A basement waterproofing bookkeeper posts the deposits taken at kitchen tables, the loan money that financing companies send after the install, and the reps' commissions. They also cost every warranty pump swap, undo the entries when a job cancels, and pay suppliers in exchange for lien waivers.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, building finishing contractors · BLS, May 2025
Our company is seeking an experienced Bookkeeper for our growing home services division, Basement Waterproofing. This position will play a crucial role in maintaining financial records, processing transactions, and reconciling accounts. The successful candidate will contribute to the overall financial health and efficiency of the company.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Manage all aspects of day-to-day bookkeeping and accounting processes including but not limited to: A/P, A/R, payroll, journal entries, and bank reconciliation.
Coordinate and execute financial transactions and activities, such as invoicing, bill payment, payroll, and budget tracking.
Reconcile financial discrepancies by collecting and analyzing account information.
Maintain and balance the general ledger in an accurate, complete, and up-to-date manner.
Prepare financial reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing account information.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Collaborate with the CFO to improve financial procedures.
Ensure all transactions are well documented.
Support monthly and quarterly audits and clean-ups.
Regularly update job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities, reading professional publications, and participating in professional organizations.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Billing efficiency: 90% accuracy
Account reconciliation: <5% discrepancy
Financial report accuracy: >95%
Monthly financial close: <4 days
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Associate or Bachelor's degree in Accounting or related field.
Minimum 2 years of experience in bookkeeping or accounting.
Proficiency in QuickBooks and Microsoft Office Suite.
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the home services industry, particularly waterproofing services.
Knowledge of construction accounting principles is a plus.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in a standard office environment.
Comfortable sitting for extended periods.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
Minimal travel required.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $40,000 - $50,000 depending on experience.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401k retirement plan.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we believe that our employees are our greatest asset. We are committed to creating a supportive work environment where employees are encouraged to grow and succeed. We value hard work, integrity, and teamwork, and we believe that by fostering a culture of inclusivity and respect, we can make our company a great place to work.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What a waterproofing bookkeeper posts that others don't
Each job starts with a deposit at a kitchen table, may end with a lender's payout, and keeps costing money for years through warranty visits. The books have to follow all three.
A deposit belongs to one contract
The rep takes a check or card at signing, often after dark, and the payment lands in the bank with only a name. The bookkeeper matches it to the signed contract the same week. If the homeowner cancels, the refund goes back the way the money came in, card to card or check to check, and posts against that same deposit so the job shows a zero balance and not a stray credit.
Lender payouts arrive short
When a homeowner finances, the money comes from the lender, minus its fee, on the schedule in that lender's dealer terms. The bookkeeper books the full contract price as the sale, the fee as a cost on that job, and the net deposit as cash. Then they chase any approved job whose payout hasn't shown up in the bank.
Canceled jobs undo commission
If reps are paid commission at signing or at install, some of that money goes out on jobs that later cancel. The written commission plan says what happens next. The bookkeeper enters the take-back as its own negative line on the rep's next commission statement, tied to the canceled contract, so the rep can see why the check is smaller.
Warranty visits are costs with no invoice
A service tech replaces a worn pump, a dead backup battery or a float switch at no charge to the homeowner. The bookkeeper posts the parts, labor and truck time from each warranty ticket to a warranty cost account, tagged with the original job and product. If the supplier sends a credit for a failed pump under its own warranty, it posts against the same ticket.
Suppliers can lien the house
Pipe, stone, pumps and liner come on account. In California, a supplier must give the homeowner, among others, a preliminary notice before it can record a valid lien claim. The law spells out the waiver wording, with versions for before and after the supplier is paid, on a partial or final payment. A waiver counts only if signed and in substantially that form. A conditional one also needs proof of payment, such as its endorsed check that the bank paid. The bookkeeper files the right waiver with each payment. Source: California Civil Code section 8124: waiver and release.
How much basement waterproofing bookkeepers make
The closest BLS group for basement waterproofing bookkeepers is bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for building finishing contractors earned a median of $25.33 an hour ($52,680 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $50,670 median for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in all industries. About 11,630 of the 1,373,680 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in that survey work for building finishing contractors.
Salaried in the template, with medical, dental, vision and a retirement plan. The BLS median shown here runs above its range, so check what nearby contractors post. Exemption from overtime depends on the duties as well as the salary, so don't assume a salaried bookkeeper is exempt.
