A commercial electrical bookkeeper pays the distributors, rental yards and payroll behind each building the company wires, and posts what general contractors and property managers pay back. They match every wire and gear bill to its job, file union fund reports on time, and watch the lien dates on jobs that haven't paid.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, electrical contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for managing financial transactions and maintaining accurate financial records to support the commercial electrical operations of the company. Ensures timely processing of payments, account reconciliations, and precise tracking of financial data to contribute to efficient operational performance.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Process payments and invoices ensuring accuracy and timeliness in financial records.
Reconcile bank statements and accounts to identify discrepancies and maintain ledger integrity.
Track and record financial transactions related to commercial electrical projects.
Collaborate with vendors, suppliers, and internal teams to resolve financial issues promptly.
Prepare and maintain accurate documentation to support audits and compliance requirements.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and post daily payment transactions using accounting software.
Reconcile daily bank deposits and update internal financial records.
Respond to vendor inquiries and resolve discrepancies in a timely manner.
Generate daily and weekly financial reports for internal review.
Maintain organized digital and physical records of all financial transactions.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Payment processing accuracy: 99% accuracy rate.
Payment turnaround time: All payments processed within 24 hours of receipt.
Account reconciliation discrepancies: Less than 1% monthly discrepancy rate.
Timeliness of monthly closing: Complete within 3 business days.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
Minimum of 3 years of bookkeeping or accounting experience.
Proficiency in accounting software and Microsoft Office Suite.
Strong attention to detail with excellent organizational and problem-solving skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience within the commercial electrical or home services industry.
Familiarity with regulatory and compliance standards in financial reporting.
Prior exposure to job costing and project-based accounting practices.
Proven ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities.
7. Physical Requirements
Must be able to sit for extended periods while working at a computer.
Occasionally required to lift or carry small files and office supplies (up to 10 lbs).
Frequent use of standard office equipment in a typical indoor environment.
Must maintain a clear and organized workstation for optimal performance.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office setting with a professional and collaborative work atmosphere.
Typical work hours: Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Minimal travel requirements; occasional overtime during peak periods if necessary.
On-call duties may be required during monthly closings or audit periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate range: $25.00 - $35.00 per hour based on experience and qualifications.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
Participation in 401(k) plan with company match, paid time off, and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster an environment of continuous learning and professional growth, encouraging team collaboration and innovation.
Our culture emphasizes customer satisfaction, integrity, and accountability, with a commitment to excellence in every aspect of our operations.
We support a diverse and inclusive workplace where every employee’s contribution is valued and rewarded.
Our team-driven approach provides ample opportunity for career advancement and personal development.
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 changes for a bookkeeper at a commercial electrical contractor
The money moves in bigger, slower pieces here. Gear and wire bills land weeks before a general contractor pays, union shops owe fund reports every month, and an unpaid job has legal deadlines tied to when the work was done.
A lien claim runs on a clock
When a general contractor stops paying, the right to file a lien runs on a clock. In Maryland, for example, a subcontractor must give the owner a sworn notice of intent to claim a lien within 120 days after doing the work or supplying the materials. The court filing must follow within 180 days after the work is finished. The bookkeeper logs each job's last day of work and flags past-due balances well before those dates. Deadlines and forms differ in every state. Source: Maryland Code, Real Property 9-104: Notice by subcontractor.
A union shop reports to a national fund too
Many contractors working under IBEW agreements also pay into the National Electrical Benefit Fund, alongside any local funds. NEBF wants a payroll report every month, even a month with no covered workers, listing each person's hours, gross wages and job classification code. Sick, holiday and vacation pay belong in those wages. NEBF's notice on gross labor payroll says routine bonuses, such as a regular safety bonus, count too, while a one-time year-end bonus doesn't. Source: National Electrical Benefit Fund: Reporting contributions.
Gear and wire bills get matched to the quote
Distributors often quote a job's switchgear, fixtures and wire as one package, then ship and bill it in pieces over months. Wire prices tend to follow copper, so a bill can differ from the quote. Before paying, the bookkeeper checks each bill against the job's quote and the signed delivery ticket, and sends price changes and short shipments to the project manager. On split shipments, it's easy to pay for the same fixtures twice.
Rented lifts bill until someone calls them off
Scissor and boom lifts come from rental yards by the day, the week or a four-week cycle, and the charges keep running until the yard gets an off-rent call. The bookkeeper matches each rental bill to its job and to the off-rent date and number the foreman got. Charges after that date, damage fees and fuel get questioned with the yard, or okayed by the project manager, before payment.
How much commercial electrical bookkeepers make
The closest BLS group for commercial electrical bookkeepers is bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $27.13 an hour ($56,430 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 14,200 of the 1,373,680 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in that survey work for electrical contractors.
