Junk removal bookkeeper and AP clerk job description
A junk removal bookkeeper and AP clerk pays the bills from transfer stations, fuel card companies and truck shops, and ties every crew card swipe to a truck and a job. They reconcile the bank and card accounts, post what crews collect at the door, and get the month ready for the controller to close.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, waste collection companies · BLS, May 2025
This role is integral to our financial operations, ensuring timely and accurate processing of invoices, reconciliations, and vendor payments in the junk removal industry. The Bookkeeper / Accounts Payable Clerk supports month-end close and helps maintain a robust financial system that underpins our company’s growth and operational efficiency.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Process and manage invoices with accuracy and efficiency.
Reconcile bank and credit card statements in a timely manner.
Manage vendor relationships and support prompt payments.
Assist with month-end close processes and financial reporting.
Maintain accurate financial records and documentation.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and record daily invoice submissions for accuracy.
Perform bank and credit card reconciliations each day.
Monitor vendor accounts and respond to payment inquiries.
Prepare supporting documentation for month-end close activities.
Update financial ledgers and track expenses methodically.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Invoice Processing Accuracy: >98% accuracy rate.
Reconciliation Timeliness: 100% of reconciliations completed by deadlines.
Vendor Payment Efficiency: Process 95% of vendor payments within terms.
Month-End Close Completion: Achieve full close within the designated timeframe.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Minimum 2 years of bookkeeping or accounts payable experience.
Proficiency with accounting software such as QuickBooks or Xero.
Strong attention to detail and excellent organizational skills.
Effective communication skills and ability to work collaboratively.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working within the home services or junk removal industry.
Familiarity with vendor management and invoice processing best practices.
Prior exposure to month-end close and financial reporting procedures.
Demonstrated ability to adapt to a fast-paced environment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and carry up to 10 pounds of documents or files.
Prolonged periods of sitting and working at a computer.
Occasional travel within the local area for vendor meetings if required.
Standard office-based work environment.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Minimal travel required; local vendor visits only if necessary.
Option for flexible arrangements based on company needs.
Occasional overtime during peak financial periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range between $45,000 and $55,000 USD based on experience.
Eligibility for performance bonuses tied to departmental KPIs.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance plans provided.
401(k) plan with company matching contributions and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a dynamic team that values innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Our culture fosters professional growth through ongoing training and career development opportunities.
We pride ourselves on a collaborative environment that empowers every employee to succeed.
Join us in a mission-driven company dedicated to exceptional customer satisfaction and operational excellence.
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
Much of the spending happens on the road, from a truck cab, and much of the money comes in at a customer's curb.
Crew card swipes need a home
Crews pay dump fees, fuel and the odd tarp or ratchet strap with company cards between jobs. Every charge needs a receipt photo, a truck number and a job number. If a photo is missing, the bookkeeper texts the crew leader before the day ends, while the stop is still fresh. Then the charge gets coded to disposal, fuel or supplies.
Overflow haulers need a W-9 first
When the company pays another hauler or a driver by the load, the bookkeeper sets them up only after the controller clears the setup and a signed W-9 with their taxpayer ID comes in. Without a correct ID, IRS rules can require backup withholding: holding back part of each payment for the IRS. A 2025 tax law raised the 1099-NEC threshold for payments made in 2026 and later, and the IRS may adjust it for inflation from 2027. Check the current amount before the January 31 deadline. Source: IRS: Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC.
A card tip has to reach the whole crew
After a heavy job, some customers put a crew tip on their card. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the company may keep none of it. The only allowed cut is what the card processor charges to handle the tip, and the money is due by the regular payday. State law may add limits. Two or three people may work a truck, so the bookkeeper pulls that day's crew list from dispatch and sends payroll each person's share. Source: U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #15, tipped employees.
Money comes in at the curb
Many homeowners pay the crew leader the moment the truck is loaded, by card, check or cash. The bookkeeper matches each day's card payouts, deposits and cash to the jobs closed in the booking system. When the final price differs from the booked estimate, the bookkeeper checks the final ticket against what came in. Any job marked paid with no money behind it gets flagged the same day.
