The median pay for Bill and Account Collectors is $47,030 a year ($22.61/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to fall 10.4% through 2035, with about 11,200 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- Commonly called: Debt Collector
- SOC 43-3011
- Office and Administrative Support
- Last updated October 15, 2026
At a glance
Bill and Account Collector in four numbers
- Median pay
- $47,030a year, or $22.61/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $34KTop 10% $66K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- -10.4%DecliningBLS EP, 2025–2035This career−10.4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career −10.4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 11,200160,200 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025160.2K
- Projected 2035143.4K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 160.2K Projected 2035 143.4K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school2.3%
- High school48.2%
- Certificate1.1%
- Some college27.4%
- Bachelor's21.1%
Highest education held by bill and account collectors Segment Value Less than high school 2.3% High school 48.2% Certificate 1.1% Some college 27.4% Bachelor's 21.1%
Also advertised as: Account Representative, Accounts Receivable Specialist (AR Specialist), Collection Agent, Collection Specialist, Collector, Debt Collector.
Pay
How much do debt collectors make?
Bill and Account Collectors earn a median of $47,030 a year ($22.61 an hour, or about $3,920 a month); the lowest-paid 10% earn less than $34,400 and the top 10% more than $65,580 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The best-paying state is District of Columbia, with a median of $62,230. See Debt collector salary in District of Columbia and every other state. By city, pay is highest around San Jose ($78,190 average): salary in every city.
Every bill and account collector in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$47,030
Middle half earn $39,010 to $56,740
- 10th
- $34,400
- 25th
- $39,010
- 75th
- $56,740
- 90th
- $65,580
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $34,400 |
| 25th | $39,010 |
| Median | $47,030 |
| 75th | $56,740 |
| 90th | $65,580 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $47,030
- Median hourly wage
- $22.61/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $49,060
- People employed
- 158,830
Versus all US occupations
At $47,030, Bill and Account Collectors earn 8% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $3,950 a year.
Versus office and administrative support occupations
Inside the Office and Administrative Support group, where the middle occupation pays $49,230, this is 4% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $65,580 or more while the bottom 10% earn $34,400, a gap of 1.9×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 15% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
District of Columbia posts the highest raw median ($62,230), but once local prices are taken into account Alaska leads at $59,409 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay debt collectors the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $62,230 | $56,624 | 240 |
| 2Alaska | $60,810 | $59,409 | 310 |
| 3Massachusetts | $59,800 | $56,545 | 2,510 |
| 4California | $57,930 | $52,321 | 13,880 |
| 5Connecticut | $57,930 | $55,912 | 900 |
| 6Vermont | $57,630 | $58,831 | 80 |
| 7Hawaii | $53,570 | $48,722 | 180 |
| 8New Jersey | $52,510 | $48,261 | 3,310 |
| 9Rhode Island | $52,000 | $50,841 | 370 |
| 10Oregon | $50,880 | $49,226 | 830 |
Job outlook
Is debt collector a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Declining. -10.4% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bill and Account Collectors | −10.4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Declining
BLS projects employment of Bill and Account Collectors to change -10.4% over 2025–2035, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.5%. That is 16,700 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 11,200 openings are projected each year, 7.0% of the 160,200 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Continued use of enhanced software and automated calling systems is expected to increase productivity and allow collectors to handle more accounts. This technology will allow more collections work to be done with fewer employees. However, the need to collect various types of debt, including student, credit card, and mortgage debt, should create some demand for bill and account collectors.
AI exposure: very high
BLS places this occupation in its very high relative AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI.
Getting in
How to become a debt collector
No licence, no certification and no degree: BLS records a high school diploma and training on the job. The gate is regulatory rather than educational, and it is unusually specific about how you do the work rather than who may do it. Since 30 November 2021 the CFPB's Regulation F has put numbers on the job: a debt collector is presumed to violate federal law if it telephones a person about a particular debt more than seven times in seven consecutive days, or at all within seven consecutive days of having had a telephone conversation with that person about that debt. Where a state licence exists it usually sits on the collection agency rather than on the collector.
The credential path, step by step
- Finish high school
Most bill and account collectors are required to have a high school diploma, although some employers prefer applicants who have taken some college courses. Communications, accounting and basic computer courses are useful.
- Get hired and take the training, which is more legal than technical
Collectors typically receive training after being hired, covering computer software, federal debt collection law in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and state debt collection regulations, plus negotiation techniques. The legal content is the substance of the job rather than background reading.
- Learn the Regulation F call limits as operating constraints
A debt collector is presumed to comply if it places no more than seven calls to a particular person about a particular debt within seven consecutive days, and none within seven consecutive days after having had a telephone conversation with them about that debt; exceeding either is presumed to be a violation. Calls placed with the person's prior consent given directly to the collector within the previous seven days, and calls not connected to the dialled number, do not count. A time before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. local time at the consumer's location is presumed inconvenient. You must not contact a consumer at their place of employment if you know or have reason to know the employer prohibits it, nor contact a consumer you know is represented by an attorney whose name and address you know or can readily ascertain, unless the attorney fails to respond in a reasonable time or consents.
