How to hire a collections associate

How to hire a collections associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step collections associate hiring guide:

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

What does a collections associate do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the collections associate you need to hire. Certain collections associate roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A collections associate's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, collections associates from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents collections associate salaries for various positions.

   Type of Collections Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Collections Associate	Bill and account collectors, sometimes called collectors, try to recover payment on overdue bills. They negotiate repayment plans with debtors and help them find solutions to make paying their overdue bills easier.	$11-30
   Account Representative	Account representatives are employees who manage client accounts and act as the main contact of the clients they are handling. They maintain existing accounts by updating client details regularly... Show more	$12-24
   Accounts Receivable Analyst	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.	$15-27

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Phone Calls
   • Customer Service
   • UPC
   • Time Card
   • Retail Store
   • Patients
   • Data Entry
   • Delinquent Accounts
   • Collection Efforts
   • Payment Arrangements
   • Past Due Accounts
   • Customer Accounts
   • District Management
   • FDCPA

   Check all skills

   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.

   More collections associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your collections associate job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A collections associate salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a collections associate in Utah may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level collections associate usually earns less than a senior-level collections associate. Additionally, a collections associate with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average collections associate salary

   $38,589yearly

   $18.55 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level collections associate salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average collections associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Connecticut	$56,343	$27
   2	New York	$55,097	$26
   3	Pennsylvania	$51,090	$25
   4	New Jersey	$48,582	$23
   5	California	$46,932	$23
   6	Michigan	$45,140	$22
   7	Virginia	$44,507	$21
   8	Illinois	$43,667	$21
   9	Ohio	$39,990	$19
   10	Washington	$39,431	$19
   11	Minnesota	$37,558	$18
   12	Wisconsin	$37,075	$18
   13	Florida	$36,754	$18
   14	Georgia	$36,113	$17
   15	Indiana	$35,197	$17
   16	Colorado	$35,171	$17
   17	North Carolina	$35,105	$17
   18	Texas	$33,930	$16
   19	Tennessee	$32,406	$16
   20	Oklahoma	$31,814	$15

   Average collections associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$87,312	$41.98	13
   2	Moody's	$78,084	$37.54
   3	Discover	$60,792	$29.23
   4	iCAD	$58,075	$27.92
   5	Capital One	$55,355	$26.61
   6	New York University	$53,102	$25.53
   7	Wells Fargo	$50,146	$24.11	7
   8	FM Global	$48,198	$23.17
   9	UPS	$47,740	$22.95
   10	Gap Inc.	$47,556	$22.86
   11	Kforce	$45,203	$21.73	13
   12	Boston College	$43,414	$20.87
   13	Arrow Electronics	$41,067	$19.74
   14	Victoria's Secret	$40,788	$19.61	2
   15	ExamWorks	$39,670	$19.07
   16	Medix	$39,515	$19.00	1
   17	Sherwin-Williams	$39,317	$18.90	2
   18	Accounting Services Limited	$39,307	$18.90
   19	Carrier	$38,290	$18.41	4
   20	Middlebury College	$38,196	$18.36	1

4. Writing a collections associate job description

   A collections associate job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a collections associate job description:

   Collections associate job description example

   Associate Collector (Job Fair) - Santa Ana, Costa Rica
   Are you passionate about helping others and providing a world-class customer experience? How about offering up your skills in a global business that is committed to moving money for better? We will host an open event to interview the best candidates to join Western Union as an Associate Collector.
   
   Motivated by our values: purpose driven, globally minded, and trustworthy & respectful
   We're a FinTech that's using insight from customers and colleagues worldwide to improve financial services for families, small businesses, multinational corporations, and non-profit organizations. We're a team of over 8,000 employees serving 200 countries and territories. We believe when money moves, better things happen.
   
   Better starts and ends with the customer
   We'll be looking to you to contact customers to determine reason for payment delinquency and obtain payment commitment by placing outbound calls. These calls are predominantly routine, but may require deviation from standard screens, scripts, and procedures. Utilizing your knowledge of the organization, our products and/or services you'll answer inquiries and resolve problems. It will be up to you to ensure all case notes are comprehensive and accurate.
   
   Here are some skills, attributes, and qualifications you will have:
   English required (B2+ - minimum) Degree educated, or advanced student at University level.Proficiency at excel Customer Service orientation Schedule FlexibilitySelf-motivated Team player Ability to deal effectively with all types of customers
   
   Join us, and let's connect the world
   Western Union is transforming its business and shaping the financial services sector by driving quality, convenience, and customer service to new levels of excellence. It's an exciting time for our organization, as the largest cross-border money transfer operator, trusted by millions of consumers around the world. If you're ready to unleash your potential to help drive change through bottom-up innovation, apply now.
   
   We're a company on the move, and we want our people to grow and develop. You'll have plenty of opportunities to learn new skills and build a career, as well as a great salary and benefits package.
   
   We are passionate about our diversity. Our commitment is to provide an inclusive culture that celebrates the unique backgrounds and perspectives of our global teams while reflecting the communities we serve. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, political affiliation, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, or veteran status. The company will provide accommodation to applicants, including those with disabilities, during the recruitment process, in accordance with applicable laws.
   #LI-YV

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find collections associates for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your collections associate job on Zippia to find and recruit collections associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit collections associates, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 collections associate

   Once you've selected the best collections associate candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new collections associate 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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