How to hire a business office clerk

How to hire a business office clerk, step by step

Here's a step-by-step business office clerk hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a business office clerk job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new business office clerk
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a business office clerk do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The business office clerk hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect business office clerk also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of business office clerk salaries for various roles:

   Type of Business Office Clerk	Description	Hourly rate
   Business Office Clerk	General office clerks perform a variety of clerical tasks, including answering telephones, typing documents, and filing records.	$10-17
   Receptionist/Billing Clerk	A receptionist/billing clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties as needed to maintain a smooth flow of operations for the business. Receptionist/billing clerks process the customers' payment transactions, manage account payables, releasing invoices, and immediately resolve account discrepancies... Show more	$12-18
   Clerk	Clerks are responsible for many of the general administrative tasks in the office. They are in charge of manning office telephone lines, managing incoming and outgoing mails, filing paperwork and other needed records, scheduling and documenting meetings, typing out documents when needed, disseminating memos and other official announcements, and keeping an inventory of office equipment and supplies... Show more	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Data Entry
   • Insurance Verification
   • Hippa
   • Office Equipment
   • Customer Service
   • Patient Accounts
   • Word Processing
   • Payroll
   • Office Machines
   • Cash Handling
   • Computer System
   • Multi-Line Phone System
   • Medical Charts

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage front office check-in, insurance verification and certifications from doctors.
   • Verify insurance using knowledge of medical terminology, provide customer service, and schedule patients for surgery.
   • Demonstrate ICD-9, CPT, and data entry.
   • Expand knowledge of ICD-9, CPT and HCPCS codes to include cardiovascular procedures
   • Complete duties in payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable, purchase orders and internal control implementations.
   • Ensure all documents are completed, charts update, and records meet HIPPA regulations.

   More business office clerk duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the business office clerk job description is a good way to get more applicants. A business office clerk salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a business office clerk in South Carolina may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level business office clerk. Additionally, a business office clerk with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average business office clerk salary

   $13.51hourly

   $28,097 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level business office clerk salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average business office clerk salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$40,495	$19
   2	Rhode Island	$38,787	$19
   3	Minnesota	$38,538	$19
   4	California	$36,600	$18
   5	Colorado	$35,667	$17
   6	Nevada	$35,302	$17
   7	New York	$34,938	$17
   8	Michigan	$34,844	$17
   9	Pennsylvania	$34,101	$16
   10	Illinois	$33,152	$16
   11	New Jersey	$31,774	$15
   12	Wisconsin	$31,296	$15
   13	Arizona	$30,280	$15
   14	Missouri	$28,356	$14
   15	Florida	$27,221	$13
   16	Tennessee	$26,953	$13
   17	Kentucky	$26,100	$13
   18	Texas	$25,474	$12
   19	Mississippi	$24,804	$12

   Average business office clerk salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$43,184	$20.76	277
   2	Student Conservation Association	$38,658	$18.59
   3	Lincoln Tech	$34,840	$16.75	2
   4	Holzer Health System	$34,500	$16.59
   5	Presbyterian	$32,960	$15.85	14
   6	Surgery Partners	$32,613	$15.68	42
   7	Community Hospitals and Wellness Centers	$31,963	$15.37
   8	NextCare Urgent Care	$31,528	$15.16
   9	Appalachian Regional Healthcare	$31,454	$15.12	8
   10	Trinity Health	$31,353	$15.07	287
   11	Green Janet Lynne	$30,982	$14.90
   12	We Care	$30,840	$14.83	3
   13	The Niello Company	$30,136	$14.49
   14	Surgery.com	$29,999	$14.42	1
   15	Jerry Durant Auto Group	$29,948	$14.40	4
   16	Great Hearts Texas	$29,339	$14.11	9
   17	The GEO Group	$29,320	$14.10	38
   18	Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute	$29,182	$14.03	21
   19	Sanford Health	$29,013	$13.95	94
   20	Staff On Site	$28,805	$13.85	1

4. Writing a business office clerk job description

   A good business office clerk job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a business office clerk job description:

   Business office clerk job description example

   PATH (People Acting to Help) Inc. is a comprehensive Community Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Center. We offer a wide of array of services and supports to meet the needs of our community in Northeast Philadelphia. PATH regularly achieves the highest levels of accreditation including a 5 Star Provider Rating by CBH, Philadelphia’s Managed Care Entity, and recognition and awards related to our high-quality, innovative programs and staff accomplishments and contributions.

   Our Mission? To Help Individuals Achieve a More Independent and Fulfilling Life.

   WHY WORK AT PATH?

   PATH understands the importance of having benefits, and so a comprehensive package is offered to our employees including:

   A company sponsored 403b retirement plan, Health Insurance (Medical Services, Prescriptions, Dental & Vision), Sick Leave, Personal & Vacation Time, Paid Holidays, Life Insurance, and Long-Term Disability!

   JOB SUMMARY:

   To promote the mission of PATH to help individuals achieve a more independent and fulfilling life by being an effective team member. Obtain financial information from clients to assess their ability to pay for service, including sliding-scale for Self-Pay clients. Post all charges as related to liability tasks. Review existing clients on a regular basis to ensure on-going coverage. Collect co-pays for Self-Pay, Medicaid Fee-For-Service and Medicare clients. Provide Accounts Receivable staff with information needed for billing Guarantors.

   QUALIFICATIONS:

   • High School Diploma
   • Two years increasingly responsible experience with medical or behavioral healthcare insurance coverage determination of clients.
   • General knowledge of insurance terms and practices.
   • Knowledge of MA billing and third-party billing.
   • Experience dealing with the public in person and by telephone.

   SPECIFIC DUTIES:

   • Interview new clients to determine coverage, if any, and complete financial application to determine client liability based on the Sliding Fee scale.
   • Compute client liability for services based upon the information provided and EVS status.
   • Enter client registration information in the computer.
   • Add/update client liability and/or funding status in the computer.
   • Upon completion of initial eligibility, mail packet of signed forms along with all other documents as determined if the interview is completed by telephone.
   • Run EVS for scheduled clients and on a regular basis for all clients.
   • Inform supervisor of funding source discrepancies.
   • Complete liability waiver form for BH Director to approve and sign, if appropriate.
   • Collect co-pays for Sliding Fee clients.
   • Collect deductibles and co-pays for clients who have Medicare coverage only.
   • Collect deductibles for clients who have Medicaid Fee-For-Service coverage (General Assistance).
   • Update client data in computer as it becomes available.
   • Perform all other duties as assigned.

   PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

   Minimal in nature.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find business office clerks for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any business office clerks they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level business office clerks with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your business office clerk job on Zippia to find and recruit business office clerk candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting business office clerks requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new business office clerk

   Once you have selected a candidate for the business office clerk position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new business office clerk first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a business office clerk?