October Is the New January: Why Waiting Until Tax Season Is Too Late
For most small business owners, January is the month when bookkeeping finally gets attention. The problem? By then, tax season is already here—and CPAs are flooded with client requests. The result: stressed business owners, delayed filings, and missed deductions.
The truth is simple: October is the new January. By starting year-end bookkeeping now, you’ll avoid the February bottleneck and set yourself up for a smoother, cheaper, and less stressful tax season. At RemoteBooksOnline (RBO), we help business owners use October through December to catch up, clean up, and prepare their books so they’re ready for tax filing in 2025.
The October Advantage
Starting early provides clear benefits:
- Avoid CPA bottlenecks: By January, accountants are overwhelmed. Getting your books done early means you’ll be at the front of the line.
- Catch problems early: Missing W-9s, unreconciled bank accounts, and payroll errors can be fixed before deadlines.
- Better cash flow planning: Accurate books in Q4 let you forecast Q1 and make smarter year-end spending decisions.
- Less stress: No late nights in March trying to find receipts or fix unreconciled accounts.
Common Mistakes of Waiting Until January
- Discovering missing invoices and payments after deadlines.
- Realizing contractors never submitted W-9s—too late to issue 1099s.
- CPAs charging rush fees for late submissions.
- Risk of IRS penalties for delayed or inaccurate filings.
By October, you still have time to correct, collect, and reconcile. By January, you’re in reaction mode.
What You Should Do Now
- Reconcile accounts through September.
- Collect vendor W-9s before holiday slowdowns.
- Organize payroll data for W-2 and 1099 filings.
- Engage a catch-up service if months are missing.
- Schedule a CPA review before tax season rush.
RBO handles each of these steps with CPA-reviewed accuracy so you can enter 2025 with confidence.
How RBO Helps in October
- Catch-Up Bookkeeping: Flat-rate reconciliation for months or even years of missed work.
- QuickBooks Cleanup: Eliminate duplicates, errors, and misclassified expenses.
- CPA-Reviewed Outputs: Every plan includes CPA sign-off, so tax filing is faster.
- Proactive Year-End Guidance: We alert you to 1099, payroll, and compliance gaps before deadlines.
Don’t wait until January—schedule a free consultation and get ahead of tax season today.
- Year-End Bookkeeping Checklist for 2024
- Catch-Up Bookkeeping for 2024
- Catch-Up Bookkeeping
- QuickBooks Cleanup
- Tax Ready Bookkeeping
- Tax-Ready Bookkeeping in California
- Catch-Up Bookkeeping in Texas
- CPA Bookkeeping in Florida
FAQs
Why is October the best time for bookkeeping cleanup?
October gives you time to reconcile, collect forms, and fix issues before tax season crunch.
Can RBO help if I haven’t touched my books all year?
Yes—our flat-rate Catch-Up Bookkeeping service brings you up to date quickly.
Do early books save me money with my CPA?
Absolutely—clean, CPA-reviewed books reduce prep time, avoid rush fees, and maximize deductions.
Reviews
- “We started cleanup in October, and for the first time we filed without stress.” – Retail Owner, Illinois
- “RBO reconciled 10 months in just weeks. Our CPA loved the clean reports.” – Consultant, California
- “October prep saved us hundreds in rush fees. Best decision we made.” – Contractor, Florida
October is the smart start to tax season. Talk to RBO today and get tax-ready early.
