# 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/bill-and-account-collectors
- SOC code: 43-3011.00
- Career family: Office and administrative support
- Median annual pay: $47,030 (10th percentile $34,400, 90th percentile $65,580)
- Projected growth: Decline, -10.4%
- Openings a year: 11,200
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code CES)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 18 |
| Investigative (I) | 0 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 38 |
| Enterprising (E) | 56 |
| Conventional (C) | 100 |

## What you'd do

- Working with Computers (importance 79/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 74/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 73/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 73/100)
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (importance 67/100)
- Getting Information (importance 66/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 65/100)
- Performing Administrative Activities (importance 62/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 61/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 58/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Speaking, Persuasion, Social Perceptiveness, Writing, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Monitoring, Negotiation, Service Orientation

## Knowledge

English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics, Economics and Accounting, Law and Government, Computers and Electronics, Administration and Management, Administrative, Production and Processing, Education and Training

## Also called

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

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Finance and Financial Management Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5208) (CIP 5208, 924 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Washington University in St Louis WUSTL](https://www.collegesref.com/college/washington-university-in-st-louis-wustl-3172) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $108,590 | $185,551 | $20,750 |
| [University of Notre Dame-South Bend IN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-notre-dame-south-bend-in-3005) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $141,543 | $160,313 | $19,500 |
| [Georgetown University-DC](https://www.collegesref.com/college/georgetown-university-dc-1068) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $126,622 | $152,744 | $13,088 |
| [Boston College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/boston-college-285) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $92,127 | $147,746 | $18,650 |
| [Wake Forest University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/wake-forest-university-3149) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $116,242 | $145,996 | $19,500 |
| [American University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/american-university-69) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $76,317 | $134,332 | $20,633 |
| [Southern Methodist University SMU](https://www.collegesref.com/college/southern-methodist-university-smu-2498) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $93,440 | $133,852 | $17,250 |
| [The University of Texas at Austin Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/the-university-of-texas-at-austin-main-campus-2764) | Finance and Financial Management Services | $81,536 | $132,075 | $18,975 |

## Related careers

- [Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/credit-authorizers-checkers-and-clerks): $50,080 median pay
- [Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/tax-examiners-and-collectors-and-revenue-agents): $62,370 median pay
- [Customer Service Representatives](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/customer-service-representatives): $44,770 median pay
- [Tellers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/tellers): $43,030 median pay
- [Billing and Posting Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/billing-and-posting-clerks): $48,500 median pay
- [Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/bookkeeping-accounting-and-auditing-clerks): $50,670 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.