- Know the validation notice and the time-barred debt rule
Validation information must be given to the consumer either orally in the initial communication or by a validation notice sent in the initial communication or within five days of it. A debt collector must not bring or threaten to bring a legal action against a consumer to collect a debt whose statute of limitations has expired; the only carve-out is a proof of claim filed in a bankruptcy proceeding.
- Work out whether the rules apply to you at all
Regulation F defines a debt collector as any person whose principal business is the collection of debts, or who regularly collects or attempts to collect debts owed to another, and expressly excludes an officer or employee of a creditor collecting the creditor's own debts in the creditor's name. That distinction is why the same job title carries very different rules: an in-house collector working for the original creditor sits outside the definition, while a collector at a third-party agency sits inside all of it.
- How long the training takes
No programme; training happens after hire
BLS records a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education, with on-the-job training in the employer's software, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, state debt collection regulations and negotiation technique.
- Continuing education
Not required
None is required of collectors personally. The training obligation sits with the employer, which BLS records as covering federal debt collection law and state regulations. What changes over time is the rulebook rather than a credit requirement: Regulation F took effect on 30 November 2021 and restated much of the job in measurable terms.
Licensing and state variation
Not a state license
Individual collectors are not generally licensed; the licence, where a state requires one, sits on the collection agency. North Carolina, for example, requires a permit from the Commissioner of Insurance before any person, firm, corporation or association may conduct or operate a collection agency in the state, backed by a surety bond in favour of the state and a certification that no officer, individual proprietor or partner has been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude or violated any state or federal debt collection law. BLS records that new collectors are trained on state debt collection regulations precisely because those differ, so check the banking, financial institutions or insurance regulator in each state you collect in, not only the one you sit in. Regulation F, by contrast, is federal and applies identically everywhere.
Who governs the credential
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
Writes and enforces Regulation F (12 CFR part 1006), which implements the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and sets the communication limits, validation notice requirements and prohibitions that govern how collection work is done. It licenses nobody: it regulates conduct.
- North Carolina Department of Insurance (NC DOI)
Issues the permit required to operate a collection agency in North Carolina under Chapter 58, Article 70 of the General Statutes. Included as a worked example of agency-level licensing; the responsible regulator differs by state and is often the banking or financial institutions department instead.
Credential detail for bill and account collectors is researched by hand from the bodies that issue it, not derived from BLS or O*NET. Sources last checked August 23, 2026. Requirements change: confirm with your own state board before enrolling in anything.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Bill and Account Collectors · checked August 23, 2026
- eCFR, 12 CFR part 1006: Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (Regulation F) · checked August 23, 2026
- CFPB: Debt Collection Practices (Regulation F) final rule · checked August 23, 2026
- North Carolina Department of Insurance: Collection Agency Licensing · checked August 23, 2026
- North Carolina General Statutes G.S. 58-70-5: Application to Commissioner for permit · checked August 23, 2026
What the federal data says
Bill and account collectors typically need at least a high school diploma to enter the occupation, and they receive training on the job.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Some preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as bill and account collectors.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)48.2%
- Some College Courses27.4%
- Bachelor's Degree21.1%
- Less than a High School Diploma2.3%
- Post-Secondary Certificate1.1%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 48.2% |
| Some College Courses | 27.4% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 21.1% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 2.3% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 1.1% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a debt collector 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.
Bill and account collectors try to recover payment on overdue bills. They negotiate repayment plans and help people find solutions to make it easier to pay their overdue bills.
Day-to-day tasks
- Answer customer questions regarding problems with their accounts.
- Arrange for debt repayment or establish repayment schedules, based on customers' financial situations.
- Record information about financial status of customers and status of collection efforts.
- Advise customers of necessary actions and strategies for debt repayment.
- Locate and notify customers of delinquent accounts by mail, telephone, or personal visits to solicit payment.
- 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.
- Locate and monitor overdue accounts, using computers and a variety of automated systems.
- Trace delinquent customers to new addresses by inquiring at post offices, telephone companies, credit bureaus, or through the questioning of neighbors.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Most bill and account collectors work full time. Some work shifts that include weekends or evenings.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Where bill and account collectors work
Share of jobs by employer type
- Business support services25%
- Credit intermediation and related activities21%
- Healthcare and social assistance11%
- Professional, scientific, and technical services8%
- Management of companies and enterprises7%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Business support services | 25% |
| Credit intermediation and related activities | 21% |
| Healthcare and social assistance | 11% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 8% |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 7% |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Writing3.3
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Active Learning2.9
- Mathematics2.6
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Speaking | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.3 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 2.9 |
| Mathematics | 2.6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness3.4
- Persuasion3.4
- Negotiation3.0
- Service Orientation3.0
- Time Management3.0
- Coordination2.9
- Complex Problem Solving2.9
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.4 |
| Persuasion | 3.4 |
| Negotiation | 3.0 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 2.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Accounting software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Medical software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Access software
- Categorization or classification software
- Customer relationship management CRM software
- Data base user interface and query software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
The workforce
Who works as a debt collector?
