Credit clerk vs credit representative

The differences between credit clerks and credit representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a credit clerk, becoming a credit representative takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a credit representative has an average salary of $39,268, which is higher than the $32,870 average annual salary of a credit clerk.

The top three skills for a credit clerk include data entry, customer service and customer accounts. The most important skills for a credit representative are customer service, customer accounts, and patients.

Credit clerk vs credit representative overview

	Credit Clerk	Credit Representative
Yearly salary	$32,870	$39,268
Hourly rate	$15.80	$18.88
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	86,922	73,520
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	51	39
Years of experience	6	2

What does a credit clerk do?

Credit clerks control their company's credit and collection policies and daily procedures. They use the database to improve their organization's collections and maintain records for internal control and compliance. They deal with collecting, investigating, analyzing, and correcting disputed accounts to serve customers better and increase their collection rate. These clerks work with a credit manager to identify which accounts need to be written off for bad debt and solve complex cases that require special collection attention. They sometimes negotiate with customers to discuss the terms of payment for their unpaid balances.

What does a credit representative do?

Credit representatives are professionals who analyze the credit data and the financial statements of firms or individuals for the determination of the risk in lending money or extending credit. The representatives are tasked to prepare reports with credit information used in decision making. They manage credit files and process credit reports from different credit reporting sources. They also mentor and coach credit representatives newly hired in corporate procedures and policies. Also, they expand collection procedures and policies to lessen DSO parameter risk.

Credit clerk vs credit representative salary

Credit clerks and credit representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Credit Clerk	Credit Representative
Average salary	$32,870	$39,268
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $28,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, OR	White Plains, NY
Highest paying state	Oregon	New York
Best paying company	JBS USA	Systemax
Best paying industry	Automotive	Construction

Differences between credit clerk and credit representative education

There are a few differences between a credit clerk and a credit representative in terms of educational background:

	Credit Clerk	Credit Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Credit clerk vs credit representative demographics

Here are the differences between credit clerks' and credit representatives' demographics:

	Credit Clerk	Credit Representative
Average age	51	39
Gender ratio	Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7%	Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 2.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 7.8% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	7%	11%

Differences between credit clerk and credit representative duties and responsibilities

Credit clerk example responsibilities.

Manage resident's private information for insurance verification, billing, and eligibility to apply for Medicaid.
Maintain payroll, attendance records, coordinate group travel arrangements and conference calls.
Prepare, check, and maintain various records and payroll reports.
Transfer loans from warehouse to permanent investor reports on the CPI systems.
Process applications for credit, Microsoft excel, AS400 , 10key by touch, type 45 wpm.
Travele to the post office to drop off approve incidents and pick up remittance items from the assigned lockboxes.

Credit representative example responsibilities.

Manage portfolio utilizing AS400 and GetPaid systems.
Manage all credit files and process credit reports from various credit reporting sources including TRW and Dunn & Bradstreet.
Manage customer relations with internal personnel, group administrators, brokers and members as related to Medicare insurance.
Apply customer credit card and ACH payments.
Perform the posting of checks refunds and credit cards into the AS400 database.
Collect invoices through wire payment, ACH payments, and overnight mail options.

Credit clerk vs credit representative skills

Common credit clerk skills

Data Entry, 13%
Customer Service, 12%
Customer Accounts, 6%
Credit Card Payments, 5%
Financial Statements, 5%
AS400, 4%

Common credit representative skills

Customer Service, 22%
Customer Accounts, 6%
Patients, 5%
Credit Card Payments, 4%
Credit Balances, 4%
Payment Arrangements, 4%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Credit Clerk
Credit Clerk vs Credit Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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