Accounts receivable specialist vs collections coordinator

The differences between accounts receivable specialists and collections coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an accounts receivable specialist and a collections coordinator. Additionally, an accounts receivable specialist has an average salary of $39,873, which is higher than the $37,938 average annual salary of a collections coordinator.

The top three skills for an accounts receivable specialist include customer service, patients and data entry. The most important skills for a collections coordinator are customer service, patients, and phone calls.

Accounts receivable specialist vs collections coordinator overview

	Accounts Receivable Specialist	Collections Coordinator
Yearly salary	$39,873	$37,938
Hourly rate	$19.17	$18.24
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	61,988	40,113
Job satisfaction	4.5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	12	12

What does an accounts receivable specialist do?

Accounts receivable specialists are members of the organization's finance or accounting department. They are responsible for managing the collection of payments for the company. They prepare official receipts and coordinate with account payable specialists from other companies with pending payables. They ensure that clients pay on time, and they also follow up on payments when necessary. They are responsible for checking whether the clients have already paid in full. Accounts receivable specialists are in charge of updating accounting records as well to ensure that client records are up to date.

What does a collections coordinator do?

Usually working alongside a company's account receivables team, a collections coordinator is in charge of developing strategies to optimize the payment collection operations. Among their responsibilities include reaching out to clients through calls or correspondence to remind them of their payment obligations, arranging appointments, processing payments, arranging payment terms, and researching a client's communication information such as cellphone number, address, or email. Moreover, a collections coordinator must maintain an active communication line with staff while promoting and enforcing the company's policies and regulations.

Accounts receivable specialist vs collections coordinator salary

Accounts receivable specialists and collections coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounts Receivable Specialist	Collections Coordinator
Average salary	$39,873	$37,938
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $50,000	Between $30,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Connecticut
Best paying company	InfosysPublicService	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Technology	Professional

Differences between accounts receivable specialist and collections coordinator education

There are a few differences between an accounts receivable specialist and a collections coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Accounts Receivable Specialist	Collections Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Accounts receivable specialist vs collections coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between accounts receivable specialists' and collections coordinators' demographics:

	Accounts Receivable Specialist	Collections Coordinator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 18.2% Female, 81.8%	Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 3.9% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 3.6% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between accounts receivable specialist and collections coordinator duties and responsibilities

Accounts receivable specialist example responsibilities.

Manage profitable accounts receivable ledgers for existing and new clientele maintaining accuracy of monies enter to appropriate relate account.
Perform accounts reconciliations, complex invoice research, statement reconciliations, complex invoice research, statement reconciliation and journal entries.
Follow company's standard operating procedures in cooperation with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance providers to resolve billing issues.
Cash and credit allocation of customer payments in ROSS ERP system.
Prepare PowerPoint presentations, word documents, letters and spreadsheets while meeting deadlines.
Reconcile direct billing accounts and adjust product pricing utilizing JD Edwards EnterpriseONE ERP system.

Collections coordinator example responsibilities.

Plan and conduct sensitive HUMINT collection operations with an emphasis on managing and debriefing confidential sources.
Manage accounts receivable/payment, insurance billing and follow-up for a solo physician clinic, and direct communication with patients regarding bills.
Audit outstanding accounts and resolve any balances including calling Medicare, Medicaid, government, private or commercial insurances.
Perform daily follow-up on Medicare, Medicaid, workers compensation and commercial insurances.
Hand illustrate fully render with marker and colore pencil sketches and Photoshop render drawings.
Submit insurance appeals and provider disputes when necessary.

Accounts receivable specialist vs collections coordinator skills

Common accounts receivable specialist skills

Customer Service, 15%
Patients, 9%
Data Entry, 5%
Credit Card Payments, 4%
Reconciliations, 4%
Accounts Receivables, 3%

Common collections coordinator skills

Customer Service, 15%
Patients, 12%
Phone Calls, 6%
Collection Efforts, 4%
Delinquent Accounts, 4%
Appeals, 4%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Accounts Receivable Specialist
Accounts Receivable Specialist vs Collections Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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