Bill and Account Collectors

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$47,030

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$39,010 – $56,740

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

158,830

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

-10.4%

Shrinking (below 0%)

Openings a year (projected)

11,200

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

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.

Main tasks

• 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.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 1–2

Little to some preparation

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

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• Customer Service Representatives

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• Tellers

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• Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

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• Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks

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