diff --git a/runtime/src/bucket_map_holder.rs b/runtime/src/bucket_map_holder.rs
index 442891393d..0b314cfdc0 100644
--- a/runtime/src/bucket_map_holder.rs
+++ b/runtime/src/bucket_map_holder.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,17 @@
 use crate::accounts_index::IndexValue;
 use crate::bucket_map_holder_stats::BucketMapHolderStats;
+use crate::waitable_condvar::WaitableCondvar;
 use std::fmt::Debug;
+use std::sync::Mutex;
 
 // will eventually hold the bucket map
 pub struct BucketMapHolder<T: IndexValue> {
     pub stats: BucketMapHolderStats,
+
+    // used by bg processing to know when any bucket has become dirty
+    pub wait_dirty_bucket: WaitableCondvar,
+    next_bucket_to_flush: Mutex<usize>,
+    bins: usize,
     _phantom: std::marker::PhantomData<T>,
 }
 
@@ -14,11 +21,57 @@ impl<T: IndexValue> Debug for BucketMapHolder<T> {
     }
 }
 
+#[allow(clippy::mutex_atomic)]
 impl<T: IndexValue> BucketMapHolder<T> {
-    pub fn new(_bins: usize) -> Self {
+    pub fn new(bins: usize) -> Self {
         Self {
             stats: BucketMapHolderStats::default(),
+            wait_dirty_bucket: WaitableCondvar::default(),
+            next_bucket_to_flush: Mutex::new(0),
+            bins,
             _phantom: std::marker::PhantomData::<T>::default(),
         }
     }
+
+    // get the next bucket to flush, with the idea that the previous bucket
+    // is perhaps being flushed by another thread already.
+    pub fn next_bucket_to_flush(&self) -> usize {
+        // could be lock-free as an optimization
+        // wrapping is tricky
+        let mut lock = self.next_bucket_to_flush.lock().unwrap();
+        let result = *lock;
+        *lock = (result + 1) % self.bins;
+        result
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+pub mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use rayon::prelude::*;
+    use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicUsize, Ordering};
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_next_bucket_to_flush() {
+        solana_logger::setup();
+        let bins = 4;
+        let test = BucketMapHolder::<u64>::new(bins);
+        let visited = (0..bins)
+            .into_iter()
+            .map(|_| AtomicUsize::default())
+            .collect::<Vec<_>>();
+        let iterations = bins * 30;
+        let threads = bins * 4;
+        let expected = threads * iterations / bins;
+
+        (0..threads).into_par_iter().for_each(|_| {
+            (0..iterations).into_iter().for_each(|_| {
+                let bin = test.next_bucket_to_flush();
+                visited[bin].fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+            });
+        });
+        visited.iter().enumerate().for_each(|(bin, visited)| {
+            assert_eq!(visited.load(Ordering::Relaxed), expected, "bin: {}", bin)
+        });
+    }
 }