Mortgage Branch Bookkeeper — QuickBooks + Commission Reconciliation (Long-Term, Part-Time)

About the Role

I run a residential mortgage branch in San Diego, California. I'm looking for a detail-oriented bookkeeper to take over my monthly commission reconciliation, external loan officer payouts, and QuickBooks Online setup and maintenance.

This is a long-term position with predictable monthly work. I have a comprehensive handoff document (12 sections, includes worked examples) and an existing tracking spreadsheet, so you won't be building from scratch. I value reliability, accuracy, and clear communication over speed.

Realistic Time Commitment

Most of the work is concentrated in week one of each month when payroll comes in. Here's what to expect:

Setup phase (first 4-6 weeks): 8-12 hours/week as you learn the system and get QuickBooks dialed in

Steady state: 5-8 hours/week, mostly concentrated around payroll cycles

Month-end: 1-2 extra hours for summary reports

If you bill more than this consistently after the setup phase, we'll talk about whether the work is genuinely there or if something needs to change in the workflow.

What You'll Be Doing

Reconciling weekly payroll from our parent mortgage company against closing disclosures and lock confirmations

Calculating commission splits across multiple loan officers using established formulas

Tracking external payments to sub-loan officers, processors, and assistants

Setting up and maintaining QuickBooks Online for the branch

Categorizing income and expenses, reconciling bank statements

Flagging payroll discrepancies for me to dispute with our payroll lead

Preparing month-end summaries

Maintaining a Google Sheet tracker

Required Skills

3+ years bookkeeping experience with US clients

QuickBooks Online proficient (ProAdvisor certification preferred but not required)

Strong Excel and Google Sheets skills (formulas, SUMIF, pivot tables)

Excellent written English

Attention to detail (this work involves reconciling dollar amounts to the cent)

Comfortable working independently with established procedures

Available for at least 2-3 hours of overlap with US Pacific Time

Nice to Have (Not Required)

US mortgage industry experience (rare, won't filter you out if missing)

Real estate bookkeeping background

Familiarity with Arive, Encompass, or other Loan Origination Systems

Experience with payroll dispute documentation

What I'll Provide

Complete handoff document explaining how mortgage commissions work (no prior mortgage knowledge needed)

Working spreadsheet with all current data

Direct access to our payroll system and closing disclosures

1-2 hours of training calls in the first week

Reliable, on-time weekly payments via Upwork

What I'm Looking For in a Candidate

Someone who reads instructions carefully and follows them

Someone who flags issues rather than guessing

Someone who asks good questions when something doesn't add up

Someone who's looking for a stable long-term role at consistent weekly hours

Looking forward to working with the right person.