A remodeling bookkeeper records homeowner deposits and milestone payments, pays suppliers and trade partners, and runs payroll for designers, carpenters and office staff. They match every bill and receipt to a kitchen, bath or basement job so project managers see real costs against each budget.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, residential builders and remodelers · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for managing financial transactions, maintaining accounting records, and providing payroll support to ensure the financial integrity of our remodeling projects. Plays a key role in supporting the operational and strategic financial planning of the company. Ensures accuracy and timely processing of all financial data in adherence to industry best practices. Contributes to the overall success of our home services operations by maintaining precise financial accountability.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Manage daily financial transactions including accounts payable and receivable.
Prepare, review, and reconcile accounting records to ensure compliance and accuracy.
Provide comprehensive payroll support to ensure timely and precise employee compensation.
Collaborate with project managers to align financial data with remodeling project budgets.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Process and record invoices, receipts, and payments related to remodeling projects.
Regularly update financial ledgers and reconciliations to maintain accurate records.
Coordinate with HR and operations for payroll processing and benefit calculations.
Communicate with vendors and subcontractors to verify billing discrepancies and resolve payment issues.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Payroll Accuracy: Achieve a 99% accuracy rate in payroll processing.
Transaction Processing Turnaround Time: Complete 95% of all transactions within a 24-hour period.
Monthly Financial Close: Finalize financial records within 5 business days per month.
Reconciliation Discrepancy Rate: Maintain discrepancies under 2% per accounting cycle.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
Minimum of 3 years of bookkeeping experience, preferably within the home services or remodeling industry.
Proficiency with accounting software and Microsoft Office Suite.
Strong attention to detail, excellent analytical skills, and effective communication abilities.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working in the remodeling or home services industry.
Familiarity with industry-specific financial regulations and tax laws.
Prior experience in handling multi-project financial reporting.
Background in collaborating with operations teams to streamline financial processes.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit for extended periods while using a computer and performing detailed accounting tasks.
Light lifting capacity (up to 10 pounds) for managing physical records when necessary.
Comfortable working in a standard office environment with periodic visits to project sites.
Occasionally required to travel within the service area for project coordination.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office hours with a typical work schedule of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional overtime during month-end financial closing periods or during high project activity.
Minimal travel required for project meetings and site visits within the local area.
A mix of independent and collaborative work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range: $45,000 - $55,000 USD per year, commensurate with experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and commission structures.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
Additional perks include a 401k plan, paid time off, and opportunities for professional development.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company fosters a culture of growth and excellence where every team member is empowered to contribute to our collective success.
We value innovation, integrity, and accountability, ensuring a supportive environment where ideas are encouraged.
Our commitment to customer satisfaction drives us to continuously improve our services and operations.
Join us to build a career in a dynamic, inclusive, and collaborative workplace where your contributions matter.
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
The ledger looks like any small company's. The difference is that each dollar belongs to one homeowner's project, and that homeowner is still living in the house the bills are tied to.
Kentucky lien notices go to the homeowner
In Kentucky, a supplier or trade partner who wasn't hired by the homeowner can't put a lien on a one- or two-family house the owner lives in unless it notifies the owner in writing no more than 75 days after its last delivery or day of work. Payments the owner made before that notice limit the lien. When a client forwards one, pay that vendor, get a release, and send it to the client before the next draw comes due. Source: Kentucky Revised Statutes 376.010, mechanics' and materialman's liens.
Local payroll tax follows the job address
Louisville Metro, for one, tells employers to withhold its occupational license tax from pay earned for work performed within Louisville Metro. When a crew splits its week between a Louisville kitchen and a bath job outside Louisville Metro, code hours to each job address so payroll withholds for the right place. Check whether the other cities and counties your crews work in have a tax of their own. Source: Louisville Metro Revenue Commission: Form W-1 instructions.
Allowances settle when the homeowner picks
Kitchen and bath contracts often carry allowances for tile, plumbing fixtures or lighting. When the homeowner's pick runs over or under, bill or credit the difference on the next invoice, using the signed selection sheet. If it waits for the final bill, a family who thought they were on budget gets a surprise on the last day.
Returns go back to the job that bought them
Leftover tile, a spare vanity top or the wrong faucet goes back to the supplier. Post the credit, and any restocking fee, to the job that paid for it rather than a general account. Otherwise one kitchen looks over budget and another looks better than it really was.
Owner-bought items stay out of job cost
Some homeowners buy their own light fixtures, appliances or a farmhouse sink online and ask the crew to put them in. Keep those off your purchase records, note them on the job, and bill only the labor the contract allows. Margin reports stay honest, and the job file shows who supplied what if something fails later.
