Collections associate vs accounts receivable analyst

The differences between collections associates and accounts receivable analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a collections associate and an accounts receivable analyst. Additionally, an accounts receivable analyst has an average salary of $43,692, which is higher than the $38,589 average annual salary of a collections associate.

The top three skills for a collections associate include phone calls, customer service and UPC. The most important skills for an accounts receivable analyst are customer service, reconciliations, and customer accounts.

Collections associate vs accounts receivable analyst overview

	Collections Associate	Accounts Receivable Analyst
Yearly salary	$38,589	$43,692
Hourly rate	$18.55	$21.01
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	20,297	26,558
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	12	12

What does a collections associate do?

A collections associate is an individual who acts as a liaison between creditors and customers to collect outstanding payments and negotiates debt payments. Collections associates must contact debtors through telephone to negotiate debt recovery and prevent recurring delinquency. They must enact debt recovery plans and collaborate with other departments on debt collection strategies. They are required to research publicly-available resources such as loan documents and background checks to track down defaulters. They must also initiate legal proceedings when debt recovery fails and send statements of delinquency to the credit bureau.

What does an accounts receivable analyst do?

An Accounts Receivable Analyst provides accounts receivable support through monitoring all aspects of the collection of outstanding debts owed to a company. They check missing and unresolved payment issues, monitor overdue accounts, and prepare statements for managers.

Collections associate vs accounts receivable analyst salary

Collections associates and accounts receivable analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Collections Associate	Accounts Receivable Analyst
Average salary	$38,589	$43,692
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $63,000	Between $33,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	Danbury, CT	Arlington, VA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Connecticut
Best paying company	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC
Best paying industry	Finance	Hospitality

Differences between collections associate and accounts receivable analyst education

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

	Collections Associate	Accounts Receivable Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Collections associate vs accounts receivable analyst demographics

Here are the differences between collections associates' and accounts receivable analysts' demographics:

	Collections Associate	Accounts Receivable Analyst
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6%	Male, 29.4% Female, 70.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 3.8% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 14.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 3.5% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between collections associate and accounts receivable analyst duties and responsibilities

Collections associate example responsibilities.

Plan and conduct sensitive HUMINT collection operations with an emphasis on managing and debriefing confidential sources.
Perform follow up on Medicaid accounts.
Execute assertive collection skills for inbound/outbound calls while meeting FDCPA guidelines.
Call center collections following FDCPA guidelines for third party outbound collections.
Perform collections activities on delinquent loan accounts to include repossessions, foreclosures, bankruptcy proceedings, and disposition of repossess assets.
Position requires knowledge of Medicaid/Medicare formulary of cover drugs, the dosage and restrictions.

Accounts receivable analyst example responsibilities.

Manage profitable accounts receivable ledgers for existing and new clientele maintaining accuracy of monies enter to appropriate relate account.
Perform and analyze all accounts receivable duties, including proper application of cash, check, ACH, and wire transactions.
Forecast estimate check clearing, deposits, ACH activities and other variables in order to set guidelines for daily cash position.
Verify benefits and eligibility for new patients.
Determine medical benefits base on contractual agreements assuring benefits are applied correctly for patients during claims processing.
Code invoices, research customer information, perform detail reconciliations, analyze exceptions with customer information and billing.

Collections associate vs accounts receivable analyst skills

Common collections associate skills

Phone Calls, 16%
Customer Service, 14%
UPC, 10%
Time Card, 7%
Retail Store, 7%
Patients, 4%

Common accounts receivable analyst skills

Customer Service, 13%
Reconciliations, 8%
Customer Accounts, 7%
Pivot Tables, 4%
Patients, 4%
Financial Reports, 4%

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Collections Associate
Collections Associate vs Accounts Receivable Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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