How much junk removal bookkeepers and AP clerks make
The closest BLS group for junk removal bookkeepers and AP clerks is bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for waste collection companies earned a median of $23.22 an hour ($48,290 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $50,670 median for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in all industries. About 1,830 of the 1,373,680 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in that survey work for waste collection companies.
The template pays this role by the year and adds a bonus when the department meets its KPIs. Month-end and the January rush of year-end tax forms stretch the week. Keep a record of hours in those weeks: a salary alone doesn't settle overtime, and a labor lawyer can tell you whether this job's duties are exempt.
Waste collection companies
$48,290$48,290 median Middle half $40,990–$58,910 10th–90th $34,490–$69,010
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
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Waste collection companies
$34,490
$40,990
$48,290
$58,910
$69,010
All industries
$36,000
$43,520
$50,670
$61,470
$74,550
BLS doesn’t publish pay for junk removal companies on their own. These figures cover waste collection, 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
Hands-on accounts payable and bank reconciliation in QuickBooks or Xero
Ties every bill and receipt to a job, truck or account before posting it
Follows up with crew leaders and vendors politely until the paperwork is in
Catches duplicate bills and charges that match no job
Keeps customer and employee financial details private
Teach these on the job
Which disposal sites and recyclers bill you and which pay you
Your job and truck numbering
W-9 and 1099 routines for outside haulers
How tips and crew bonuses flow into payroll
The month-end steps your controller sets
The template names QuickBooks and Xero. Add the booking software where crews take payment, a receipt capture app or the expense tool in your card program, and online banking. Say whether this person runs payroll or only sends hours and tips to a payroll service.
Junk removal bookkeeper and AP clerk 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 · Spotting card misuse
A fuel card shows a fill-up on a Sunday when no trucks ran. What do you do?
A strong answer: Checks which card and truck, compares to the schedule or GPS data, writes down what they found and takes it to their manager without accusing anyone. Suggests card limits.
Behavioral · Reconciliation problem-solving
Tell me about a reconciliation you couldn't get to balance. How did you find the difference?
A strong answer: Describes steps in order: timing items, duplicates, transposed numbers, bank fees. Found the cause and fixed it at the source.
Set these targets with the controller, based on your own volume of bills, cards and bank accounts.
Invoice Processing Accuracy
Count bills posted with the wrong amount, vendor, account, truck or job that review catches later, against all bills posted that month.
Reconciliation Timeliness
Record when each bank account, company card and fuel card is reconciled against the controller's deadline, with any open items listed and explained.
Vendor Payment Efficiency
Compare each payment date with the bill's due date, by vendor. Pay disposal sites and fuel card companies first, since a past-due account can stall a truck at the scale.
Month-End Close Completion
Track whether the bookkeeper's close tasks, such as reconciliations, bill cutoff and receipt matching, are done by the day on the controller's close calendar.
Cash and checks with the job number written on each, plus a photo of every card receipt. Use a short end-of-day checklist and a locked drop box for cash, with two people counting it when you can. The bookkeeper matches everything to the day's jobs the next morning and calls the crew leader about anything missing.
How much does a junk removal bookkeeper and AP clerk make?
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for waste collection companies earned a median of $23.22 an hour ($48,290 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $40,990 and $58,910 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Do we send a 1099 to a hauler that's an LLC?
It depends on how the LLC files its taxes. IRS instructions say payments to a corporation, including an LLC treated as a C or S corporation, are generally exempt from reporting. Other LLCs can still need a 1099-NEC once their yearly total reaches the threshold. The hauler marks its tax status on the W-9, so get it before the first payment.
Where does the bookkeeper's job end and the controller's begin?
The bookkeeper records and pays: bills, receipts, reconciliations and payroll inputs. The controller decides how things are booked, reviews that work, closes the month and reports to the CFO. In junk removal, the bookkeeper is also the person a crew leader calls when a company card is declined at the scale.
Who handles a customer refund?
Customer service decides under your refund rules, and the bookkeeper processes it against the original payment and job. Give every refund a reason, such as a damaged wall, a load smaller than quoted or a missed arrival window, so the controller can spot patterns by crew and branch.
How do I test a bookkeeper before hiring?
Build a sample week: a fuel card statement, five crew card receipts with one missing its job number, a transfer station bill with a charge that matches no job, and a bank statement. Ask the candidate to code, match and list their questions. Strip out real names and account numbers first.
