At a fireplace and stove company, the bookkeeper enters maker bills on the right due dates and chases freight claims and maker credits. They also track what customers have prepaid or are owed back, and close each month for the CFO.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, other building equipment contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for managing financial records and ensuring accurate transaction processing for our fireplace and stove installation business. Plays a key role in reconciling accounts, processing invoices, and supporting overall financial efficiency. Acts as a critical liaison between administrative functions and field operations to ensure timely financial documentation. Contributes to maintaining the financial integrity and operational success of the company.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Processes all financial transactions including invoices, receipts, and payments accurately and on time.
Reconciles bank statements and accounts to ensure consistency across records.
Manages and monitors vendor payments and related financial documentation.
Supports month-end closing activities and assists with financial reporting.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Reviews and verifies financial documents to ensure compliance with company policies.
Maintains and updates accounting ledgers and spreadsheets on a daily basis.
Communicates with vendors and internal teams to resolve invoicing discrepancies.
Prepares and processes routine financial reports for management review.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Invoice Processing Accuracy: 99% accuracy rate.
Monthly Account Reconciliation: 100% of accounts reconciled within 5 business days following month-end.
Payment Timeliness: 98% of vendor payments processed on or before due dates.
Financial Reporting: 100% on-time submission of monthly reports.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
2+ years of bookkeeping or accounting experience in a small to medium-sized business.
Strong proficiency in accounting software and Microsoft Office Suite.
Excellent attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Proven work history in the home services industry or a closely related field.
Experience processing financial transactions and handling reconciliations in a service-oriented environment.
Familiarity with accounting procedures for installation and field service companies.
Demonstrated ability to work independently and in a team-based setting.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit for extended periods while working at a computer.
Occasional light lifting of files and office supplies up to 20 pounds.
Standard office environment with minimal exposure to external hazards.
Flexibility to adjust to occasional changes in work setup as needed.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office hours with a typical 40-hour work week.
Occasional overtime during peak operational periods or month-end closings.
Primarily office-based with minimal onsite requirements.
Limited travel required for company meetings or training sessions.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate typically ranging from $20 to $28 per hour based on experience.
Performance-based bonus structure available annually.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
Additional benefits such as a 401(k) plan and paid time off.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we are dedicated to fostering a supportive and dynamic work environment where every employee is empowered to excel. Our culture is built on transparency, collaboration, and a commitment to excellence. We strive to innovate within the home services industry and are passionate about helping our team members grow both personally and professionally. Join us and contribute to a company that values your expertise and is devoted to customer satisfaction and community impact.
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
Money a hearth company is owed, and money it owes back
A hearth company may buy stock months before it sells it, ships heavy glass-fronted units by freight, and takes customer money before the work is done. Much of the bookkeeper's job is tracking money that hasn't landed yet.
Maker bills and credits run on their own clock
If makers ship early-order stock in spring or summer with payment due in the fall, enter each bill with the due date its program sets, not the invoice date. Give the CFO a weekly list of what comes due from September on, when fall payroll lands too. Credits run late as well. Money back on a promotion the maker funded, or on a returned model, shows up weeks later on a statement. Log each claim the day it's filed, then match it when the credit arrives.
A note on the delivery receipt isn't a claim
When a stove arrives with cracked glass, a note on the driver's receipt is only the first step. Federal rules for motor carriers say such notes don't count as a claim on their own. A claim is a written demand that names the shipment, holds the carrier liable and asks for a set amount. It must be filed within the bill of lading's time limit. The carrier then has 120 days to pay, decline or make a firm offer in writing, or to write and say why it needs longer. Source: 49 CFR Part 370: Freight loss and damage claims (eCFR).
Old customer credits have a deadline
Pellets a customer paid for but never collected can become money owed back, as can a refund or a double payment. In Utah, for example, money or a credit owed to a customer from a retail sale is presumed abandoned three years after it became owed. Store credit for returns is left out, and the clock restarts when the customer asks about the money. Holders report before November 1, after mailing a notice 60 to 180 days ahead to owners of fifty dollars or more with a good address. Source: Utah Code 67-4a-201: When property is presumed abandoned.
Pellets and pallets are sold by the ton
If the showroom sells bagged pellets, some buyers pay for a ton or more at once and pick it up over the winter, sometimes with a deposit on each pallet. Post each sale to the buyer's account, track tons picked up against tons paid for, and keep pallet deposits on the books as a liability until the pallets come back. Count the pellet stock against those accounts each month, because a full pallet in the yard may already belong to a customer.
How much fireplace and stove bookkeepers make
The closest BLS group for fireplace and stove bookkeepers is bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for other building equipment contractors earned a median of $26.41 an hour ($54,920 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 2,110 of the 1,373,680 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in that survey work for other building equipment contractors.
