Dealership accounting positions
15 positions, each with what the role does, when a store needs it, what it pays and one flat fee per hire.
Dealership accounting is its own specialty: deal posting, factory statements, floor plan and schedules that must reconcile every month. These roles run from cashier to CFO.
How to pick the right level
- Smaller stores combine billing, payables and receivables in the office manager's team.
- A staff accountant and a controller fit large stores producing their own statement.
- Groups add senior accountants, auditors, a group controller and a CFO.
- Controllers and CFOs should know dealer accounting; we screen for DMS and factory statement experience.
Every level, what it pays and the fee
Cashier
$500 per hireTakes customer payments and down payments and balances the cash drawer daily.
When a store needs it: Every store. Pay: $32,220 to $38,590 a year.
Accounts Payable Clerk
$1,500 per hireProcesses vendor invoices and payments and reconciles statements.
When a store needs it: Mid-size stores and up. Pay: $38,060 to $51,330 a year.
Accounts Receivable Clerk
$1,500 per hirePosts receipts, collects factory and lender receivables, and keeps schedules clean.
When a store needs it: Mid-size stores and up. Pay: $38,060 to $51,330 a year.
Billing Clerk
$1,500 per hirePosts sales deals and repair orders accurately into the dealer management system.
When a store needs it: Mid-size stores and up. Pay: $38,840 to $51,400 a year.
Payroll Clerk
$2,500 per hireProcesses payroll, commissions and flat-rate technician pay accurately and on time.
When a store needs it: Mid-size stores and up. Pay: $46,300 to $64,170 a year.
Floor Plan Specialist
$2,500 per hireReconciles floor plan, curtailments and inventory payoffs with the lender.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $51,330 to $61,360 a year.
Staff Accountant
$3,500 per hireReconciles schedules and prepares the dealership's monthly financial statement.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $51,990 to $89,950 a year.
Financial Analyst
$3,500 per hireBuilds forecasts, store comparisons and performance reports for group leadership.
When a store needs it: Dealer groups. Pay: $58,460 to $109,440 a year.
Assistant Controller
$5,500 per hireSupports the controller on the close, the factory statement and audits.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $76,440 to $101,170 a year.
Senior Accountant
$5,500 per hireHandles complex reconciliations and consolidations for several stores.
When a store needs it: Dealer groups. Pay: $89,950 to $123,790 a year.
Internal Auditor
$7,500 per hireAudits stores for cash, contracts in transit, deal files and policy compliance.
When a store needs it: Large dealer groups. Pay: $89,950 to $164,280 a year.
Tax Manager
$7,500 per hireManages sales, property and income tax filings across many entities and states.
When a store needs it: Large dealer groups. Pay: $123,790 to $164,280 a year.
Controller
$10,000 per hireOwns the store's books, financial statement, cash and controls.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $101,170 to $211,740 a year.
Group Controller
$15,000 per hireLeads accounting for a dealer group: consolidations, audits and the accounting team.
When a store needs it: Dealer groups. Pay: $151,760 to $300,640 a year.
Chief Financial Officer
From $25,000 per hireLeads finance for a dealer group: capital, floor plan lines, acquisitions and reporting.
When a store needs it: Dealer groups. Pay: $300,640 and up a year.
Starting fee. Additional charges may apply after the intake call, based on your needs.
About store size and pay
Store size guidance reflects how dealerships typically staff as they grow, drawn from our 25 years inside dealerships and recruiting for them since 2012. Every store is different, so we confirm the right level on your intake call.
- Every store: Any franchised or independent dealership
- Mid-size stores: About 100 or more new and used retail units a month, or 50 or more employees
- Large stores: About 250 or more units a month, or 150 or more employees
- Dealer groups: About 3 to 10 rooftops
- Large dealer groups: 10 or more rooftops
- Stores with a body shop, stores with in-house financing and specialty dealers: roles that depend on the business, not its size
Pay bands are what people in each role earn at automobile dealers, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025), including commissions and bonuses. Most bands run from the 25th to the 75th percentile; senior levels use the upper range of the same occupation. A band marked * uses all-industry figures because BLS does not report that role for auto dealers.