Career
Bill and account collectors
Collect money that is owed.
$47,030
Median pay
-10.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
11,200
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on information & systems, then persuasion & leadership?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Record information about financial status of customers and status of collection efforts.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Persuasion.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $47,030 a year and 11,200 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- FinanceSee the degree →
- Banking and Financial Support ServicesCIP 52.0803
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks$50,080 · -7.4%
- Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents$62,370 · -1.0%
- Customer Service Representatives$44,770 · -5.3%
- Tellers$43,030 · -13.2%
- Billing and Posting Clerks$48,500 · -0.1%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.