A residential developer bookkeeper records the bills, loan draws and sale money for each subdivision, lot by lot. They check trade bills against state tax rules, book each home sale from its closing statement, and match the bank and loan accounts every month.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, residential builders and remodelers · BLS, May 2025
The Bookkeeper plays a pivotal role in supporting the financial health of our residential building and development projects by accurately processing financial data, reconciling accounts, and managing accounts payable and receivable. This position contributes to strategic decision-making by ensuring that all financial transactions are recorded and monitored in compliance with industry standards and company policies.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Process and record day-to-day financial transactions related to residential construction projects.
Reconcile bank and credit card statements with company records on a monthly basis.
Manage accounts payable and receivable, including invoicing, collections, and vendor payments.
Assist with month-end and year-end financial closing activities in compliance with GAAP.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and process financial documents and expense reports on a daily basis.
Verify accuracy of financial data and liaise with project managers to resolve discrepancies.
Prepare and distribute regular financial reports to the Finance Manager and project stakeholders.
Coordinate with external auditors during periodic audits and provide necessary documentation.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Timeliness of transaction processing: 100% of transactions processed within 24 hours of receipt.
Bank reconciliation accuracy: Minimum 98% accuracy on monthly reconciliations.
Accounts receivable turnaround: Maintain an average collection period of less than 30 days.
Reduction in processing discrepancies: Achieve a discrepancy rate of less than 2% per reporting period.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
Minimum of 3 years of bookkeeping or accounting experience.
Proficient in accounting software and Microsoft Office Suite.
Strong attention to detail, analytical skills, and effective communication.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the residential construction or development industry.
Familiarity with industry-specific financial regulations and reporting standards.
Background in managing AP/AR processes in a project-based environment.
Previous experience working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit for extended periods while working at a computer.
Minimal lifting requirements (typically less than 15 lbs).
Regular use of office equipment such as computers, printers, and phones.
Occasional movement between various workstations within the office.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Standard office environment with climate-controlled conditions.
Minimal travel required, primarily for occasional in-person meetings or events.
Occasional overtime may be required during peak financial periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $45,000 - $60,000 per year, based on experience.
Eligibility for an annual performance bonus.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
401k retirement plan with company matching contributions and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company is dedicated to excellence in residential construction and development, driven by a collaborative and innovative ethos. We empower our team members to grow professionally while contributing to projects that build communities. We pride ourselves on fostering a supportive environment where initiative and integrity are celebrated.
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 accounts. A developer's books also carry land loans, trade bills spread across many lots, and a closing statement for every home sold.
Nebraska withholding on unregistered trades
Nebraska has a rule for contractors who pay a subcontractor not listed in the state's contractor registration database. They must hold back part of every payment and send it to the Department of Revenue as income tax withholding. The department says owners hiring work on their own property aren't covered. A developer building on its own lots should ask its CPA which side it falls on. Either way, look up each new trade before the first check. Source: Nebraska Department of Revenue: construction contractors FAQs.
Each Nebraska trade's tax option
Nebraska contractors choose how they handle sales tax on building materials. An Option 1 contractor collects tax on the materials it bills, and none on labor listed separately. Option 2 and Option 3 contractors pay or remit tax on their own material purchases and collect none from you. Record each trade's option in the vendor file so the bookkeeper can tell whether tax on an invoice belongs there. Source: Nebraska Department of Revenue: construction contractors FAQs.
Transfer tax on each New Hampshire closing
New Hampshire taxes each sale of real estate at 75 cents per 100 dollars of the price, and that rate applies to the buyer and to the seller. A developer pays the seller's share on every home or lot it sells and the buyer's share on land it buys. Check both on each closing statement, booking the seller's share as a selling cost of that home and the buyer's share into land cost. Source: New Hampshire RSA 78-B:1, transfer tax.
