Australian Bookkeeper

About Us

Mechanical Bookkeeping is a bookkeeping firm built specifically for Australian tradies — plumbers, electricians, builders, and trade business owners who need their books done right and their BAS lodged on time. We combine hands-on reconciliation work with a client experience tradies actually trust. We're growing fast and looking for a detail-obsessed bookkeeper to join our delivery team.

The Role

You'll be responsible for the monthly categorisation, reconciliation, and bookkeeping cleanup work for a portfolio of Australian trade business clients. This is a hands-on, high-communication role — you'll be working directly in client files and messaging clients directly, so accuracy and clear written English are non-negotiable.

What You'll Do
Perform monthly bank reconciliation and transaction categorisation for a portfolio of Australian tradie clients in Xero and MYOB
Lead books cleanup projects — untangling backlogged, messy, or miscategorised historical books and bringing them current
Maintain ongoing monthly bookkeeping management for active clients (not just cleanups) — chart of accounts hygiene, recurring transaction rules, accurate coding
Communicate directly with clients via message/chat to clarify transactions, request missing information, and answer basic bookkeeping questions
Flag anomalies, cashflow issues, or account irregularities to the Account Manager and BAS agent
Keep client files audit-ready and well-documented for BAS agent review each quarter
Work within our internal workflows and reporting cadence (task tracking, handover notes, status updates)
What You Need
Proven Australian bookkeeping experience — you understand AU chart of accounts conventions, GST treatment, and how Australian trade businesses actually operate
Experience specifically with Australian trade/tradie business books — job costing quirks, materials vs. labour coding, ute and tool expenses, subcontractor payments, etc.
Books cleanup experience — comfortable diagnosing and fixing months (or years) of messy, backlogged, or incorrectly coded books, not just maintaining clean ones
Monthly management bookkeeping experience — ongoing reconciliation cadence, not just once-off catch-up work
Proficient in both Xero and MYOB — confident working across both platforms daily
Excellent written English and communication skills — you'll be messaging clients directly, so clarity, professionalism, and a friendly tone are essential
High attention to detail and comfortable owning a portfolio of client files independently
Reliable, deadline-driven, and comfortable working remotely with an Australian-hours overlap
Nice to Have
Experience working with an offshore/remote bookkeeping team supporting an Australian BAS agent
Familiarity with GST/BAS lodgement cycles and deadlines (even if not lodging yourself)
Experience with construction/trade industry software (ServiceM8, Tradify, Fergus, etc.)
What We Offer
Fully remote, contract-based engagement — set your own tools/hours within agreed deadlines
Steady, growing client portfolio (not a churn-heavy agency)
Clear processes, templates, and support from an Australian account manager and TPB-registered BAS agent
Room to take on more client files (and more pay) as the business scales
Paid via invoice on [monthly/per-client] basis — you're responsible for your own tax, insurance, and equipment as an independent contractor