Hourly, and the template adds a yearly performance bonus. Tie it to clean closes and to claims and credits actually collected, not to how fast bills go out the door.
Other building equipment contractors
$54,920$54,920 median Middle half $45,870–$63,890 10th–90th $39,520–$74,420
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
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Other building equipment contractors
$39,520
$45,870
$54,920
$63,890
$74,420
All industries
$36,000
$43,520
$50,670
$61,470
$74,550
BLS doesn’t publish pay for fireplace and stove installers on their own. These figures cover other building equipment 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
Enters maker and supplier bills against the right program terms and due dates
Files freight damage claims and follows them until the check or credit arrives
Keeps customer prepayments, deposits and credits on separate lists that stay current
Reconciles the showroom's point-of-sale reports with the bank and the ledger
Explains an open credit or a short payment to a customer without guessing
Teach these on the job
Each maker's ordering programs, statements and credit memos
Your carriers' claim forms and bill of lading terms
The product lines you sell, from inserts and stoves to pellets and accessories
The register, field app and ledger you use, and how they sync
Your state's unclaimed property report and notice dates
Expect a register system on the showroom counter that also rings up pellets, a field app that tracks installs and service calls, and QuickBooks or another ledger behind both, plus each maker's dealer portal for statements. Keep the freight claim log and the customer credit list in one shared place, so anyone can see what is still open.
Fireplace and stove bookkeeper interview questions
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 freight damage credits
Two units arrived damaged and the warehouse filed a freight claim. Three months later, the credit still hasn't shown up. What do you do?
A strong answer: Follows up with the carrier or distributor using the claim number and paperwork, escalates, and keeps a list of open claims that gets reviewed monthly.
Behavioral · Fixing a rough month-end
Tell me about a month-end close that went wrong because of deposits, freight credits or unit invoices. What did you change afterward?
A strong answer: Names the cause honestly and a lasting fix, such as a deposit list reconciled monthly or holding unit invoices until receiving matches.
Last year's closes are the baseline the CFO sets these from. Expect the payment and reconciliation numbers to strain from September to December, when deposits, pellet accounts and freight claims all peak, and add hours then rather than lowering the bar.
Invoice Processing Accuracy
Each month, match a sample of maker, freight and supplier bills to the purchase order and what the warehouse signed for. A bill entered with the wrong amount, due date or account counts against it, even if someone caught it before payment.
Monthly Account Reconciliation
Count the accounts tied out inside the template's window: bank, card processor, financing, customer deposits, and the freight claim and maker credit lists. Note each item carried into next month, and why.
Payment Timeliness
Bills paid on or before their due date, out of all bills due. Keep early payments on long-terms stock bills on a side list, since paying in July spends cash the terms were meant to save.
Financial Reporting
On time means the CFO has the month's reports by the agreed day. From September to December, add a page of open freight claims, maker credits and customer credits, so the CFO sees the money still in transit.
Career path
Accounting clerkEnters maker bills and posts showroom and pellet sales.
BookkeeperOwns maker terms, freight claims, customer credits and the monthly close.
ControllerSupervises bookkeeping for every location and prepares statements for the lender.
Who files a freight claim on a damaged stove, the dealer or the maker?
Whoever owned the unit while it was on the truck, which the maker's freight terms and the bill of lading spell out. If it became yours when it left the maker's dock, your company files with the carrier. If the maker shipped it on its own account, ask the maker to file and send a replacement or a credit. Either way, the person receiving it notes the damage on the delivery receipt and photographs the crate and the unit while the driver is still there.
How much does a fireplace and stove bookkeeper make?
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for other building equipment contractors earned a median of $26.41 an hour ($54,920 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $45,870 and $63,890 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What does a hearth bookkeeper need from the warehouse each month?
Signed receiving slips with any damage noted, so each maker and freight bill matches what actually arrived. A list of units sent back to makers, so their credits can be watched for. And a pellet count split between stock for sale and tons customers have already paid for. Set a day each month when the warehouse hands these over, early enough for the close.
Which past jobs prepare someone for hearth bookkeeping?
Someone who has kept the books for a store that also installs what it sells, such as an appliance, flooring, or pool and spa dealer. They already know point-of-sale reports, deposits on special orders and freight bills. A bookkeeper from a pure contractor will need time on the showroom side, and one from a pure retailer will need time on jobs and field payroll.
Where does a 20-pound lift come up for a hearth bookkeeper?
Moving a box of last season's paid bills to storage, carrying a case of register paper to the showroom counter, or bringing the year-end count sheets back from the warehouse. List those errands in the posting, so each candidate knows what the template's lifting line means in this office.
