Commercial general contractor bookkeeper job description
A commercial general contractor bookkeeper posts every bill, payment and payroll hour to the right job and cost code, so project managers see true costs while the work is still going. They pay subcontractors on the dates contracts and public payment rules set, and keep job records ready for an audit.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, commercial building contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for managing all financial transactions and job costing for our commercial general contracting projects, ensuring accurate record keeping and timely financial reporting to support operational success.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Process and record daily financial transactions including invoices, receipts, and payments.
Manage job costing for multiple construction projects ensuring proper allocation of expenses.
Reconcile general ledger accounts and resolve discrepancies in a timely manner.
Collaborate with project managers to verify costs and confirm accurate billing.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and post daily financial entries and statements.
Monitor accounts receivable and payable to maintain financial accuracy.
Conduct periodic account reconciliations and prepare supporting documentation.
Assist in preparing financial reports for management review.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Accuracy of financial records: >98% accuracy in transaction processing.
Timeliness of reconciliations: Complete 100% monthly account reconciliations by the 5th of each month.
Job costing precision: Maintain variance of less than 5% between estimated and actual job costs.
Invoice processing speed: Process 90% of invoices within 48 hours of receipt.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
Minimum of 3 years of bookkeeping or accounting experience in a construction or contracting environment.
Proficiency in accounting software and Microsoft Office applications.
Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience working within a commercial general contracting firm.
Familiarity with construction job costing and project accounting.
Experience working with QuickBooks or similar financial software.
Background in managing multi-project accounting environments.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit or stand at a workstation for extended periods.
Occasional lifting of files or office supplies up to 20 lbs.
Work predominantly in a standard office environment with occasional visits to project sites.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office hours with occasional flexibility required during month-end or project closeout periods.
Limited travel between office and job sites within the local area.
Minimal on-call duties, primarily focused on office-based tasks.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $45,000 - $55,000 annually, based on experience and qualifications.
Potential for performance-based bonuses.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance plan.
401(k) with company match.
Paid time off and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a culture of collaboration, transparency, and professional growth that empowers our employees to excel in their roles and contribute meaningfully to our projects.
Our team is dedicated to excellence in every aspect of construction and service delivery, ensuring that every employee feels valued and supported.
We are committed to continuous improvement and innovation, encouraging creative solutions and proactive learning to drive both personal and company success.
Our inclusive environment welcomes diversity and promotes a balanced work-life dynamic.
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
Any bookkeeper posts bills and balances accounts. Here, nearly every dollar belongs to a job, and public owners, state tax offices and contracts set the dates for paying it out.
Federal jobs pay subs within seven days
On a federal construction contract, the prime contractor must pay each subcontractor within 7 days of receiving the government's payment for that sub's work, or owe the sub an interest penalty. Each progress payment request also certifies that subs were paid from the last payment (FAR 52.232-5). Flag federal jobs when you set them up, so their sub checks go out first. Source: FAR 52.232-27, Prompt Payment for Construction Contracts (eCFR).
Delaware owners have a 30-day clock
Delaware's building construction payment law says each construction contract an owner awards must include a clause to pay the contractor within 30 days of the end of the billing period, plus an interest penalty when payment is late (6 Del. C. § 3506). Log each billing period's end date and the day the owner's check lands, so the CFO knows when interest is owed and can ask for it. Source: Delaware Code, Title 6, Chapter 35, Building Construction Payments (§ 3506).
Hawaii taxes materials shipped from the mainland
Hawaii charges use tax on goods brought into the state. A contractor with a general excise license pays a reduced rate on materials it builds into the finished work, where they stay (HRS § 238-2). Things the crew uses up, such as blades and fuel, don't meet that test. Code each import invoice so the use tax return picks up the right rate. Source: Hawaii Revised Statutes § 238-2, use tax rates.
Committed cost shows trouble early
Enter each signed subcontract and purchase order against its cost code on the day it's signed. The job cost report then shows what the company has promised to pay, not only what has been billed, and a project manager can spot an overrun months before the last invoice arrives. Keep pending change orders on their own line until the owner signs them.
How much commercial general contractor bookkeepers make
The closest BLS group for commercial general contractor bookkeepers is bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $28.21 an hour ($58,680 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 11,690 of the 1,373,680 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in that survey work for commercial building contractors.
A commercial GC usually pays its bookkeeper a salary, with a bonus when month-end closes come in clean and on time, as in the template. The posted range is under what BLS lists as typical for bookkeeping clerks in commercial building, so someone who already knows job cost may want the top of it or more.
