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Career overview · SOC 43-3011

Bill and Account Collectors

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.

Also called: Account Representative · Accounts Receivable Specialist (AR Specialist) · Collection Agent · Collection Specialist · Collector · Debt Collector

Median pay (national)
$46,040
$33,960–$65,830 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
165,020
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-10.5%
~13,700 openings/yr
Typical entry
High school diploma or equivalent

What the numbers say

Refit analysis ·Pay for bill and account collectors shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $65,830 versus $33,960 at the bottom 10% — 1.9x. The median of $46,040 leaves roughly 43% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -10.5% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 13,700 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 53 states with released data, Alaska pays the most for this role (median $58,070, +26% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $24,400 — a 138% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Writing as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word as in-demand technologies for this role.

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Top skills employers ask for

Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.

  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Critical Thinking
  • Monitoring
  • Active Learning
  • Mathematics
  • Learning Strategies
  • Science

What they actually do

Core O*NET tasks for this role.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Perform various administrative functions for assigned accounts, such as recording address changes and purging the records of deceased customers.

Tools & technology

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft Word
  • SAP software
  • Intuit QuickBooks
  • MEDITECH software
  • ADP Drive DMS for Accounting
  • ADS Advantage
  • Adtec Agency Manager
  • Austin Logistics CallSelect
  • Collection Data Systems CollectOne-Tiger
  • Columbia Ultimate Archive
  • Columbia Ultimate Remit
  • Columbia Ultimate RPCS
  • CU Connect processing software

Knowledge areas

  • English Language
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Mathematics
  • Economics and Accounting
  • Law and Government
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Administration and Management
  • Administrative