Building finishing contractors
$52,680$52,680 median Middle half $43,500–$62,420 10th–90th $34,320–$76,910
All industries
$50,670$50,670 median Middle half $43,520–$61,470 10th–90th $36,000–$74,550
$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Building finishing contractors
$34,320
$43,500
$52,680
$62,420
$76,910
All industries
$36,000
$43,520
$50,670
$61,470
$74,550
BLS doesn’t publish pay for waterproofing contractors on their own. These figures cover building finishing contractors, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Matches deposits and lender payouts to signed contracts without a job number on the payment
Keeps a commission ledger by rep that shows every take-back and why
Ties every lender portal and card batch back to the bank by month-end
Won't release a supplier check without the matching lien waiver
Asks the CFO before inventing a new account for an odd entry
Teach these on the job
The parts that go into each system you sell, and their costs
Each financing partner's funding steps, fees and portal
Your commission plan and when a commission is earned
How service tickets show warranty work
Which waiver form goes with which payment in each state you work in
Most waterproofing books run in QuickBooks or another accounting system, fed by the sales CRM the reps use for contracts. Expect to work in each financing company's dealer portal and the service ticket screen as well.
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Recovering duplicate payments
You find a supplier was paid twice for the same invoice last month. What do you do?
A strong answer: Confirms it, asks the supplier for a refund or credit, records it correctly, and adds an invoice-number check to stop repeats.
Behavioral · Building job costing
Tell me about a time you set up or cleaned up job costing so managers could see which jobs made money, like interior drains versus crack repairs.
A strong answer: Explains what was wrong, such as uncoded costs or missing labor, the fix (job numbers on every bill and timesheet), and how the reports changed decisions.
Pick targets with the CFO after watching a few of your own month-ends.
Billing efficiency
Sample last month's deposits, final invoices and lender payouts. Count how many posted to the right job, at the right amount, with the fee split out, on the first try.
Account reconciliation
Each month-end, list the bank, card and lender lines left unmatched, with amounts and causes, such as a deposit with no contract or a payout short its fee.
Financial report accuracy
Log each change made to a month's reports after they left your desk, and who caught it. Watch for warranty costs posted to new jobs, and commission take-backs posted to the wrong month.
Monthly financial close
Business days from the last day of the month to the day the CFO gets reconciled reports. Write down what held up a slow close, like a lender statement that came in late.
Career path
Office assistant or billing clerkEnters supplier bills and sees what each job costs.
BookkeeperPosts deposits, payouts, commissions and warranty costs, and closes the month.
ControllerOwns the close, the commission math and the cash forecast.
What does a basement waterproofing bookkeeper do each day?
Matches yesterday's deposits to signed contracts, checks lender portals for jobs that funded, and posts each payout with its fee. Enters supplier bills for pipe, stone and pumps. Codes finished service tickets as warranty costs or billable work. Logs any cancellation from sales so the deposit refund and commission take-back are both on the books.
How much does a basement waterproofing bookkeeper make?
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for building finishing contractors earned a median of $25.33 an hour ($52,680 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $43,500 and $62,420 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Who decides whether a commission comes back when a job cancels?
Not the bookkeeper. The written commission plan says when a rep earns a commission and what a cancellation does to it; the CFO and sales manager own that plan. The bookkeeper applies it the same way to every rep, shows each take-back on the statement, and sends any case the plan doesn't cover to the CFO.
Should a waterproofing bookkeeper treat a free service visit as a cost?
Yes, when it's warranty work. A pump swap the homeowner doesn't pay for still uses a pump, a tech's hours and fuel. Post it to warranty cost, not overhead, so the CFO can compare real claims with the reserve. A paid service call, such as a checkup on a system another company put in, is billed like any other job.
What should a homeowner get when they ask about a supplier's lien notice?
A calm call back and proof. The bookkeeper checks whether that supplier's bill for the job is paid, then sends the homeowner a copy of the signed waiver once it's in hand. If the bill isn't paid yet, pay it or set a date with the supplier. Each state writes its own lien rules, so have your attorney approve the waiver forms you use.
What experience matters most for this bookkeeper?
Bookkeeping for a company whose salespeople take deposits in the home and earn commission, such as a window, siding or bath remodeler. Ask candidates to walk you through one canceled job: the refund, the take-back and the lender's paperwork. Someone from a business that bills after each visit can learn it, but give them a month of finished jobs to trace before they close a month alone.
