A general contractor's bookkeeper records the money on remodels, additions and new homes, job by job. They post each deposit, lender draw and sub bill to its job, hold finished jobs open for late bills, and keep card fees and warranty work out of job costs.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, residential builders and remodelers · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $34,770, middle half $43,730 to $65,190, 90th percentile $78,220. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Chief Financial Officer
Department
Operations
Schedule
Weekdays 8 to 5, longer at busy times · Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM in the office, with longer days in peak project periods and very little on-call time
Responsible for maintaining accurate financial records and ensuring prompt processing of invoices and expenses for our general contracting operations. Supports the overall financial health of the company through detailed record-keeping and diligent expense tracking. Plays a key role in facilitating effective budgeting and compliance with industry accounting standards.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee the maintenance and organization of financial records in accordance with industry best practices.
Process invoices, payments, and expense reports in a timely and accurate manner.
Track and reconcile daily financial transactions to ensure budget compliance.
Collaborate with the operations and project teams to support effective financial planning and reporting.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and reconcile financial transactions on a daily basis.
Process contractor and vendor invoices and ensure accurate payment scheduling.
Communicate with vendors and subcontractors regarding payment inquiries and discrepancies.
Update expense reports and assist in the preparation of monthly financial summaries.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Invoice processing accuracy: Achieve 99% accuracy in financial entries.
Timely processing of invoices: Complete invoice processing within 48 hours.
Monthly financial reporting: Deliver comprehensive financial reports by the end of each month.
Budget adherence: Maintain a minimum of 95% adherence to forecasted budgets.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
Minimum of 2 years of experience in bookkeeping or financial record management.
Proficiency in accounting software and strong skills in Microsoft Excel.
Excellent attention to detail and strong analytical and organizational skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience in the home services or general contracting industry.
Familiarity with construction billing cycles and subcontractor invoice processing.
Experience using QuickBooks or similar accounting software systems.
Background working in fast-paced, project-driven environments.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit for extended periods while performing desk-based work.
Occasional lifting or transferring of files and materials weighing up to 15 lbs.
Navigation of an office environment with routine ergonomic adjustments.
Compliance with standard workplace physical requirements.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
Occasional extended hours during peak project periods as needed.
Limited travel required for onsite financial meetings and vendor interactions.
Minimal on-call duties outside of standard working hours.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $40,000 - $50,000 per year based on experience and qualifications.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
401k plan with company match, along with paid time off and holidays.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster an innovative, growth-oriented culture where every team member’s contributions are valued.
We are committed to professional development and career advancement opportunities.
Our inclusive work environment embraces diversity, creativity, and a collaborative spirit.
We pride ourselves on delivering exceptional service and quality workmanship to our clients.
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 general contractor's bookkeeper keeps straight
On every open job, the bookkeeper should be able to say what came in, what went out, and what is still owed to the subs and suppliers on it. That takes clean job coding from the first deposit to the last late bill.
In Colorado, job money is held in trust
Colorado, for example, holds money paid to a contractor on a building or remodeling job in trust. It's held for the subs, suppliers and workers on that job who could claim a lien. It may sit in a shared bank account, but each job needs its own records, and spending it in a way the statute bars can count as theft. So the bookkeeper ties every deposit and draw to its job and can show the CFO what that job still owes. Source: Colorado Revised Statutes (2026), Title 38, section 38-22-127.
Card fees on a large draw
Homeowners sometimes want to put a deposit or a draw on a credit card. In Connecticut, for example, no business may add a surcharge for paying by card. It may give a discount for paying by cash, check or debit card, but only if it posts that discount at its office, shows it online before a web payment, and says it aloud before a phone payment. The bookkeeper posts each processing fee to the job that paid by card, so the CFO sees what card payments really cost. Source: Connecticut General Statutes, section 42-133ff.
A finished job waits for its late bills
Subs and suppliers on a remodel often bill weeks after the crew leaves, and a lumber yard credit can take longer. Close the job too soon and its margin looks better than it was, while the late bills land on the next job or on overhead. Hold each finished job open for a set time, keep a list of the bills still expected, and check with the project manager before the final margin goes to the CFO.
Warranty work gets its own account
A new home or an addition brings calls for months after move-in: a door that sticks, nail pops, a slow drain. Post that labor and material to a warranty account, tagged with the job, instead of reopening the closed job. Its closeout margin then stays true, and the CFO can see what warranty costs each year and which subs or kinds of jobs bring the most calls back.
How much general contractor bookkeepers make
The closest BLS group for general contractor bookkeepers is bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for residential builders and remodelers earned a median of $26.00 an hour ($54,080 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 19,040 of the 1,373,680 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in that survey work for residential builders and remodelers.
