Occupations · Office and Administrative Support

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.

O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 43-3011.00

$46,040median annual wage, May 2024

165,020people employed, United States

▼ 10.5%projected change, 2024→2034

13,700openings a year, incl. replacements

What it pays

A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage

Pay over time

Median up 71% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.

BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.

Where the jobs are

Metro area	Median wage	Employed
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$45,610	8,490
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$56,010	7,040
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	$52,250	6,390
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	$46,360	5,410
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$48,820	4,750
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	$43,210	4,210
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$45,960	3,720
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$47,880	3,330
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	$48,330	3,280
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$47,880	2,920
Salt Lake City, UT	$46,260	2,460
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY	$39,200	2,220

BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation

Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34

What people in this job actually do

Ordered by how important the work is rated.

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.

O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale

Skills that matter most

Importance, rated 1 to 5.

Speaking3.9

Active Listening3.9

Writing3.2

Critical Thinking3.1

Reading Comprehension3.1

Monitoring3.0

Active Learning2.9

Mathematics2.6

Learning Strategies2.1

Science1.0

O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale

Software and tools

A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.

Intuit QuickBooks●MEDITECH software●Microsoft Excel●Microsoft Office software●Microsoft Outlook●Microsoft PowerPoint●Microsoft Word●SAP software●ADP Drive DMS for AccountingADS AdvantageAdtec Agency ManagerAustin Logistics CallSelectCU Connect processing softwareCollection Data Systems CollectOne-TigerColumbia Ultimate ArchiveColumbia Ultimate RPCSColumbia Ultimate RemitData-Tel CeasarDebt account management and collection softwareDiagnostic and procedural coding softwareDocument management system softwareHMSHealthcare common procedure coding system HCPCSLexisNexisLexisNexis BankoMedical condition coding softwareMedical procedure coding softwareMicrosoft Dynamics

O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag

What this work is actually like

Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.

2 / 5Some preparation — a school diploma and a few months of on-the-job training.

O*NET 30.3 Job Zones

Working conditions that stand out

Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets−2.0 below average

Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People+1.7 above average

Spend Time Sitting+1.5 above average

Spend Time Standing−1.3 below average

Exposed to Contaminants−1.3 below average

Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled−1.2 below average

Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls−1.2 below average

O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2018-08

How people actually get in

Share of workers by the education they hold.

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)48%

Some College Courses27%

Bachelor's Degree21%

Less than a High School Diploma2%

O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2018-08

What kind of person the work suits

Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.

Conventional7.0

Enterprising4.4

Social3.3

O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)

What you take with you

Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.

Persuasion3.4

Social Perceptiveness3.4

Time Management3.0

Negotiation3.0

Service Orientation3.0

Complex Problem Solving2.9

Coordination2.9

Judgment and Decision Making2.9

O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale

Knowledge the work draws on

English LanguageCustomer and Personal ServiceMathematicsEconomics and AccountingLaw and GovernmentComputers and Electronics

Abilities it leans on

Oral ExpressionOral ComprehensionWritten ComprehensionSpeech ClaritySpeech RecognitionWritten Expression

O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale

How this job is advertised

The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.

ChaserDunnerCollectorRepossessorRent CollectorBill CollectorData CollectorDebt CollectorField CollectorCar RepossessorCollection ClerkCollection AgentClaims CollectorInstallment Agent

O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation

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What changed since 2015

Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 4 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.

Now listed 7

+Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne+MEDITECH software+Sage 50 Accounting+Microsoft Dynamics+LexisNexis+NetSuite ERP+Intuit QuickBooks

No longer listed 6

−Sage Peachtree software−Word processing software−Oracle software−Internet browser software−Spreadsheet software−JD Edwards software

Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.

O*NET 30.3 related occupations

Also called

AgentDunnerChaserBillerCollectorSkip TracerRepossessorCredit ClerkBilling ClerkMedical BillerBill CollectorCredit Manager

O*NET 30.3 alternative titles

The same work in Europe

ESCO occupation	ISCO	Match
debt collector	4214.1	exact
insurance collector	4214.2	close
billing clerk	4311.1	close
credit analyst	3312.2.1	close
collection manager	2621.3	close

Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)

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