A plumbing bookkeeper records the money for a company whose plumbers collect payment at the customer's door. They match each day's card, check and financing payments to tickets, pay supply house and subcontractor bills, check plumber pay before payroll, and close the month so the owner sees what each kind of job earned.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for the accurate processing of invoices, reconciliation of accounts, and comprehensive management of financial records to ensure the financial integrity and operational success of our plumbing services. Plays a critical role in streamlining financial processes and supporting strategic decision-making in a fast-paced home services environment.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Process incoming invoices and ensure timely payments to vendors and suppliers.
Reconcile bank statements and company accounts on a monthly basis.
Maintain, update, and secure all financial records and documentation.
Collaborate with the operations and finance teams to support budgeting and forecasting initiatives.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and verify the accuracy of invoices and expense reports daily.
Update financial records and reconcile account discrepancies on a daily basis.
Communicate with vendors and internal teams to resolve billing issues and ensure compliance.
Generate daily financial reports to track cash flow and assist in decision-making.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Invoice Processing Accuracy: 99% accuracy rate.
Account Reconciliation Timeliness: Complete monthly reconciliation within 5 business days.
Expense Report Turnaround: Process 95% of reports within 48 hours.
Vendor Query Resolution: Resolve 90% of vendor queries within 48 hours.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Associate degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
Minimum of 2 years of experience in bookkeeping or accounting preferably in a service-based industry.
Proficiency in accounting software such as QuickBooks or equivalent.
Strong attention to detail, analytical skills, and ability to maintain confidentiality.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience in the plumbing or home services industry.
Experience with invoice processing, account reconciliation, and financial reporting in a similar operational environment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in an office setting for prolonged periods.
Occasional lifting of light items such as files or documents up to 10 pounds.
Prolonged periods of sitting with occasional standing to access filing cabinets or workstations.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Minimal travel required, primarily local meetings as needed.
Occasional on-call requirements during peak billing periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range: $45,000 - $55,000 USD per annum based on experience.
Eligibility for performance bonuses and annual salary reviews.
Health, Dental, and Vision benefits provided.
401k retirement plan and employee assistance programs available.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement where your contributions directly impact the success of our business.
Committed to supporting professional growth and building an inclusive environment where every employee can thrive.
Our team is dedicated to quality, efficiency, and outstanding customer service in the plumbing home services 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
Any bookkeeper pays bills and reconciles the bank. At a plumbing company that serves homeowners, money comes in from the trucks all day, some plumbers are paid by the job, and sewer work brings outside crews onto the books.
The money comes in from the trucks
Most service calls are paid on the spot, with a card, a check or a financing approval at the kitchen table. Card money often lands in batches with fees already taken out, and paper checks ride back to the shop in a plumber's truck. Every day the bookkeeper matches deposits to tickets. They flag any job closed with no payment and any check that never reached the bank.
Paid by the job, still owed overtime
Some shops pay plumbers a set amount per job rather than an hourly wage. Federal overtime rules still apply. When job pay is all they earn, add up the week's job pay and divide it by every hour worked. That's the regular rate. Pay half of it extra for each hour over 40. Drive time between jobs counts as hours worked, so the bookkeeper needs real clock times, not just a list of jobs. Source: 29 CFR 778.112: Day rates and job rates (Cornell LII).
Home and business repairs can be taxed differently
Sales tax on plumbing work changes from state to state, and with the type of building. In Texas, labor to repair or remodel a home is not taxed, while repair work on a restaurant or office is generally taxed on the whole charge. On a home job with one lump-sum price, a Texas plumber pays tax on materials when buying them and charges the customer none. Set up tax codes with your CPA so each invoice gets the right one. Source: Texas Comptroller: Real property repair and remodeling (Publication 94-116).
Sewer jobs bring in outside crews
A sewer replacement may use an excavation crew, a concrete cutter or a paving sub. Get each sub's W-9 and insurance certificate before their first job, not at year-end. Your workers' comp insurer may check these payments when it audits your policy. California's State Fund, for one, may treat a sub with no certificate and no valid license as your employee and charge premium for them. Source: State Fund (California): Employment status and your audit.
