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What is a collections/accounts receivable and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
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Accounts receivable workers generate revenue for companies by ensuring all incoming payments are received and billed for goods or services. To do this, you will need to keep an accurate record of incoming payments, review account information, and correct disparity, making sure that journals are up-to-date. Your job duties include preparing and sending invoices to clients, contacting clients to ensure payment of unresolved invoices. You are also to process, verify, and record transactions. Furthermore, you are to generate, maintain, and deliver records about payments and account statuses. You must ensure that records are complete and correct.

To be in charge of the account receivable, you should have a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or related field and at least 2-5 years of experience. You should also have excellent communication, record-keeping, research, and time management skills. You will earn about $17.3 per hour and an average of $35,984 per year on the job.

ScoreCollections/Accounts ReceivableUS Average
Salary
3.0

Avg. Salary $38,949

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.9

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.49%

Asian 3.80%

Black or African American 12.02%

Hispanic or Latino 20.11%

Unknown 4.14%

White 59.44%

Gender

female 74.74%

male 25.26%

Age - 46
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 - 46
Stress level
7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
4.9

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance
7.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Collections/accounts receivable career paths

Key steps to become a collections/accounts receivable

  1. Explore collections/accounts receivable education requirements

    Most common collections/accounts receivable degrees

    Bachelor's

    40.5 %

    Associate

    25.1 %

    High School Diploma

    18.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific collections/accounts receivable skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service21.43%
    Patients6.37%
    Delinquent Accounts5.46%
    Credit Card Payments5.31%
    Past Due Accounts5.00%
  3. Complete relevant collections/accounts receivable training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New collections/accounts receivables 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 collections/accounts receivable based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real collections/accounts receivable resumes.
  4. Research collections/accounts receivable duties and responsibilities

    • Plan and conduct sensitive HUMINT collection operations with an emphasis on managing and debriefing confidential sources.
    • Work accounts receivable for Medicaid verification and payments.
    • Work remittance advice from Medicaid ensuring accuracy of payments.
    • Research and obtain extensive knowledge of FDCPA debt recovery laws and assist in recovering commercial debt from organizations.
  5. Prepare your collections/accounts receivable resume

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

    Choose from 10+ customizable collections/accounts receivable resume templates

    Build a professional collections/accounts receivable 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 collections/accounts receivable resume.
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
    Collections/Accounts Receivable Resume
  6. Apply for collections/accounts receivable jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a collections/accounts receivable job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first collections/accounts receivable job

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Average collections/accounts receivable salary

The average collections/accounts receivable salary in the United States is $38,949 per year or $19 per hour. Collections/accounts receivable salaries range between $30,000 and $49,000 per year.

Average collections/accounts receivable salary
$38,949 Yearly
$18.73 hourly

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How do collections/accounts receivables rate their job?

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Collections/accounts receivable reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

Investigating claims of denials and getting claims pain in a timely manner

Cons

Nothing


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019
Pros

Resolving problems and the everyday challenge

Cons

Highly stressful, under-appreciated and other departments not recognizing the value of the AR department.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2019
Pros

Assisting others, meeting goals and deadlines, process management, project management

Cons

Nonresponsive attorneys for billing deadline


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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