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Bill and Account Collectors in California

Want to work as a Bill and Account Collectors in California? Here’s what you need to know. 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.

$57,070 Median Annual Wage (California)

$38,334 National Median Annual Wage

15,100 California Employment

Some Preparation Needed Typical Preparation

What do Bill and Account Collectors Make in California?

For a bill and account collectors working in California, the median annual wage is $57,070 per year (or roughly $27.44/hour).Annual wages span from $37,380 at the 10th percentile to $84,530 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$37,380	$17.97
25th percentile	$45,080	$21.67
Median (50th)	$57,070	$27.44
75th percentile	$67,290	$32.35
90th percentile	$84,530	$40.64

Salary ranges for Bill and Account Collectors in California

The job concentration index in California compared to the national average — is 0.78, meaning fewer bill and account collectors per worker than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, bill and account collectors earn a median of $38,334 per year ($18.43/hour), exceeding the California median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 705,409 bill and account collectors nationwide. In California alone, approximately 15,100 people work in this role. That puts the state above the typical state, which employs around 2,300 bill and account collectors.

Forecasted number of jobs for Bill and Account Collectors

Top California Metros for Bill and Account Collectors

The metro areas below employ the most bill and account collectors in California.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	7,040	$56,010
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	1,670	$68,290
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	1,430	$53,030
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	1,080	$52,060
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	620	$58,200
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	580	$71,160
Fresno, CA	250	$52,150
Bakersfield-Delano, CA	210	$47,320
Modesto, CA	150	$58,870
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	130	$59,520
Visalia, CA	130	$53,550
Stockton-Lodi, CA	120	$49,700
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	110	$62,810
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	100	$53,580
Napa, CA	80	$66,940
Vallejo, CA	80	n/a
Chico, CA	60	$53,210
Salinas, CA	60	$53,650
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	60	$55,320
Merced, CA	30	$49,470
Yuba City, CA	30	$48,980

Top States for Bill and Account Collectors Employment

These states have the highest employment of bill and account collectors work.

State	Number Employed
Texas	20,800
California	15,100
Florida	13,350
New York	8,740
Ohio	8,660
Georgia	6,610
Arizona	6,360
Pennsylvania	6,290
North Carolina	5,300
Illinois	4,310
South Carolina	4,060
Missouri	3,820
Minnesota	3,800
Virginia	3,760
Tennessee	3,690
Michigan	3,330
Indiana	3,250
Utah	3,160
Washington	3,020
New Jersey	3,000

Highest-Paying States for Bill and Account Collectors

The highest-paying states for bill and account collectors.

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

Skills

The most important bill and account collectors skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Active Listening 3.9 / 5

Speaking 3.9 / 5

Persuasion 3.4 / 5

Social Perceptiveness 3.4 / 5

Writing 3.2 / 5

Reading Comprehension 3.1 / 5

Knowledge Areas

Important knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

English Language 4.1 / 5

Customer and Personal Service 3.8 / 5

Mathematics 3.3 / 5

Economics and Accounting 3.3 / 5

Law and Government 3.2 / 5

Computers and Electronics 3.1 / 5

Abilities

Key abilities for bill and account collectors, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Oral Expression 3.8 / 5

Oral Comprehension 3.8 / 5

Written Comprehension 3.6 / 5

Speech Clarity 3.6 / 5

Speech Recognition 3.6 / 5

Written Expression 3.5 / 5

Daily Tasks

Common tasks 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.
Receive payments and post amounts paid to customer accounts.
Trace delinquent customers to new addresses by inquiring at post offices, telephone companies, credit bureaus, or through the questioning of neighbors.
Notify credit departments, order merchandise repossession or service disconnection, and turn over account records to attorneys when customers fail to respond to collection attempts.
Sort and file correspondence and perform miscellaneous clerical duties, such as answering correspondence and writing reports.

Work Activities

Working with Computers
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
Documenting/Recording Information
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
Getting Information
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
Performing Administrative Activities
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
Communicating with People Outside the Organization

Tools & Technology

Software and systems commonly involved: Hot technologies: Intuit QuickBooks In-demand technologies: Accounting software

Related occupations to bill and account collectors include:

Also Known As

Account Receivable Associate, Account Representative, Account Service Representative, Accounts Collector, Accounts Receivable Specialist (AR Specialist), Bad Credit Collector, Bilingual Collections Specialist, Bill Collector, Billing Representative, Car Repossessor, Chaser, Claims Collector, Collection Agent, Collection Clerk, Collection Representative.

References

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
O*NET-SOC code: 43-3011.00

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