?
We design every engagement to keep disruption low. Most of the work happens off-site through secure access to your accounting system, so your business carries on as normal while the clean-up progresses. We coordinate with your team for source documents as we need them, and the heavy lifting stays on our side.
How far back do you review?
As far back as needed to establish accurate opening balances. For most engagements that means two to four financial years, though we have worked on rectifications spanning seven or more where the issues called for it. The diagnostic phase sets the scope.
Can this transition into ongoing accounting support?
Yes. Many clean-up clients move into our ongoing business accounting and tax advisory service once the rectification is complete, which keeps the accuracy we have established in place over time.
How long does accounting clean-up take?
It depends on the volume and complexity of the issues. A straightforward BAS correction might take two to four weeks. A comprehensive multi-year clean-up for a multi-entity group can take three to six months. We give you a clear timeline during the diagnostic phase.
What does financial rectification involve?
Correcting the compliance consequences of inaccurate records. That means amending BAS, correcting GST positions, fixing payroll and superannuation obligations, lodging outstanding returns and regularising your position with the ATO. It goes beyond fixing the books, into addressing the downstream effects of historical errors.
Can you fix BAS errors from previous years?
Yes. We reconstruct GST positions from source documents, prepare amended BAS returns and lodge them with the ATO. The ATO generally allows BAS amendments within four years of the original due date. Where errors span several periods, we work through each one and manage the net position with the ATO.
Do you handle ATO debt negotiations during clean-up?
Yes. ATO debt management is a standard part of our rectification service. We negotiate payment arrangements, apply for penalty and interest remission, manage voluntary disclosures and work with the ATO toward a sustainable path. Proactive engagement consistently produces better outcomes than waiting for enforcement.
What is the difference between clean-up and a regular audit?
An audit is an independent examination that gives assurance the financial statements are materially correct. Clean-up is the work of actually correcting the records. In many cases a clean-up has to happen before an audit can, because the records need to be accurate before they can be independently verified.
Can you help prepare financial records for a business sale?
Yes. Sale-ready records need to be accurate, well documented and able to withstand due diligence. We prepare normalised statements, reconcile all balance sheet items, document any adjustments and make sure the books tell a clear and defensible story. Clean records directly affect the valuation and terms you achieve.
How much does accounting clean-up cost?
We scope every engagement on the complexity of the issues, the number of entities, the volume of transactions and the periods needing correction. You get a fixed-fee quote after the diagnostic phase, so there are no surprises. Straightforward single-entity clean-ups typically start from $5,000, and complex multi-entity, multi-year work is quoted on a project basis.

Ready to get your books in order?

The first conversation is straightforward. We assess where you are, identify the gaps and recommend a scope of work.

Book a Financial Health Check
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