Each line of work gets its own numbers
Sewer lines, repipes, tank swaps and drain cleaning each earn a different margin. The bookkeeper codes revenue, materials, labor and sub costs to the right department, so the monthly report shows which lines make money. When the price of tanks or copper fittings jumps, the owner sees it in the numbers before it eats a whole quarter.
Residential vs. commercial plumbing bookkeeping
Both keep the books for a plumbing company. The billing, the timing of cash and the paperwork change a lot between them.
Topic
Residential
Commercial
How work is billed
One invoice per call, often paid before the plumber leaves
Monthly pay applications tied to a schedule of values
When the money arrives
The same day, by card, check or financing
Weeks after a pay application is approved, with retainage held back until the end
Paper that goes with a payment
A signed ticket and a receipt
Lien waivers from you and often from your subs
Payroll extras
Job pay, commissions and spiffs for service plumbers
Weekly certified payroll on federal and federally assisted jobs under Davis-Bacon
Who pays the bill
Homeowners, home warranty companies and lenders
Builders, building owners and the managers who run their properties
How much plumbing bookkeepers make
The closest BLS group for 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.
Some get a wage and some a salary. A bonus may come with the yearly review. Under federal overtime rules, a bookkeeper whose work is mostly routine generally won't qualify as an exempt professional, so keep a record of their hours even on salary.
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. 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
Keeps daily deposit matching current, even in the busiest weeks
Has run payroll with overtime for both hourly and job-paid workers
QuickBooks or another small business ledger
Can be trusted with card numbers, bank logins and everyone's pay
Won't post a deposit that doesn't match until they know why
Teach these on the job
How closed tickets reach the ledger from your job software
What the fittings, valves and fixtures on a supply house invoice are
How your plumbers earn job pay, commissions and spiffs
Department codes for drain, water heater, repipe and sewer work
Your state's sales tax rules for repair and remodeling
Expect QuickBooks Online or a similar ledger fed by ServiceTitan, Jobber or other job software, plus a card processor, a payroll service and bank feeds. Applicants care whether closed tickets flow into the ledger on their own or get typed in, since that changes the whole job.
Plumbing 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.
Work from the template's targets until you have your own. Then reset them with your CPA from your last twelve months, and go over them together every month.
Invoice Processing Accuracy
Each month, pull a handful of supply house bills and customer invoices and confirm each one hit the right job, department, account and amount. Count every entry your CPA had to correct at month-end.
Account Reconciliation Timeliness
Count the business days between month-end and the day every bank, card processor, lender and credit card account is reconciled. Note which account held up the close.
Expense Report Turnaround
Hours from when a plumber or manager turns in receipts, such as parts runs, fuel or permit fees, until the report is approved and coded to a job.
Vendor Query Resolution
Log every question from a supply house or sub about a bill or payment, noting when it arrived and when you answered. Count how many closed on time.
They keep a plumbing company's books. Each day they match card, check and financing payments to tickets. Each week they pay supply houses and subs and check plumber hours and job pay before payroll. Each month they reconcile every account, code costs to departments, and send the owner reports on cash, receivables and profit by line of work.
How much does a 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.
Is a full-time bookkeeper worth it for a plumbing company?
Usually, once dozens of tickets close every day. Daily deposits, weekly payroll with job pay, and a stack of supply house bills for every truck fill a full week. Many companies keep the bookkeeper on staff and send tax returns, tax planning and year-end entries to a CPA firm. Some add a part-time payables clerk during busy months.
Which monthly reports should a plumbing bookkeeper prepare?
A monthly profit and loss split by department, such as service, drain, sewer, repipes and water heaters. Add a receivables aging report, so open home warranty and financing payments don't sit for months, plus the cash balance and what the next payroll will take. One line explaining any big swing, like a jump in material costs, makes the report worth reading.
Should a plumbing bookkeeper also run payroll?
Many do, through a payroll service. The hard part in plumbing is getting the inputs right: job pay, commissions, spiffs, on-call pay and overtime on all of it. If the same person runs payroll and records payments, have the owner or your CPA look over the payroll register every pay period.
Does a plumbing bookkeeper need plumbing experience?
No. Bookkeeping skills carry over from any trade or service business. Someone who has worked in field service software, or at a business that takes lots of card payments, will start faster. Plan a few weeks for learning your departments, the fittings and parts on supply house statements, and how your plumbers are paid.
