How To Become A Billing Associate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a billing associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Billing associates process payments and invoices for customers and ensure all financial reports are documented accurately and prepared for auditing purposes. As a billing associate, you are responsible for reaching out to clients about outstanding payments, responding to their queries, keeping track of all payments, and preparing monthly billing reports. Also, you have to assist the accounting team with preparing financial reports, managing account balances, and resolving inconsistencies. You are also in charge of updating account reports with issued invoices, processed payments, new balances, customer contact information, and all other necessary information.

You need math skills, organization skills, communication skills, time management skills, attention to detail, the ability to work under pressure, and relevant knowledge of accounting standards and legal regulations for this role. You should also have a degree in business, accounting, or a related course. As a billing associate, you will earn an average of $34,154 per year.

ScoreBilling AssociateUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,612

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.2

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.87%

Asian 7.58%

Black or African American 10.66%

Hispanic or Latino 18.46%

Unknown 4.39%

White 58.03%

Gender

female 79.37%

male 20.63%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a billing associate

Explore billing associate education requirements

Most common billing associate degrees

Bachelor's

42.9 %

Associate

26.4 %

High School Diploma

11.9 %

Start to develop specific billing associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	14.59%
Customer Service	12.25%
Data Entry	11.00%
Medical Billing	5.13%
Insurance Billing	3.35%

Complete relevant billing associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New billing associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a billing associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real billing associate resumes.

Gain additional billing associate certifications

Billing associate certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific billing associate certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for billing associates include Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) and Certified Coding Specialist (CCS).

More About Certifications

Research billing associate duties and responsibilities

Manage the submission and reimbursement of claims bill to insurance companies using ICD-9 coding.
Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Verify correct ICD-9 and CPT codes for a variety of specialties submission of electronic claims to clearinghouse.
Ensure appropriate medical terminology and HIPAA compliance for all claims entry/online submissions, payment posting, insurance and patient aging.

Prepare your billing associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your billing associate resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a billing associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable billing associate resume templates

Build a professional billing associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your billing associate resume.