If you’re a Botkeeper customer, here’s what to do right now: Export all your financial data before their systems shut down, choose a new bookkeeping provider this week, and schedule a cleanup review to fix any automated coding errors. You have limited time to secure your books and avoid a gap in your financial records. This post walks you through exactly how to transition without losing data or momentum.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
You’re probably feeling frustrated right now. Maybe even a little panicked.
When Botkeeper announced their February 2026 wind-down, thousands of small businesses suddenly lost access to their primary bookkeeping system. That means no real-time financial visibility, no organized records for tax season, and no easy way to know if you’re actually making money this month.
The worst part? If you wait too long, you risk losing years of transaction history, reconciliation notes, and cleaned-up data.
Export Your Data Today (Not Tomorrow)
Before anything else, you need to get your financial data out of Botkeeper’s system.
Here’s your data export checklist:
- Transaction history: Download all categorized transactions from every connected bank account and credit card
- Reconciliation records: Export bank reconciliation reports for each month, including cleared and uncleared items
- Chart of accounts: Save your customized account structure and categories
- Vendor and customer lists: Export contact information and payment history
- Year-end reports: Download profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements for each fiscal year
- Supporting documents: Retrieve receipts, invoices, and any uploaded files
Most accounting platforms let you export to CSV or Excel files. Download everything now, even if you’re not sure you’ll need it.
Store these files in at least two places. Your computer and a cloud backup like Google Drive or Dropbox.
How to Move Your Books from Botkeeper to a New Provider
Switching bookkeeping providers doesn’t have to be messy. But it does require a clear process.
Step 1: Choose your accounting software. If you’re not already using QuickBooks Online (QBO) or Xero, now is the time to pick one. Most bookkeepers, including Books LA, work directly in these platforms. They’re industry-standard for a reason: they’re reliable, your CPA already knows them, and they integrate with hundreds of business tools.
Step 2: Set up your new system. Your new bookkeeper will help you configure your chart of accounts, connect your bank feeds, and set up any recurring transactions. This typically takes one to two weeks depending on your business complexity.
Step 3: Import your historical data. This is where things get tricky. Automated systems like Botkeeper sometimes miscategorize transactions or miss reconciliation errors. Your new provider should review the imported data, not just dump it in blindly.
Step 4: Run a parallel month. If possible, have your new bookkeeper handle at least one month while you still have Botkeeper access. This lets you compare reports and catch any discrepancies before you’re fully switched over.
What to Look for in Your Next Bookkeeping Provider
You just lost a bookkeeping service. You don’t want to make the same mistake twice.
Here’s what actually matters when choosing a new provider:
Human oversight, not just automation. Botkeeper relied heavily on AI to categorize transactions. That works great until it doesn’t. Look for a service with certified bookkeepers who review your books manually. They catch the weird stuff that algorithms miss.
Direct communication access. Can you actually talk to the person doing your books? Or are you stuck with chatbots and support tickets? You need someone who answers questions about your specific business, not generic advice from a help center.
Cleanup experience. Your next provider needs to be good at fixing messes. Automated bookkeeping often leaves behind miscategorized expenses, unreconciled accounts, and duplicate transactions. Ask potential bookkeepers: “Have you cleaned up books from automated services before?”
QBO or Xero proficiency. These platforms are the standard. If a bookkeeper only works in their proprietary software, you’re back to the same vendor lock-in problem you just escaped.
A Real Example: What a Cleanup and Catch-Up Looks Like
Let’s say you’re a consulting business with $400,000 in annual revenue. You’ve been using Botkeeper for 18 months. You just exported your data and hired a human bookkeeper to take over.
Here’s what the first month typically involves:
Week 1: Review and categorization cleanup. Your bookkeeper finds 43 transactions that were miscategorized (meals coded as office supplies, software subscriptions marked as equipment, personal expenses mixed with business costs). They reclassify everything and create clear categories going forward. Time investment: 6 hours.
Week 2: Reconciliation fixes. Three months weren’t fully reconciled. Your bookkeeper reconciles each month properly, identifying $2,847 in duplicate entries and one missing $1,200 payment. Your actual profit for Q4 was $8,300 higher than Botkeeper reported. Time investment: 4 hours.
Week 3: Set up current month. Your bookkeeper connects bank feeds, sets up recurring transactions, and categorizes the current month in real time. They also create a standard monthly reporting package: P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statement. Time investment: 3 hours.
Week 4: Review call and ongoing setup. You meet with your bookkeeper to review the cleaned-up books and ask questions. They adjust any categories based on your feedback. Going forward, they’ll handle your monthly books in about 4 to 6 hours per month. Total first-month cost: approximately $1,300 to $1,600 at typical hourly rates.
