Bill collector vs collections representative

The differences between bill collectors and collections representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a bill collector and a collections representative. Additionally, a bill collector has an average salary of $35,585, which is higher than the $34,015 average annual salary of a collections representative.

The top three skills for a bill collector include patients, customer service and medicaid. The most important skills for a collections representative are payment arrangements, customer service, and delinquent accounts.

Bill collector vs collections representative overview

	Bill Collector	Collections Representative
Yearly salary	$35,585	$34,015
Hourly rate	$17.11	$16.35
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	23,746	85,275
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 27%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	12	12

What does a bill collector do?

A bill collector is responsible for reaching out to the customers to collect overdue payments, negotiate repayment plans, and update account information upon settling of payments. Bill collectors monitor the contact details of the customer, utilizing locator tools and software as required by the organization, and review contract terms to decide on credit advice or escalate the issue to a higher tier. A bill collector must have excellent communication and customer service skills, especially in explaining the customer's case and perform debt collection duties efficiently.

What does a collections representative do?

A Collections Representative's role is to collect payment for outstanding or overdue bills through phone calls, email, mail, or sometimes personal appointments. A Collections Representative is required to have a great deal of research and communication skills in order to reach out to people and explain how to settle their debts or even negotiate a payment term or plan. Collections Representatives must also make sure that these terms are honored and met, and create reports for the creditor regarding the delinquent accounts.

Bill collector vs collections representative salary

Bill collectors and collections representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bill Collector	Collections Representative
Average salary	$35,585	$34,015
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Pittsfield, MA	San Ramon, CA
Highest paying state	Virginia	California
Best paying company	Retina Group Of Washington	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between bill collector and collections representative education

There are a few differences between a bill collector and a collections representative in terms of educational background:

	Bill Collector	Collections Representative
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 27%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Bill collector vs collections representative demographics

Here are the differences between bill collectors' and collections representatives' demographics:

	Bill Collector	Collections Representative
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%	Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 24.0% Asian, 3.5% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between bill collector and collections representative duties and responsibilities

Bill collector example responsibilities.

Prevent impeding loss and increasing profitability through negotiation and enforcement of schedule collection campaigns, consistently achieving high success standards.
Follow HIPPA and FDCPA guidelines to ensure legal collection practices are utilized.
Bill and collect all skil Medicare, and other insurance claims which include HMO claims denials.
Provide patients with information and resources essential to their financial needs including payment arrangements and account reminders.
Take payments by ACH and debit cards.
Collect A/R payments from medical insurance companies and customers.

Collections representative example responsibilities.

Protect A/R assets by managing a portfolio of accounts to maximize gainful sales and reduce debt losses.
Maintain effective communication and utilize negotiation skills with internal and external customers to effect collections while maintaining customer good will.
Submit all reconsideration and appeals if need.
Conduct periodic data cleaning of queues balances deny with deny appeals.
Resolve valid or authorize NSF charges due to decline credit cards or ACH transactions.
Collect and count inventories, reconcile purchases and scan UPC's and inputting price information.

Bill collector vs collections representative skills

Common bill collector skills

Patients, 19%
Customer Service, 7%
Medicaid, 6%
Medical Billing, 4%
Patient Accounts, 4%
Appeals, 4%

Common collections representative skills

Payment Arrangements, 14%
Customer Service, 13%
Delinquent Accounts, 9%
Past Due Accounts, 6%
Customer Accounts, 4%
Debt Repayment, 4%

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Bill Collector
Bill Collector vs Collections Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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