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Bill and Account Collectors: Career Overview
Locate and notify customers of delinquent accounts by mail, telephone, or personal visit to solicit payment. Duties include receiving payment and posting amount to customer's account, preparing statements to credit department if customer fails to respond, initiating repossession proceedings or service disconnection, and keeping records of collection and status of accounts.
The Daily Work of Bill and Account Collectors Perform?
The day-to-day responsibilities of bill and account collectors include:
- Record information about financial status of customers and status of collection efforts.
- Locate and notify customers of delinquent accounts by mail, telephone, or personal visits to solicit payment.
- Locate and monitor overdue accounts, using computers and a variety of automated systems.
- Arrange for debt repayment or establish repayment schedules, based on customers' financial situations.
- Advise customers of necessary actions and strategies for debt repayment.
- Answer customer questions regarding problems with their accounts.
- Persuade customers to pay amounts due on credit accounts, damage claims, or nonpayable checks, or to return merchandise.
- Confer with customers by telephone or in person to determine reasons for overdue payments and to review the terms of sales, service, or credit contracts.
What Bill and Account Collectors Need to Know
Successful bill and account collectors draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Types of Bill and Account Collectors Jobs
Common job titles for this role include:
- Account Receivable Associate
- Account Representative
- Account Service Representative
- Accounts Collector
- Accounts Receivable Specialist (AR Specialist)
- Bad Credit Collector
- Bilingual Collections Specialist
- Bill Collector
Employment and Demand
There are roughly 705,409 bill and account collectors working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +8.3% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Bill and Account Collectors Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $38,334 |
| Hourly median | $18.43 |
| 10th percentile | $23,963 |
| 25th percentile | $31,148 |
| 75th percentile | $45,520 |
| 90th percentile | $52,705 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Bill and Account Collectors Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $58,070 |
| California | $57,070 |
| Connecticut | $54,200 |
| Massachusetts | $53,160 |
| Rhode Island | $52,580 |
| Oregon | $52,530 |
| Vermont | $51,070 |
| New Jersey | $50,660 |
| Hawaii | $50,380 |
| Maryland | $50,050 |
| Colorado | $48,670 |
| Wisconsin | $48,650 |
| Minnesota | $48,160 |
| New York | $47,710 |
| Maine | $47,660 |
| Illinois | $47,220 |
| Washington | $46,940 |
| Delaware | $46,660 |
| Georgia | $46,600 |
| Nevada | $46,530 |
| New Mexico | $46,270 |
| Arizona | $45,950 |
| Montana | $45,830 |
| North Carolina | $45,770 |
| Missouri | $45,540 |
| New Hampshire | $45,440 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,190 |
| Kentucky | $44,890 |
| Florida | $44,860 |
| Virginia | $44,710 |
| Utah | $44,640 |
| Ohio | $44,400 |
| Texas | $44,200 |
| Oklahoma | $43,800 |
| Michigan | $43,670 |
| Idaho | $43,380 |
| Tennessee | $43,290 |
| Nebraska | $42,640 |
| South Dakota | $42,540 |
| Indiana | $42,390 |
| Virgin Islands | $42,160 |
| Wyoming | $41,600 |
| South Carolina | $41,040 |
| Kansas | $40,800 |
| Iowa | $40,150 |
| Alabama | $40,020 |
| West Virginia | $39,780 |
| North Dakota | $38,500 |
| Mississippi | $36,610 |
| Arkansas | $36,510 |
| Louisiana | $36,460 |
| Guam | $29,620 |
| Puerto Rico | $24,400 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Earnings for bill and account collectors vary by region. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $54,296 | 13.0% | 0.83 |
| New England | $51,594 | 3.1% | 0.70 |
| Middle Atlantic | $47,256 | 12.9% | 0.88 |
| Rocky Mountains | $45,600 | 3.8% | 1.21 |
| Great Lakes | $44,993 | 13.0% | 1.04 |
| Plains States | $44,690 | 7.5% | 1.24 |
| Southwest | $44,567 | 17.9% | 1.48 |
| Southeast | $43,789 | 27.2% | 1.16 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Bill and Account Collectors
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $71,160 | 580 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $68,290 | 1,670 |
| Napa, CA | CA | $66,940 | 80 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | CA | $62,810 | 110 |
| Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI | WI | $60,690 | 60 |
| Charlottesville, VA | VA | $59,930 | 40 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | CA | $59,520 | 130 |
| New Haven, CT | CT | $59,090 | 160 |
Industry Breakdown
Most bill and account collectors are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 50,420 | $38,640 |
| Finance and Insurance | 36,050 | $47,600 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 18,350 | $47,670 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 13,870 | $46,940 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 12,460 | $48,990 |
| Wholesale Trade | 5,810 | $51,440 |
| Information | 3,980 | $61,960 |
| Retail Trade | 3,950 | $40,820 |
Bill and Account Collectors work in the following industries:
Software Bill and Account Collectors Use
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software (hot technology)
- Accounting software: Accounting software (in demand)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The work environment for bill and account collectors is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Contact With Others
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Spend Time Sitting
- Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People
- Telephone Conversations
Getting Started in This Career
Typical bill and account collectors positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Financial Managers (Supplemental)
- Accountants and Auditors (Supplemental)
- Credit Analysts (Supplemental)
- Personal Financial Advisors (Supplemental)
- Credit Counselors (Supplemental)
- Loan Officers (Supplemental)
- Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents (Primary-Short)
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel (Supplemental)
About the Data
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 43-3011.00 (Bill and Account Collectors).
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