Bill and Account Collectors: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)

Bill and Account Collectors fall under the Office and Administrative Support category in the U.S. occupational classification. Bill and Account Collectors earn a median salary of $46,040 per year, ranking in the top 75% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -10.5% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.

What do bill and account collectors earn?

The median annual wage for bill and account collectors is $46,040. That puts bill and account collectors at #604 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.

Is bill and account collectors a growing career?

The 10-year outlook for bill and account collectors is -10.5%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 166K positions in 2024 to 149K in 2034, a net change of -17K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.

What do bill and account collectors do every day?

According to O*NET task surveys of working bill and account collectors, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.

1. 1.Answer customer questions regarding problems with their accounts.
2. 2.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.
3. 3.Receive payments and post amounts paid to customer accounts.
4. 4.Locate and notify customers of delinquent accounts by mail, telephone, or personal visits to solicit payment.
5. 5.Arrange for debt repayment or establish repayment schedules, based on customers' financial situations.
6. 6.Persuade customers to pay amounts due on credit accounts, damage claims, or nonpayable checks, or to return merchandise.
7. 7.Trace delinquent customers to new addresses by inquiring at post offices, telephone companies, credit bureaus, or through the questioning of neighbors.
8. 8.Record information about financial status of customers and status of collection efforts.

Top skills for bill and account collectors

O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.

What education does my child need to become bill and account collector?

Many bill and account collectors enter the field with a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, though employers increasingly favor candidates with certifications or some postsecondary coursework. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.

Related careers your child might also consider

• Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
  $74,260 median
• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
  $66,140 median
• Brokerage Clerks
  $62,940 median
• Postal Service Clerks
  $61,630 median
• Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks
  $57,770 median
• Postal Service Mail Carriers
  $57,490 median

Common questions parents ask about bill and account collectors