Bill and Account Collectors Career, Salary and Skills
Bill and Account Collectors have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $47,030 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 158,830. Wage data is published for 355 locations.
Occupation description
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 code
43-3011.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
National salary and employment
Median annual
$47,030
Hourly median
$22.61
Employment
158,830
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking | 3.88 | 3.62 |
| Active Listening | 3.88 | 3.62 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.38 | 3.00 |
| Persuasion | 3.38 | 3.62 |
| Writing | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.12 | 3.62 |
| Negotiation | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Monitoring | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Service Orientation | 3.00 | 2.75 |
Typical 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.
Technology
- 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
- Data-Tel Ceasar
- Debt account management and collection software
- Diagnostic and procedural coding software
- Document management system software
- Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS
Bill and Account Collectors salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Bill and Account Collectors Salary in TXMedian $45,710 · Employment 21,720
- Bill and Account Collectors Salary in CAMedian $57,930 · Employment 13,880
- Bill and Account Collectors Salary in FLMedian $46,410 · Employment 13,180
- Bill and Account Collectors Salary in Dallas, TXMedian $47,790 · Employment 8,950
- Bill and Account Collectors Salary in NYMedian $47,170 · Employment 8,800
- Bill and Account Collectors Salary in PAMedian $46,660 · Employment 6,680
- Bill and Account Collectors Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $57,440 · Employment 6,650
- Bill and Account Collectors Salary in OHMedian $46,230 · Employment 6,620
- Bill and Account Collectors Salary in AZMedian $47,740 · Employment 6,300
- Bill and Account Collectors Salary in New York, NYMedian $54,370 · Employment 6,210
- Bill and Account Collectors Salary in NCMedian $42,910 · Employment 5,460
- Bill and Account Collectors Salary in GAMedian $46,300 · Employment 5,280
Related careers
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and TravelNational median $69,990
- Personal Financial AdvisorsNational median $105,070
- Accountants and AuditorsNational median $83,680
- Financial ManagersNational median $166,570
- Brokerage ClerksNational median $65,750
- Credit CounselorsNational median $52,230
- Loan OfficersNational median $76,690
- New Accounts ClerksNational median $47,670
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.