Bill and Account Collectors

What Bill and Account Collectors Do

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.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Moderate-term on-the-job training

Self-employed

0.2%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• English Languageimportance 4.1/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.8/5
• Mathematicsimportance 3.3/5
• Economics and Accountingimportance 3.3/5
• Law and Governmentimportance 3.3/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.1/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 3.1/5
• Administrativeimportance 3.1/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Contact With Others4.9/5
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.8/5
• Spend Time Sitting4.6/5
• Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People4.6/5
• Telephone Conversations4.6/5
• Importance of Repeating Same Tasks4.3/5

Related Careers

• Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks
• Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents
• Customer Service Representatives
• Tellers
• Billing and Posting Clerks
• Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
• Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks
• Correspondence Clerks

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Correspondence Clerks98% skill match
• Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks98% skill match
• Receptionists and Information Clerks97% skill match
• Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents96% skill match
• Labor Relations Specialists96% skill match
• Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors96% skill match
• Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks96% skill match
• Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.4/5
• Persuasionimportance 3.4/5
• Negotiationimportance 3.0/5
• Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
• Coordinationimportance 2.9/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.9/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Dependability
• Attention to Detail
• Self-Control
• Integrity
• Perseverance
• Stress Tolerance
• Social Orientation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• ConventionalHigh
• EnterprisingMedium
• SocialMedium
• RealisticLow
• InvestigativeLow
• ArtisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where bill and account collectors make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Johnson City, TN5.67× national avg
2. 2Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY4.64× national avg
3. 3Sherman-Denison, TX4.12× national avg
4. 4Sioux Falls, SD-MN4.00× national avg
5. 5Arecibo, PR3.85× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Customer Service RepresentativesLateral Move
• Insurance Claims and Policy Processing ClerksLateral Move
• Correspondence ClerksLateral Move
• Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue AgentsCareer Change

See the full career path from Bill and Account Collectors →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.