Each closing pays down the land loan
Development loans often release a lot only when the lender gets a set payment from that lot's sale, and the payoff shows on the closing statement. Match it to the loan's release schedule the week the home closes. Then the loan balance, the list of lots still pledged and the cash that came back to the company agree before the CFO asks for the next draw.
How much residential developer bookkeepers make
The closest BLS group for residential developer 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 salaried or hourly, with the yearly bonus the template lists. Its pay band falls within what BLS reports for bookkeeping clerks at residential builders.
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 home builders and remodelers 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
Reconciling a construction or land loan, not just a checking account
Reading a closing statement line by line and booking each line correctly
Coding every cost to the right lot, phase and cost code
Firm, polite calls with trades about missing paperwork before a check goes out
Solid use of construction accounting software and spreadsheets
Teach these on the job
Your cost codes and phase numbering
The lender's draw and lot release paperwork
Nebraska contractor tax options and the registration lookup
New Hampshire transfer tax lines at closing
How your project managers approve trade invoices
Developers this size often keep books in Sage 100 Contractor, Sage Intacct Construction or QuickBooks with a job-costing add-on, alongside the lender's draw portal and the title company's closing statements. Say which system you use and whether bills are approved in it or on paper.
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 · Coding development costs by phase
A paving invoice covers road work for two phases of a subdivision. How do you code it?
A strong answer: Asks the project manager or engineer for the split by phase (quantities or the contract's schedule of values), codes each part to that phase's land development cost, and attaches the backup.
Behavioral · Working with auditors and lenders
Tell me about a time you prepared support for an outside auditor or a lender review.
A strong answer: Organized documents before the request, answered questions quickly, tracked open items, and fixed what the review found.
Use the template's targets only until a quarter of your own closings and month-end closes shows what's realistic. Then check them against how the CFO uses the reports.
Timeliness of transaction processing
Log the date each bill, draw or closing statement arrives and the date it's entered. Review the gap each week, sorted by subdivision, so a slow phase stands out.
Bank reconciliation accuracy
Count reconciling items still unexplained when the CFO signs off each month on the bank, card and loan reconciliations, plus entries corrected after sign-off.
Accounts receivable turnaround
Most home sales pay at closing, so track the receivables that don't: lot sales to other builders, buyer upgrade payments and refunds owed by towns or utilities. Measure days from invoice to cash for each.
Reduction in processing discrepancies
Count bills sent back for a wrong lot, cost code or tax line, or for missing paperwork, against all bills processed. Go over the causes with project managers each period.
Career path
Accounts payable clerk at a lumber yardLearns how builders order, receive and dispute materials.
BookkeeperKeeps the books for every subdivision and closing.
Development accountantOwns loan reporting and the cost roll for each phase.
Should a developer's bookkeeper keep the homeowners association's books too?
They can, but never inside the company's books. Until owners take control, the developer often runs the association, yet the dues belong to the association. Give it its own bank account, chart of accounts and reports. If the declaration makes the developer pay dues on unsold lots or cover a shortfall, record each payment twice. It's a cost in the company's books and income in the association's.
How much does a residential developer 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.
How should a bookkeeper track buyer deposits?
Start with the purchase agreement to see who holds the deposit. When a title company or broker holds it, the bookkeeper just notes it on the lot's file until closing. When the company holds it, keep a deposit ledger by lot that ties to the bank each month, and ask the CFO and your lawyer before any of it goes toward construction. Rules on builder-held deposits vary by state.
Who decides how street and sewer costs are spread across the lots?
The CFO and the company's CPA pick the method. It might be an equal share per lot or a share based on each lot's expected price. The bookkeeper holds street, sewer and other shared costs in one account for the phase. Then they move the costs to the lots on the agreed schedule. Keep a list of estimates still open, so the CFO can true them up when the work is done.
What do this bookkeeper template's lifting and office movement lines involve?
Those lines ship as written. At a developer, that's a carton of closing files or copy paper brought to the desk, trips between the scanner and the file room, and the odd drive to the lender or a closing. Ask how the candidate would handle each task and discuss any adjustment they request.
