A landscaping bookkeeper records the money moving through a company that mows, plants, waters and trims for homeowners. They bill maintenance customers, post payments, pay nursery and equipment dealer bills, check crew hours before payroll, and track what each crew, property and landscape install really cost.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
[Chief Financial Officer or Director of Admin & Operations]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
The Bookkeeper plays a vital role in ensuring the financial integrity of our landscaping operations by accurately processing invoices, tracking expenses, and reconciling accounts to enable smooth operational efficiency and support data-driven decision-making.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Process and record all invoices and financial transactions accurately.
Track and monitor expenses related to landscaping projects.
Reconcile bank statements and internal accounts on a regular basis.
Maintain financial records and support monthly, quarterly, and annual closings.
Collaborate with vendors and internal teams to resolve discrepancies.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and process incoming invoices and billing inquiries.
Update expense reports and enter data into our accounting software.
Conduct routine reconciliations of bank statements and accounts.
Communicate with vendors and contractors regarding payment status.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Invoice processing accuracy: 99% accuracy rate.
Timeliness of reconciliations: Completed within 5 business days.
Expense tracking precision: 100% record accuracy.
Discrepancy resolution rate: Resolve >95% of issues within 48 hours.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field preferred.
Minimum of 2 years of bookkeeping experience.
Proficient in accounting software and Microsoft Office Suite.
Strong attention to detail, analytical skills, and organizational ability.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the home services or landscaping industry.
Familiarity with industry-specific financial practices and invoicing.
Background working in a fast-paced, service-driven environment.
Proven track record of managing multiple financial tasks simultaneously.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit for extended periods while working at a computer.
Occasionally lift and carry documents and files up to 15 lbs.
Work in a standard office environment with minimal exposure to outdoor elements.
Capable of maintaining focus in a busy office setting.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office hours, Monday through Friday, typically 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Minimal travel required between office and remote project sites.
Occasional overtime during peak billing periods.
Predominantly independent work with some team collaboration.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive hourly rate or annual salary between $45,000 - $55,000 USD depending on experience.
Eligibility for performance bonuses based on accuracy and timeliness metrics.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company matching contributions.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a collaborative and inclusive workplace that values continuous learning and growth.
Our team is dedicated to excellence in service, innovation, and accountability.
We empower our employees to take initiative and contribute ideas that drive our success.
Join a company where your contributions will directly influence our collective progress.
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
A landscaping company's books fill up with yards of mulch, tanks of mower gas and crews that grow and shrink with the seasons. Some tax and pay rules also depend on the kind of yard work done.
Mulch, stone and plants are billed by the load
Installs and add-on jobs eat bulk materials: mulch and soil by the yard, stone by the ton, plants by the flat. Each supplier bill gets checked against its delivery ticket and charged to a job. Returns, nursery credits and plants replaced under your warranty get booked too. Skip the matching, and a patio that lost money on extra stone can still look profitable on paper.
Mower gas can earn back federal fuel tax
Gas burned in work equipment isn't highway use. The IRS names a landscaper's power mowers and chain saws as an example of off-highway business use, which can qualify for a credit or refund of federal fuel tax. Fuel for trucks on the road doesn't count. The bookkeeper keeps equipment fuel apart from truck fuel, so your CPA has the numbers to claim it. Source: IRS Publication 510: Excise taxes (off-highway business use).
Mowing and planting can be taxed differently
Sales tax rules come from each state. In New York, mowing, hedge trimming and planting annuals are taxable services. Planting trees, shrubs, perennials or a new lawn is a capital improvement, which generally isn't taxed; the customer signs Form ST-124 for that work. In the books, each service gets its own tax code, set with your CPA, and every signed ST-124 stays on file. Source: New York State Department of Taxation and Finance: Landscapers (TB-ST-505).
H-2B pay stubs carry extra lines
Seasonal crews on H-2B visas change what payroll has to print. Each pay stub must show the hours offered as well as the hours actually worked, plus the pay rate, total earnings and every deduction. Labor Department rules also call for records of hours offered and worked, and for payroll and application papers to be kept three years. Payroll has to capture both hour counts from the first week. Source: U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #78, H-2B workers under the INA.
Yard crews aren't farmworkers for overtime
Some owners assume crews that work with plants fall under the farm overtime exemption. Labor Department guidance says mowing lawns, and planting trees and bushes at homes as part of a landscaping business, isn't farm work. So hourly crew members are owed time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek unless another exemption applies. The bookkeeper checks hours before every payroll. Source: 29 CFR 780.206: Planting and lawn work that is not agriculture (Cornell LII).