That’s the real timeline. Not instant, but not overwhelming either.
Why Human-Led Bookkeeping Works Better for Most Small Businesses
Automation sounds great in theory. In practice, your business is too unique for pure AI.
Consider these common situations that trip up automated bookkeeping:
- Mixed-use expenses (part business, part personal) that need to be split
- Industry-specific categorization (construction materials, film production costs, inventory for makers)
- Seasonal businesses with irregular income patterns
- Loan payments that need to be split between principal and interest
- Sales tax collected in multiple states with different rules
A human bookkeeper sees these patterns and adjusts. An algorithm guesses and often gets it wrong.
At Books LA, we use the same modern tools (bank feeds, OCR receipt scanning, cloud access) but with certified professionals reviewing every transaction. You get the speed of technology with the accuracy of human judgment.
Your Action Plan for This Week
Don’t let this transition drag out. Here’s what to do in the next seven days:
Monday or Tuesday: Export all your data from Botkeeper. Store it in two places. Call or email Botkeeper support to confirm your account closure date and ask about any transition resources they’re offering.
Wednesday or Thursday: Research bookkeeping providers. Schedule intro calls with at least two. Ask specifically about their cleanup process and QBO or Xero experience. If you need a recommendation, reach out to Books LA for a free initial consultation.
Friday: Choose your provider and start the onboarding process. Share your exported Botkeeper data. Discuss timeline and pricing for the cleanup and ongoing services.
Weekend: Take a breath. You’re handling this the right way.
What Makes Books LA Different
We’re not an AI bookkeeping platform. We’re real bookkeepers who happen to be really good with technology.
Every Books LA client works with a dedicated, certified bookkeeper who knows their business. You can text, call, or email your bookkeeper directly. No chatbots, no ticket systems, no waiting three days for a generic response.
We specialize in cleanup work. That means we’re especially good at taking messy books from automated systems (or overworked business owners) and turning them into accurate, useful financial records. We’ve transitioned dozens of businesses off platforms like Botkeeper, and we know exactly what to look for.
We work in your QuickBooks Online or Xero account. You own your data, your software, and your financial history. If you ever want to switch bookkeepers again, you can do it easily. No vendor lock-in.
Our pricing is straightforward: monthly packages based on your transaction volume and complexity. Most small businesses pay between $300 and $800 per month for ongoing bookkeeping. Cleanup projects are quoted separately based on how many months need attention.
Next Step: Get Your Books Sorted This Month
If you’re ready to move on from Botkeeper with confidence, let’s talk this week.
We’ll review your exported data, give you an honest assessment of what needs fixing, and create a transition plan that works for your timeline. Book a free 15-minute consultation and we’ll walk you through exactly what your transition would look like.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to export my data from Botkeeper?
Botkeeper hasn’t published an exact shutdown date yet, but their February 2026 wind-down announcement suggests access could end anytime this month. Don’t wait. Export everything today or tomorrow at the latest. Once their systems go offline, your data may be gone for good.
Can I just do my own bookkeeping after Botkeeper closes?
You can, but consider the time investment. Most small business owners spend 8 to 15 hours per month on DIY bookkeeping, and they still miss things that cost them at tax time. If your time is worth more than $50 per hour, hiring a bookkeeper usually pays for itself. Plus, you’ll actually understand your financial reports instead of just entering data.
What if I have years of messy books from Botkeeper that were never properly reconciled?
This is fixable. A good bookkeeper can go back and reconcile old months, but it gets expensive the further back you go. Prioritize the current fiscal year and last year at minimum. If older years matter (like for an audit or loan application), you can clean those up as needed. Confirm with your CPA which periods are most important.
Should I use QuickBooks Online or Xero?
For most U.S. small businesses, QuickBooks Online is the safer choice. It has better integration with American banks, payroll providers, and tax software. Xero is excellent and popular internationally, but QBO dominates the U.S. market. Your CPA almost certainly prefers QBO. Unless you have a specific reason to choose Xero, go with QuickBooks.
How much does bookkeeping cleanup cost after leaving an automated service?
Expect to pay $500 to $2,500, depending on how many months need attention and how complex your business is. A simple consulting business with 12 months of miscategorized transactions might cost $800. A retail business with inventory, sales tax in multiple states, and 24 months of problems could run $2,000 or more. Most bookkeepers will give you a fixed quote after reviewing your exported data.
What happens if I just start fresh and ignore my old Botkeeper data?
Bad idea for two reasons. First, you’ll have no financial history for tax preparation, loan applications, or year-over-year comparisons. Second, if the IRS ever audits you, you need clean records going back at least three years (seven for some situations). Starting fresh might feel easier now, but it creates massive problems later. Always preserve and clean up your historical data.