Hourly under the template, and month-end weeks that pass forty hours earn overtime. If you offer the template's bonus, base it on closes finished on schedule and on lien and fund report dates met.
Electrical contractors
$56,430$56,430 median Middle half $45,760–$66,130 10th–90th $35,920–$77,420
All industries
$50,670$50,670 median Middle half $43,520–$61,470 10th–90th $36,000–$74,550
$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
Electrical contractors
$35,920
$45,760
$56,430
$66,130
$77,420
All industries
$36,000
$43,520
$50,670
$61,470
$74,550
BLS reports residential and commercial electrical contractors together. 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
Has posted pay application payments and retainage for a construction subcontractor
Catches a distributor bill that doesn't match its release or its quote
Reads a union wage sheet or benefit plan and sets payroll to match
Tracks the last day worked on every job that still owes money
Finishes the monthly close on the date the CFO sets
Teach these on the job
When each local's fund reports are due, and what each one asks for
Notice and filing deadlines in the states where your jobs sit
The labor and material code list each job is set up with
Which distributors bill by release and which bill by shipment
Which rental yards you use, and how foremen call lifts off rent
Commercial electrical books usually sit in a construction accounting system that runs payroll and job cost together, such as Spectrum, Foundation or Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate. The bookkeeper also works in each distributor's online account, pulling statements and signed proof of delivery. For a union shop, check that payroll can file a separate report for each local.
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 · Billing deadlines
The general contractor's pay application cutoff is tomorrow, and two project managers haven't sent their percent complete. What do you do?
A strong answer: Contacts them today, escalates to their manager if needed, submits on time with confirmed numbers, and sets reminders ahead of next month's cutoff.
Behavioral · Owning mistakes
Tell me about a time your mistake ended up on a pay application or invoice sent to a general contractor.
A strong answer: Explains the mistake, how they corrected it with the customer, and what they changed.
Measure distributor bills, customer payments and fund reports as separate lines. A wrong cost code and a late NEBF report have different causes and different fixes.
Payment processing accuracy
Once a month, check a batch of posted items against their paper: distributor bills against the quote and delivery ticket, customer checks against the pay application. Count every mismatch, including a split shipment paid twice.
Payment turnaround time
For each bill and incoming check, compare the day it reached the office with the day it was posted. Report items held for a missing delivery ticket or a project manager's sign-off apart, since they wait on someone else.
Account reconciliation discrepancies
When bank, card, distributor and fund accounts are tied out, add up the differences nobody can explain yet, against the total tied out. Log where each came from, such as a deposit split across two jobs.
Timeliness of monthly closing
Mark the day the CFO receives closed books and job cost reports, and count back to month-end in business days. When it runs late, name the missing piece, such as a rental yard bill.
Career path
Accounts payable clerkMatches distributor invoices to delivery tickets for a few project managers.
BookkeeperKeeps payables, payroll inputs and union fund reports on schedule.
ControllerCompares each open job's spending with its budget before the books close.
A joint check names your company and a supplier, usually the distributor, and a general contractor uses one to make sure the supplier gets paid. Post the full amount against the customer's invoice, then record the supplier's share as a payment on its bill. Follow the joint check agreement on who endorses first and who deposits. Get the supplier's lien waiver for its share before the check leaves your hands.
How much does a commercial electrical bookkeeper make?
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for electrical contractors earned a median of $27.13 an hour ($56,430 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $45,760 and $66,130 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What should the bookkeeper get from foremen each week?
Timecards with the right job and cost code on each line, signed delivery tickets for material that came to the site, and the off-rent number for any lift sent back. Ask for the rental contract number when a new lift arrives, too. A short Friday checklist beats chasing paper at month-end.
Who sends a notice of intent to lien?
The bookkeeper spots the balance and the deadline, and the CFO decides whether to send it. Many contractors have an attorney or a lien service prepare it. Maryland's form, for example, lists the amount earned and the amount unpaid, describes the work and when it was done, and is sworn under penalty of perjury. A notice can strain the relationship with a general contractor, so decide early which jobs you would file on.
How should a bookkeeper handle per diem on out-of-town jobs?
Before the first trip, decide with your CPA whether per diem is an expense payment or taxable wages, and set payroll up that way. In a union shop the choice also changes fund reports. NEBF's notice on gross labor payroll says it won't ask for contributions on per diem up to an amount your agreement sets, or on per diem paid under IRS rules and kept out of gross pay. Per diem reported as wages generally counts. Ask each local fund how it treats per diem too.
What physical work does a commercial electrical bookkeeper do?
Mostly desk work: long stretches matching bills, delivery tickets and timecards on two screens. Lifting stays under the template's 10 pounds, for example a box of job files or a stack of mail. Describe that desk and filing work in the job ad, and tell candidates they may ask for accommodations.