How much landscaping bookkeepers make
The closest BLS group for landscaping bookkeepers is bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $22.42 an hour ($46,640 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 9,820 of the 1,373,680 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in that survey work for landscaping companies.
Hourly wage or yearly salary, per the template, with a bonus for accurate, on-time books. On the hourly route, budget for some overtime in the spring billing rush.
Landscaping companies
$46,640$46,640 median Middle half $40,700–$57,510 10th–90th $32,120–$67,180
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
Landscaping companies
$32,120
$40,700
$46,640
$57,510
$67,180
All industries
$36,000
$43,520
$50,670
$61,470
$74,550
BLS reports residential and commercial landscaping companies 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
Clean reconciliations of bank, credit card and fuel card accounts
Weekly payroll for crews whose hours swing with the weather
Booking equipment loans and leases, with principal split from interest
Setting up and checking sales tax codes by service
Matching delivery tickets to supplier bills and jobs
Teach these on the job
Per-visit, monthly and prepaid-season billing
Costing each property's visits against its budgeted hours
Nursery, stone yard and equipment dealer accounts
Plant names and the yards, tons and flats on supplier tickets
H-2B pay and travel reimbursement, for visa crews
Crew hours usually come from a time-clock app, jobs and invoices from a landscaping system like Aspire, LMN, SingleOps or Jobber, and the ledger lives in QuickBooks Online. Fuel card portals, equipment lender statements and bank feeds fill out the day.
Landscaping bookkeeper interview questions
They have their own page: 6 questions that test this job, what strong and weak answers sound like, and a work exercise to run with your finalists.
Your CPA can help pick targets from last year's books. Judge each spring against last spring, since the season start brings more bills, deposits and new hires than any other stretch.
Invoice processing accuracy
Pick a handful of entries at random each week, from customer bills to equipment loan payments, and trace each one to its paperwork. Note every mistake by type, so training fixes the common ones.
Timeliness of reconciliations
Mark the day each statement arrives and the day that account balances to the books. Track every account separately, fuel cards and equipment loans included.
Expense tracking precision
Review fuel, nursery, parts and repair charges weekly. Each one should be coded to the right crew, property or service line, with its receipt attached.
Discrepancy resolution rate
Log every open problem: a short mulch delivery, a double-charged fuel card, a payment with no invoice. Review it weekly and note how long each item stayed open.
Career path
Office assistantAnswers phones, posts customer payments and picks up the accounting software.
BookkeeperHandles customer billing, supplier bills and crew payroll, and keeps the ledger current.
ControllerTakes over the budget, bank reporting and a small accounting team as the company grows.
Most weeks follow the routes. After crews finish a round of visits, the bookkeeper bills maintenance customers and runs card payments. Supplier bills get matched to delivery tickets, and fuel card charges get coded to trucks or mowers. Crew time is checked for overtime before payroll. At month-end every account gets reconciled, and the owner gets a profit report for each crew and each service.
How much does a landscaping bookkeeper make?
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $22.42 an hour ($46,640 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $40,700 and $57,510 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Can a landscaping company this size use an outside bookkeeper?
For the tax returns and year-end work, an outside CPA is common. The daily work is harder to send out. Deposits arrive every day in spring, crews are paid every week or two, and supplier bills pile up by the dozen. At this size, that daily flow usually calls for someone on staff, and the outside firm keeps the taxes, year-end entries and the hard questions.
Does a landscaping bookkeeper need to know job costing?
Yes, or be willing to learn it. Crew hours drive the cost of most yard work. The bookkeeper compares hours budgeted for each property with the hours crews actually spent, and adds materials like mulch, plants and stone to installs. That shows which yards lose money and which installs were priced too low, so the owner can fix prices before the next season.
What does a landscaping bookkeeper do in winter?
Winter is when the year gets cleaned up. The bookkeeper closes the books for the year, sends year-end tax forms, and chases unpaid balances from customers who left. They help the owner budget for spring, price equipment purchases and plan cash for the slow months. Open supplier credits and plant warranty claims get settled before spring orders start.
How should a landscaping bookkeeper handle install deposits?
Many companies take a deposit before ordering plants, stone and irrigation parts. Until the install is done, that money isn't fully earned, so let your CPA set how it's recorded. The bookkeeper links every deposit to its install, takes it off the final invoice, and flags jobs holding a deposit with no start date in sight.
