How To Become A Claims Administrator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a claims administrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Eileen Cyr Ed.D.

A claims administrator is an individual who manages claims for various insurance companies in the areas of healthcare, automotive, mortgage, or workers compensation. These professionals act as third parties between customers, businesses, and insurance companies and play an important role in class action lawsuits and in cases where customers seek compensation for injuries or damages. A claims administrator collaborates with insurance companies and researches claims to determine if the company is liable in conditions where clients seek damages.

Claims administrators perform various administrative duties related to insurance claims, as well as review billing and payments. They also manage employee compensation files in the event of work-related injuries and worker's compensation claims. Most claim administrators work in an office environment during a normal workweek and must have excellent verbal, communication, analytical and organizational skills. They should be comfortable working with computers, spreadsheets and have a working knowledge of accounting and mathematics.

Many claim administrators have a bachelor's degree in accounting, business, or a related field; however, an advanced degree is not necessarily critical if the individual has comparable skills and knowledge. Claims administrators can make up to $31,000 a year in the US, and the job market is expected to grow 5% by 2018.

What general advice would you give to a claims administrator?

Eileen Cyr Ed.D.

Professor, Springfield College

Use every resource at their disposal to increase their understanding of SEL and FACE. Build a resume that provides evidence of their ability to thrive in both a virtual and face to face classroom. Be prepared to engage with online platforms like Zoom, Nearpod, Jamboard, Padlet, and google slides.

Breathe - the airline advice of putting on your oxygen mask before assisting others is 100% applicable to today's teachers.

ScoreClaims AdministratorUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $36,432

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.2

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.48%

Asian 3.89%

Black or African American 13.78%

Hispanic or Latino 14.38%

Unknown 4.28%

White 63.20%

Gender

female 71.08%

male 28.92%

Age - 44

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 - 44

Stress level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

9.5

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a claims administrator

Explore claims administrator education requirements

Most common claims administrator degrees

Bachelor's

53.3 %

Associate

21.2 %

High School Diploma

12.3 %

Start to develop specific claims administrator skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Entry	12.13%
Customer Service	8.51%
Process Claims	8.16%
Phone Calls	7.01%
HR	4.65%

Complete relevant claims administrator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New claims administrators 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 claims administrator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real claims administrator resumes.

Research claims administrator duties and responsibilities

Manage adding and removing vendors through claims automate system to ensure they are in compliance with IRS regulations.
Implement HIPAA regulations to protect patient privacy.
Adjudicate medical, commercial and Medicaid, claims.
Code medical records by following current ICD-9/ICD-10, CPT, and HCPCS standards.

Prepare your claims administrator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your claims administrator 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 claims administrator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable claims administrator resume templates

Build a professional claims administrator 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 claims administrator resume.