Collection analyst vs accounts receivable specialist

The differences between collection analysts and accounts receivable specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a collection analyst and an accounts receivable specialist. Additionally, a collection analyst has an average salary of $46,819, which is higher than the $39,873 average annual salary of an accounts receivable specialist.

The top three skills for a collection analyst include customer service, portfolio and patients. The most important skills for an accounts receivable specialist are customer service, patients, and data entry.

Collection analyst vs accounts receivable specialist overview

	Collection Analyst	Accounts Receivable Specialist
Yearly salary	$46,819	$39,873
Hourly rate	$22.51	$19.17
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	28,967	61,988
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	12	12

What does a collection analyst do?

Collections analysts assess the riskiness of a company or person in credit extension and repayment collection. The analysts manage data processing contract procurement negotiation. They help in the quarterly and yearly external and internal audits. It is part of their job to collect the first payment default and make sure that portfolios are inappropriate performance. They also act on collection calls for the area of responsibility assigned to them.

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.

Collection analyst vs accounts receivable specialist salary

Collection analysts and accounts receivable specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Collection Analyst	Accounts Receivable Specialist
Average salary	$46,819	$39,873
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $69,000	Between $31,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Connecticut
Best paying company	American Tower	InfosysPublicService
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between collection analyst and accounts receivable specialist education

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

	Collection Analyst	Accounts Receivable Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Collection analyst vs accounts receivable specialist demographics

Here are the differences between collection analysts' and accounts receivable specialists' demographics:

	Collection Analyst	Accounts Receivable Specialist
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 37.7% Female, 62.3%	Male, 18.2% Female, 81.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 4.0% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between collection analyst and accounts receivable specialist duties and responsibilities

Collection analyst example responsibilities.

Represent and lead the collections' team during executive management weekly conference calls providing updates on the delinquent A/R reports.
Assist in reducing the DSO down and limit bad debt expense while focusing on building revenue.
Maintain customer relations while improving company DSO.
Work remittance advice from Medicaid and Medicare ensuring accuracy of payments, correcting account billing according with Medicaid or Medicare disposition.
Do credit checks for new clients with Dunn & Bradstreet along with Equifax.
Perform processing functions necessary to ensure timely and accurate DME billing.

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.

Collection analyst vs accounts receivable specialist skills

Common collection analyst skills

Customer Service, 16%
Portfolio, 9%
Patients, 5%
Customer Accounts, 5%
Delinquent Accounts, 4%
Reconciliations, 4%

Common accounts receivable specialist skills

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

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Collection Analyst
Collection Analyst vs Accounts Receivable Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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