A commercial painting bookkeeper posts paint, supply and lift rental bills to the right job, sends monthly progress bills to general contractors, and matches each payment to what was billed. They also keep the lien waivers, tax certificates and backup that customers ask for before they release money.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Serve as a critical function in managing and maintaining accurate accounting records for commercial painting projects. Process daily accounting transactions, handle invoices, and reconcile financial discrepancies to support overall business operations. Collaborate across departments to ensure financial accuracy and operational efficiency.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Process day-to-day accounting transactions for commercial painting projects.
Manage billing, invoicing, and timely collections to maintain steady cash flow.
Reconcile bank statements and financial records to ensure data accuracy.
Maintain the general ledger and documentation for audit and tax compliance.
Collaborate with project managers to resolve any financial discrepancies and support budgeting efforts.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and process vendor and client invoices regularly.
Update accounting software with daily financial transactions.
Coordinate with project teams to address billing issues and discrepancies.
Prepare daily financial summaries and reports for management review.
Liaise with external auditors to provide required financial documentation.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Invoice Processing Accuracy: Maintain an error rate of less than 1%.
Timely Reconciliation: Complete monthly reconciliations within 5 business days.
On-Time Invoice Payment: Achieve a 95% on-time payment rate.
Documentation Compliance: Ensure 100% adherence to internal accounting standards.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field or equivalent work experience.
Minimum of 3 years of bookkeeping experience, preferably within home services or a similar industry.
Proficiency with accounting software and Microsoft Office Suite.
Strong attention to detail, excellent organizational, and effective communication skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in the commercial painting or home services industry.
Familiarity with QuickBooks or similar accounting software platforms.
Experience in budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.
Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit for extended periods during computer-based tasks.
Occasional light lifting of accounting materials up to 15 lbs.
Adaptability to work in a standard office environment.
Minimal exposure to outdoor conditions or extreme temperatures.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Remote work opportunities available on a case-by-case basis.
Minimal travel requirements associated with the role.
Flexibility for occasional overtime during peak financial periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $45,000 - $55,000 USD per year.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company match and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we pride ourselves on fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous professional growth.
We are committed to exceptional customer service and quality workmanship in the commercial painting industry.
Our supportive, inclusive work environment empowers employees to excel and reach their full potential.
We invest in our team with opportunities for career development and long-term success.
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's different about bookkeeping for a commercial painting contractor
General contractors and property managers pay most of the bills here, on monthly cycles, and they want paperwork with every bill. The bookkeeper keeps that paperwork moving.
Each bill needs a lien waiver
General contractors and owners usually hold a progress payment until they have your lien waiver for that period, and many also want waivers from your paint supplier. The bookkeeper sends a conditional waiver with each bill, swaps it for an unconditional one once the money clears, and keeps a log by job. Waiver forms and rules vary by state, so use the form your subcontract or state law calls for.
Colorado exempt jobs run on the prime's certificate
On a tax-exempt project in Colorado, such as a public building, the state doesn't issue its own exemption certificate to subcontractors. The prime contractor copies its certificate for each sub, fills in the sub's name and address, and signs it, and every project needs a separate certificate. The bookkeeper gets that signed copy before the first paint order and keeps it with the job file. Source: Colorado Department of Revenue: DR 0172 Contractor Application for Exemption Certificate.
The exemption covers paint, not tape
Colorado's certificate is for construction and building materials on the exempt project. It doesn't reach equipment, supplies and materials the contractor buys, rents or uses up that don't become part of the structure, so masking tape, plastic, roller covers and a rented lift stay taxable. Ask your tax adviser how to treat the paint itself, and split each paint store invoice by line. Source: Colorado Department of Revenue: DR 0172 Contractor Application for Exemption Certificate.
Federal bond claims run from the last day of work
On a federal construction job with a payment bond, the Miller Act gives an unpaid firm a claim on the prime contractor's payment bond. Any firm still unpaid once 90 days pass after its last labor or material can sue. A supplier or sub-tier firm with no contract with the prime must also send the prime written notice inside that 90-day window. Every suit has a one-year limit from the last day of work. Record the last day your crew worked on each federal job. Source: 40 U.S.C. 3133: Rights of persons furnishing labor or material (Miller Act).
Joint checks name two payees
On large jobs, a paint supplier may ask the general contractor to pay with joint checks made out to both your company and the supplier. The bookkeeper keeps the signed joint check agreement on file, posts the full amount against the job's billing, and records the supplier's share as paid on its account. Without that record, the same paint can look unpaid in two places.