Women make up 67.0% of bill and account collectors, against 47.1% of all employed people: more women than in the workforce as a whole.
24.3% are 55 or older, close to the 23.2% across all jobs.
The median worker is 45.5 years old (all workers: 42.1).
- Women
- 67.0%All workers 47.1% · BLS CPS, 2025
- Median age
- 45.5All workers 42.1 · BLS CPS, 2025
- Aged 55+
- 24.3%All workers 23.2% · BLS CPS, 2025
- Employed (CPS)
- 111,000BLS CPS, 2025
| Group | Share of bill and account collectors | All employed people |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 67.0% | 47.1% |
| White | 76.4% | 75.7% |
| Black or African American | 16.9% | 12.7% |
| Asian | 1.5% | 7.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 21.6% | 20.0% |
| Aged 55 and over | 24.3% | 23.2% |
| Aged 16 to 24 | 2.7% | 12.2% |
Current Population Survey annual averages, 2025 (BLS tables 11 and 11b). Race groups can overlap with Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, so they do not sum to 100%.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a debt collector?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Bill and Account Collector |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 2 |
| Investigative | 1 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 4 |
| Conventional | 7 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
- Conventional7.0
- Enterprising4.4
- Social3.3
- Realistic2.1
- Investigative1.0
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Bill and Account Collector
O*NET related occupations
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Most earn $42K to $115K
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More office and administrative support careers
Median annual pay, with bill and account collectors highlighted
- Executive Secretary and Executive Administrative Assistant$76,590
- Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant$55,570
- Public Safety Telecommunicator$53,040
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk$50,670
- Human Resources Assistant, Except Payroll and Timekeeping$50,610
- Secretary and Administrative Assistant, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$47,540
- Bill and Account Collector$47,030
- Teller$43,030
- Receptionist and Information Clerk$38,010
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Executive Secretary and Executive Administrative Assistant | $76,590 |
| Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant | $55,570 |
| Public Safety Telecommunicator | $53,040 |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk | $50,670 |
| Human Resources Assistant, Except Payroll and Timekeeping | $50,610 |
| Secretary and Administrative Assistant, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $47,540 |
| Bill and Account Collector | $47,030 |
| Teller | $43,030 |
| Receptionist and Information Clerk | $38,010 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Bill and Account Collector appears on
Questions
Bill and Account Collector: frequently asked questions
How much do debt collectors make?
Bill and Account Collectors earn a median of $47,030 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 8% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $22.61/hr. The middle half earn between $39,010 and $56,740. The top 10% earn $65,580 or more.
How much do debt collectors make an hour?
The median hourly wage for bill and account collectors is $22.61 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $47,030 annual median works out to about $3,920 a month before tax.
What is the starting salary for a debt collector?
BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of bill and account collectors earn less than $34,400 a year and the bottom quarter less than $39,010 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.
Which states pay debt collectors the most?
The highest state medians for Bill and Account Collectors are District of Columbia ($62,230), Alaska ($60,810), Massachusetts ($59,800) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Alaska moves to the top at $59,409.
What kind of debt collector earns the most?
BLS does not split bill and account collectors' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $65,580, against a median of $47,030 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are District of Columbia ($62,230), Alaska ($60,810), Massachusetts ($59,800).
Do you need a degree to become a debt collector?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Bill and Account Collectors. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 48.2% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is debt collector a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 10.4% over 2025–2035, a loss of 16,700 jobs (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 11,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a debt collector do?
Bill and account collectors try to recover payment on overdue bills. A core O*NET task: answer customer questions regarding problems with their accounts. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Electronic mail software, Enterprise resource planning ERP software.
Do debt collectors work 40 hours a week?
Yes, for most. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 5% of bill and account collectors usually work more than 40 hours a week, 93% work exactly 40 and 2% work fewer. 100% say their schedule is regular and 0% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.
What personality type suits a debt collector?
O*NET scores Bill and Account Collectors highest on the Conventional, Enterprising and Social interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.
How long does it take to become a debt collector?
No programme; training happens after hire. BLS records a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education, with on-the-job training in the employer's software, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, state debt collection regulations and negotiation technique.
Do you need a license to work as a debt collector?
Not a state license. Individual collectors are not generally licensed; the licence, where a state requires one, sits on the collection agency. North Carolina, for example, requires a permit from the Commissioner of Insurance before any person, firm, corporation or association may conduct or operate a collection agency in the state, backed by a surety bond in favour of the state and a certification that no officer, individual proprietor or partner has been convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude or violated any state or federal debt collection law. BLS records that new collectors are trained on state debt collection regulations precisely because those differ, so check the banking, financial institutions or insurance regulator in each state you collect in, not only the one you sit in. Regulation F, by contrast, is federal and applies identically everywhere.
What percentage of debt collectors are women?
Women make up 67.0% of bill and account collectors, against 47.1% of all employed people: more women than in the workforce as a whole. 24.3% are 55 or older, close to the 23.2% across all jobs. The median worker is 45.5 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.