A commercial plumbing bookkeeper enters supplier and subcontractor bills against the right job, reconciles the bank, and tracks the retainage general contractors still owe. They chase missing delivery tickets and signed waivers so the CFO gets a clean close each month.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
Serve as a vital component of the financial team for a commercial plumbing company by ensuring accurate bookkeeping and financial record maintenance. Facilitate smooth financial operations through diligent processing of financial entries, account reconciliation, and invoice/payable management. Support the company’s growth by providing timely and accurate financial insights that contribute to strategic decision-making.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Process daily financial transactions and record entries accurately.
Reconcile bank statements and company accounts on a monthly basis.
Manage vendor invoices and ensure timely payment of accounts payable.
Maintain comprehensive financial records and assist in the preparation of financial reports.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Enter and review financial transactions in accounting software each day.
Reconcile discrepancies in bank and company account statements.
Process and file vendor invoices, ensuring accuracy in accounts payable documentation.
Communicate with vendors and internal team members regarding financial discrepancies and inquiries.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Accuracy rate of financial entries: 99% accuracy.
Account reconciliation completion rate: 100% of accounts reconciled monthly.
Invoice processing turnaround time: 48 hours or less.
On-time payment percentage: 98% of invoices processed by their due date.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Minimum of 2 years’ experience in bookkeeping, preferably within the home services or commercial plumbing industry.
Strong proficiency in accounting software and Microsoft Office applications.
Excellent attention to detail, organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities concurrently.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience working in commercial plumbing or related home services industries.
Familiarity with industry-specific financial practices and vendor management processes.
Experience in managing both small and large volume financial transactions in a similar operational setting.
Proven track record of improving financial processes and maintaining strict financial controls.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit or stand for extended periods while maintaining focus on detailed tasks.
Capable of light lifting up to 15 lbs occasionally for file management.
Operate in a standard office environment with occasional visits to on-site operations for financial reviews.
Minimal exposure to noise and typical office conditions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Limited travel required between office and on-site locations for financial audits if necessary.
May require occasional overtime during month-end closing or peak periods.
Standard on-call availability for urgent financial inquiries.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range: $45,000 - $55,000 per year based on experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance coverage.
Participation in the company 401(k) plan and other fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Join a dynamic and growth-oriented company that values innovation, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
Thrive in an environment where professional development and employee success are prioritized.
Experience an inclusive culture that celebrates diversity and fosters strong working relationships.
Be part of a team dedicated to delivering exceptional service and building long-term customer relationships in the commercial plumbing industry.
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 changes for a bookkeeper at a commercial plumbing contractor
Here the money moves through general contractors, long jobs and held-back payments, and some states tax the contractor as the end buyer of the pipe.
Some states tax you as the end user of the pipe
In Idaho, the state tax commission treats a contractor as the end user of the materials it installs. You pay sales tax when you buy pipe, fittings and fixtures, and you don't add sales tax to the customer's bill. If a supplier ships materials and nobody paid tax on them, you owe use tax. The bookkeeper checks each supplier invoice for tax so job costs and the tax return both come out right. Rules vary by state. Source: Idaho State Tax Commission: Contractors working in Idaho.
Retainage is earned money you can't touch yet
Owners and general contractors withhold a share of each progress bill until closeout. On most private jobs in Idaho, the law caps that retention on each payment and on the whole contract. The owner must release it within 35 days of final completion, less a holdback for any disputed item, and can ask for lien waivers first. Once the general contractor receives it, it has 10 days to pay your share, barring a real dispute. Keep retainage as its own receivable for each job, with those dates on the calendar. Source: Idaho Code 29-115: Construction contracts (retention).
Delivery tickets come back from the job site
Supply houses deliver to the building, and a foreman signs the ticket in the job trailer. Match each invoice to its purchase order and signed ticket before you pay it, and send short shipments or wrong parts to the project manager the same day. On a large building, unmatched tickets stack up within a week.
Backcharges come off the general contractor's check
A general contractor may deduct cleanup, damage or delay costs it says your crew caused. Book each backcharge against the job when the notice arrives, not when the short check lands, and route it to the project manager to accept or fight. Left alone, a backcharge looks like a customer who simply paid less, and nobody follows up.