The template sets a yearly salary range and makes the job eligible for bonuses. Its whole range is under the BLS median for bookkeepers at residential builders and remodelers, so a candidate who has kept a builder's job costs will likely ask for more. Pay the bonus for month-end closes that need no fixes and for finished jobs closed with every bill in.
Residential builders and remodelers
$54,080$54,080 median Middle half $43,730–$65,190 10th–90th $34,770–$78,220
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
Residential builders and remodelers
$34,770
$43,730
$54,080
$65,190
$78,220
All industries
$36,000
$43,520
$50,670
$61,470
$74,550
BLS doesn’t publish pay for general contractors on their own. These figures cover residential 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
Has run payables and receivables for a builder, remodeler or trade contractor
Ties every deposit and draw to a job and can show what that job still owes
Keeps a list of bills expected on finished jobs and chases them
Reconciles card processor statements and posts each fee to its job
Asks the project manager before coding a bill that might be warranty work
Teach these on the job
Your cost codes for remodels, additions and new homes
Whether your state holds job money in trust for subs
Your policy on card payments and any cash or check discount
How long you hold jobs open after the final walk-through
How bills move from your project app into the books
QuickBooks, the template's pick, set up with a job and cost code on every line, plus the project app, Buildertrend for one, where project managers approve sub bills. Add the card processor's monthly statement and the list of bills still expected on finished jobs. Ask finalists how they would show the CFO what one job still owes its subs.
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 · Fixing posting errors
You find a client's deposit was posted to the wrong job. What do you do?
A strong answer: Moves it to the correct job, checks whether any invoices or statements went out wrong, corrects them, and tells the PM.
Behavioral · Catching errors
Tell me about a time you caught a costly error in a sub invoice or client draw before it went out.
A strong answer: Names the error, such as paying a sub twice or an unapproved change on an invoice, how they caught it, and the check they added.
Revisit these with the CFO each quarter. When one new home's late lender draw drags a month down, note it beside the numbers instead of moving the target.
Invoice processing accuracy
Before each payment run, project managers check the job and cost code on every bill for their jobs and flag any that are wrong. Track flagged bills out of all bills posted, by project manager.
Timely processing of invoices
Pull the received and entered dates for every sub and supplier bill from your software. Sort the slow ones by vendor, since a yard that mails statements late needs a different fix than a bill stuck in someone's inbox.
Monthly financial reporting
The date the month's statements and job cost report reach the CFO, with every bank, card and loan account reconciled. Mark any job still held open for late bills, so its margin reads as provisional.
Budget adherence
Open jobs whose posted costs stay within budget for the work done, read from a cost report the project manager agrees with. The bookkeeper's part is a report both sides trust: the right bills on the right jobs, and signed changes added to the budget.
Career path
Office assistant at a builderEnters bills and learns the jobs, subs and suppliers.
BookkeeperPosts every job's money, holds jobs open for late bills and closes the month.
ControllerReviews each close, sets the cost codes and works with the outside CPA.
Chief financial officerMoves up from controller to lead the company's finances under the CEO.
Where does a homeowner's deposit go on a builder's books?
The office collects it, and the bookkeeper posts it to that job the same day. Ask your CPA whether to book it as a liability, money held for work not yet done, then count it as income in step with the work. That keeps one large deposit from making a slow month look rich. Either way, the job's records should show the deposit and what it has paid for so far.
How much does a general contractor bookkeeper make?
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for residential builders and remodelers earned a median of $26.00 an hour ($54,080 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $43,730 and $65,190 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What should the bookkeeper tell a sub chasing a check?
The facts from the file: whether the bill arrived, whether the project manager has approved it, and the pay date under the subcontract. Don't promise a date for a bill that's still waiting on approval. A dispute over a backcharge or a short payment belongs to the project manager, who knows the work. A sub who gets straight answers keeps showing up on your jobs.
How should crew hours reach a builder's bookkeeper?
Coded by job, every week, whether or not the bookkeeper runs payroll, which the template leaves out. Carpenters' timecards should name the job, and the phase if you track it, for each day worked. Then labor lands on the right job the week it happens, not in a lump at month-end that hides which job ran over. If a payroll service cuts the checks, the bookkeeper still posts its labor report job by job.
What do the bookkeeper template's lifting and travel lines mean?
Keep the lines as the template wrote them. In this job they mean carrying a box of closed job files to storage, up to 15 pounds, or a laptop to a meeting at the bank or the CPA's office. Now and then the bookkeeper may visit a supplier's credit office or walk a job with a project manager. Note in the ad how rarely these come up, and that accommodation requests are welcome.