How much remodeling bookkeepers make
The closest BLS group for remodeling bookkeepers is bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for residential builders and remodelers earned a median of $26.00 an hour ($54,080 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 19,040 of the 1,373,680 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in that survey work for residential builders and remodelers.
Usually paid a salary or hourly wage, with overtime at month-end close; the template adds a performance bonus.
Residential builders and remodelers
$54,080$54,080 median Middle half $43,730–$65,190 10th–90th $34,770–$78,220
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$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
Residential builders and remodelers
$34,770
$43,730
$54,080
$65,190
$78,220
All industries
$36,000
$43,520
$50,670
$61,470
$74,550
BLS reports remodelers and home builders 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
Job costing with every bill coded to a job and cost type
Matching purchase orders, delivery tickets and supplier bills
Clean monthly bank and credit card reconciliations
Payroll for hourly field crews and salaried office staff
Calm, firm follow-up with homeowners on overdue milestone payments
Teach these on the job
Your project software and how it syncs with the books
Your payment milestones and allowance rules
How your company handles lien notices and releases
Local occupational tax setup for the places you work
Your cost codes for demolition, framing, plumbing, tile and finish work
Most remodelers keep the books in QuickBooks Online or a construction package such as Sage 100 Contractor, and run jobs in project software like Buildertrend or JobTread that passes invoices and bills across. Name your accounting, project and payroll systems in the ad.
Remodeling bookkeeper 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 · Billing to the payment schedule
A project manager asks you to send the next progress bill early. The contract ties that payment to cabinet installation, which hasn't happened yet. What do you do?
A strong answer: Bills by the contract's payment schedule, checks the milestone with the project manager, and explains that billing ahead of the work breaks the contract and, in some states, home-improvement payment rules. Sends it once the cabinets are in.
Behavioral · Accurate field payroll
Tell me about a time a field time card was missing or didn't make sense right before payroll was due. What did you do?
A strong answer: Reached the worker or lead directly, got the hours confirmed in writing, ran payroll on time with correct overtime, and set up a fix such as a cutoff reminder or a time app.
The template's goals are only samples. Your last few closes and payroll runs should set the real ones.
Payroll Accuracy
Divide paychecks corrected after payday by all paychecks run. Tag each correction by cause: hours, pay rate, local tax or deductions.
Transaction Processing Turnaround Time
Compare the date each bill, receipt or homeowner payment arrived with the date it was posted to a job. Your accounting software's entry log shows both.
Monthly Financial Close
Record the date the books are done each month: accounts reconciled, job costs posted and reports in the CFO's inbox. Count working days back to the last day of the month.
Reconciliation Discrepancy Rate
Compare unmatched items found in bank, card and supplier statement reconciliations with all items reviewed. Note which ones came from bills that weren't coded to a job.
Career path
Accounts payable clerk at a building supply dealerMatches delivery tickets to bills and learns how contractors buy.
BookkeeperKeeps job costs, payroll and homeowner payments current.
ControllerOwns the close, reviews job margins and supervises accounting staff.
Chief financial officerPlans cash, sets pricing guardrails and manages the bank relationship.
How should a remodeling bookkeeper handle an insurance check for storm repairs?
Record it against that job only once the funds clear. If the check also names the homeowner's mortgage lender, the homeowner usually has to get the lender's endorsement before it can be deposited, so note the hold and follow up instead of guessing a date. Leave any question about what the policy covers to the homeowner and the insurer.
How much does a remodeling bookkeeper make?
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks who work for residential builders and remodelers earned a median of $26.00 an hour ($54,080 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $43,730 and $65,190 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Which reports should a remodeling bookkeeper send project managers each week?
A cost report for each open job showing budget, committed costs, actual costs and what's left. Add a list of finished milestones and signed change orders not yet invoiced, and a list of supplier bills waiting for a project manager's approval. Keep it short enough that a project manager reads it before the Monday meeting.
Who sends the final invoice on a remodel?
Not the project manager. The PM confirms the punch list is done and the homeowner has signed off. The final invoice then goes out that day from whoever sends your milestone bills, often the office manager, with allowance credits and change orders already in it. The bookkeeper checks it against the job ledger and tracks the payment. Project managers stay out of collections, and the last bill doesn't sit through a busy week.
Why would a remodeling bookkeeper go to a job site?
Mostly to meet a project manager about a job's numbers or to drop off paperwork. The template's 10-pound line covers carrying a box of files, a laptop bag or a few binders between the office, the shop and a site. The trips are short and local; most hours are spent at a screen.