Commercial building contractors
$58,680$58,680 median Middle half $48,060–$67,480 10th–90th $37,660–$78,640
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
Commercial building contractors
$37,660
$48,060
$58,680
$67,480
$78,640
All industries
$36,000
$43,520
$50,670
$61,470
$74,550
BLS doesn’t publish pay for commercial general contractors on their own. These figures cover nonresidential building construction, 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
Posting costs to the right job and cost code the first time
Matching each sub's bill to the subcontract value, signed changes and amount already paid
Bank, card and loan reconciliations finished on the closing calendar
Short, polite emails that get a project manager to code or approve a bill
Steady work in a construction ledger and in spreadsheets
Teach these on the job
Your cost code list and job numbering
Each owner's billing portal and approval steps
Federal and Delaware payment dates, and Hawaii use tax coding
Workers' compensation class codes for field payroll
How your CFO wants month-end packets laid out
Expect a ledger built for contractors, such as Sage 100 Contractor, Viewpoint Spectrum or QuickBooks Enterprise with job costing, plus a pay application portal like Textura or GCPay when owners require one. Name your ledger in the ad, since construction bookkeepers tend to know one system well and the rest only slightly.
Commercial general contractor 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 · Checking subcontractor billing
A subcontractor's pay application bills for work the superintendent says isn't done yet. What do you do?
A strong answer: Doesn't pay the disputed amount, gets the project manager's approved percentage, returns a marked-up pay application or short-pays as the subcontract allows, and documents why.
Behavioral · Fixing job cost errors
Tell me about a time you found costs coded to the wrong job. How did you find and fix it?
A strong answer: Noticed it through a review or a project manager's question, traced the source, moved the costs with a clear entry, and fixed the coding step that caused it.
Each target in the template is a first guess. Test it against three months of your own closes and invoice logs before you hold anyone to it.
Accuracy of financial records
Each month, sample posted entries and count the ones with a wrong job, cost code, vendor or amount that later had to be reversed or moved.
Timeliness of reconciliations
List the day each bank, card and loan account gets reconciled and signed off by the CFO, and compare it with the closing calendar.
Job costing precision
When a job closes, line up each cost code's final cost against its estimate after signed changes, and mark which gaps came from posting mistakes rather than real overruns.
Invoice processing speed
Log the received date on every vendor and sub invoice, then measure how long it takes until it has a cost code, the project manager's approval and a ledger entry.
Career path
Payroll clerk at a subcontractorLearns time cards by job, trade class codes and how a contractor's money moves.
BookkeeperRuns payables, job cost posting and the monthly reconciliations.
Project accountantOwns owner billing and cost reports for a group of jobs, working side by side with their project managers.
ControllerLeads the accounting team and signs off on the monthly close.
What should the bookkeeper set up before a new job's first bill goes out?
A job number, the cost code budget from the estimate, the contract's billing date and retainage terms, and a note on anything unusual: a federal job, a Delaware owner, or Hawaii materials coming by ship. Ask the project manager for the list of subcontracts and their values too. A job set up right on day one saves hours of moving costs later.
How much does a commercial general contractor bookkeeper make?
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $28.21 an hour ($58,680 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $48,060 and $67,480 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Can one person keep the books and run field payroll?
Often yes at a company this size, since the self-perform crew is small. The part that matters is coding each hour to the right job, cost code and workers' compensation class, because the insurer prices the policy from payroll in each class and checks it at audit. If payroll is part of the job, test that skill in the interview, not only payables.
How is a bookkeeper different from a project accountant at a GC?
A bookkeeper keeps the whole ledger right: bills, payments, bank accounts and the close. A project accountant takes a set of jobs and owns their owner billing, cost reports and closeout numbers with the project managers. Many GCs grow a bookkeeper into that role once the company runs more jobs than one person can follow.
Where should suppliers and subs send their invoices?
To one accounts payable email address, never to the job trailer or a project manager's inbox. Ask every vendor to put your job number and purchase order or subcontract number on each invoice. The bookkeeper logs it the day it arrives and sends it to the job's project manager to approve in the ledger or portal, so nothing sits in a truck for a month.
What physical work comes with this bookkeeping job?
The template lists sitting or standing at a workstation, occasional lifting of files or supplies up to 20 pounds, plus occasional trips to project sites. In practice that means carrying closeout binders or file boxes to storage, and sometimes walking a site with a project manager to see the work billed on a pay application, dressed in the safety gear each site asks for.