How much commercial plumbing bookkeepers make
The closest BLS group for commercial plumbing bookkeepers is bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $26.25 an hour ($54,610 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 20,690 of the 1,373,680 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in that survey work for plumbing and HVAC contractors.
Contractors pay this seat by the hour or by salary, and some add a year-end bonus. The template's low end trails the BLS median here, and its high end about matches it.
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$54,610$54,610 median Middle half $45,270–$63,180 10th–90th $36,410–$76,160
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
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$36,410
$45,270
$54,610
$63,180
$76,160
All industries
$36,000
$43,520
$50,670
$61,470
$74,550
BLS reports plumbing and HVAC contractors together, residential and commercial. 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
Careful daily entry of supplier and subcontractor bills
Monthly bank and credit card reconciliations done without help
Matching invoices to purchase orders and signed delivery tickets
Polite, steady follow-up with suppliers and general contractors' accounting staff
Keeping job numbers straight across dozens of open jobs
Teach these on the job
Your accounting and job cost software
How retainage and backcharges are booked
Plumbing part names on supply house invoices
Your state's sales and use tax rules for contractors
Which lien waiver form goes out with which payment
The ledger usually lives in a construction package like Foundation, Sage 100 Contractor or Vista, or in QuickBooks paired with a job costing tool, and supply houses post statements on their own portals. List your package in the posting, because job cost setups differ far more from shop to shop than a general ledger does.
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 · Joint checks
A general contractor pays you with a joint check made out to your company and your pipe supplier. How do you handle it?
A strong answer: Confirms the joint check agreement, gets both endorsements, applies the supplier's share against their bill, records the rest on the job, and keeps copies.
Behavioral · Correcting submitted documents
Tell me about a time you found an error on a pay application or payroll report after it was submitted.
A strong answer: Told the project manager or their own manager right away, submitted a corrected version the way the customer or agency requires, and added a check step.
Treat these targets as placeholders. Base yours on last year's close dates and supplier terms, and revisit them with the CFO every quarter.
Accuracy rate of financial entries
Pull a sample of entries each month and check job number, cost code, amount and tax against the invoice. Tally the fixes the CFO or outside accountant made.
Account reconciliation completion rate
Keep a list of accounts, including bank, cards, loans and retainage, and count how many were reconciled and signed off by each month's close date.
Invoice processing turnaround time
Days between an invoice landing in the inbox and its approval, after it is matched and coded, using the dates in your payables software.
On-time payment percentage
Compare each paid invoice's payment date with its due date. Note early-pay discounts taken and any supplier account holds caused by late payment.
Career path
Accounts payable clerkEnters supply house invoices and learns the job numbers.
BookkeeperRuns payables, reconciliations and retainage for every open job.
Project accountant or controllerBuilds job cost reports, checks billing against each contract and leads the close.
Who should approve supplier invoices before the bookkeeper pays them?
The project manager or field supervisor who ordered the material should sign off, because they know whether it arrived and was right. The bookkeeper checks the math, the tax and the match to the purchase order. Splitting it this way keeps one person from both ordering and paying, and it catches wrong deliveries before the money leaves.
How much does a commercial plumbing bookkeeper make?
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $26.25 an hour ($54,610 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $45,270 and $63,180 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What does a clean month-end close look like at a commercial plumbing company?
Every supplier statement ties to posted invoices, open subcontractor bills are entered, the month's field hours are in payroll, and retainage balances match each general contractor's records. Bank and card accounts are reconciled and signed. With that done, the CFO can trust the job cost reports used for billing and forecasts.
The template keeps the bookkeeper on call. What does that mean here?
It usually means a short call or message, not a night at the desk. Examples: a supplier puts the account on hold the morning a big order ships, the bank flags an odd charge, or a general contractor wants a signed waiver before its check run. Say in the ad how often this comes up and who covers it on vacation.
The template lists light lifting and site visits. What tasks are those?
Lifting means carrying boxes of closed job files or supplier statements to storage. Site visits are short trips to a job trailer to look at stored material, count equipment for the books, or meet a foreman about missing tickets. Spell out those chores in the posting so nobody is surprised.