How much commercial painting bookkeepers make
The closest BLS group for commercial painting bookkeepers is bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for painting contractors earned a median of $25.44 an hour ($52,920 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 1,880 of the 1,373,680 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in that survey work for painting contractors.
Paid by salary in most shops, often plus a bonus for clean month-end closes and collections. The template's range sits close to the BLS middle for bookkeepers at painting contractors.
Painting contractors
$52,920$52,920 median Middle half $41,600–$61,560 10th–90th $31,380–$73,810
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
Painting contractors
$31,380
$41,600
$52,920
$61,560
$73,810
All industries
$36,000
$43,520
$50,670
$61,470
$74,550
BLS reports residential and commercial painting contractors 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
Coding every bill and time card to its job and cost code
Building monthly progress bills on each general contractor's form
Bank, credit card and supplier statement reconciliations
A lien waiver log that matches every payment in and out
Firm, friendly collection calls to general contractors' accounting staff
Teach these on the job
Colorado or other state rules for tax-exempt projects
Your cost codes and paint store account setup
Federal job paperwork such as bond claim dates
Union benefit fund reports, in a union shop
Your accounting system's job cost reports
Expect a construction accounting system such as Foundation, or QuickBooks with job cost codes, plus the paint stores' online accounts for pulling invoices by job. If general contractors make you bill through their own payment portals, name those portals in the posting; applicants who've used them will start faster.
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 · Short-paid pay applications
A general contractor short-pays a pay application with no explanation. What do you do?
A strong answer: Compares it to the approved pay app, asks the GC for the breakdown, checks for back-charges or retainage changes, tells the project manager and tracks the balance.
Behavioral · Supporting audits
Tell me about a time you pulled together payroll or billing records for a prevailing wage audit, a GC's review or an outside CPA.
A strong answer: Gathered records by job ahead of time, matched certified payroll to timecards and pay stubs, answered accurately, and fixed findings such as a wrong classification.
The template's targets are examples. Watch your own error counts and close dates for a quarter, then set targets you can defend.
Invoice Processing Accuracy
Count bills and invoices you had to fix, for example a wrong job, cost code, tax line or missing waiver, against the total processed each month.
Timely Reconciliation
After month end, write down the business day on which every bank, card and supplier account is balanced, and get the CFO's sign-off on each reconciliation report.
On-Time Invoice Payment
Compare the paid date of each vendor bill with its due date or early-pay discount date, and list late ones by vendor so repeat problems stand out.
Documentation Compliance
Pull a sample of paid bills and sent invoices each month and check each for approval, job code, receipt and any lien waiver or tax certificate your policy requires.
Career path
Accounts payable clerkEnters paint store, rental and subcontractor bills and learns the job cost codes.
BookkeeperHandles payables, receivables, reconciliations and the monthly bills to general contractors.
Project accountantTakes the biggest jobs' billing and cost reports and meets their project managers monthly.
ControllerCloses the books, runs the accounting team and prepares reports for the CFO and the bank.
Who prepares the monthly bill to the general contractor, the bookkeeper or the project manager?
The project manager decides how much of each line is complete, because they've walked the floors. The bookkeeper turns those numbers into the bill on the general contractor's form, attaches the waivers and other backup, and submits it before the GC's cutoff date. If the bill comes back, the bookkeeper fixes the paperwork and the project manager defends the numbers.
How much does a commercial painting bookkeeper make?
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for painting contractors earned a median of $25.44 an hour ($52,920 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $41,600 and $61,560 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What happens at a commercial painting company's workers' comp audit?
After the policy year, the insurer's auditor compares your payroll records with the class codes on the policy. Painters, office staff and drivers usually carry different rates, so keep payroll split by job type all year. Auditors also ask for insurance certificates from subcontractors you paid. Without them, the insurer may add that pay to your premium.
Can a commercial painting bookkeeper work remotely?
Partly. The template allows remote work case by case. Plan office days around paper checks from general contractors, signed or notarized pay applications that some GCs still ask for, and the month-end close. A remote bookkeeper needs scanned bills the same day and access to the job files.
Should a commercial painting bookkeeper handle union benefit reports?
In a union shop, usually yes. The collective bargaining agreement sets which hours count, which funds get contributions and when each report is due. The bookkeeper totals hours by member from payroll, sends the reports and payments on time, and keeps copies for the funds' auditors.
What lifting does a commercial painting bookkeeper do?
Very little. The template's 15-pound line means things like hauling a carton of old job files to storage, moving binders of paid bills, or bringing a case of paper to the printer. Spell that out in the posting.
