Debt counselor vs bill collector

The differences between debt counselors and bill collectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a debt counselor, becoming a bill collector takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a debt counselor has an average salary of $37,932, which is higher than the $35,585 average annual salary of a bill collector.

The top three skills for a debt counselor include outbound calls, inbound calls and customer service. The most important skills for a bill collector are patients, customer service, and medicaid.

Debt counselor vs bill collector overview

	Debt Counselor	Bill Collector
Yearly salary	$37,932	$35,585
Hourly rate	$18.24	$17.11
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	27,258	23,746
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	High School Diploma, 27%
Average age	45	46
Years of experience	2	12

Debt counselor vs bill collector salary

Debt counselors and bill collectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Debt Counselor	Bill Collector
Average salary	$37,932	$35,585
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $51,000	Between $30,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Pittsfield, MA
Highest paying state	-	Virginia
Best paying company	-	Retina Group Of Washington
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between debt counselor and bill collector education

There are a few differences between a debt counselor and a bill collector in terms of educational background:

	Debt Counselor	Bill Collector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	High School Diploma, 27%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Debt counselor vs bill collector demographics

Here are the differences between debt counselors' and bill collectors' demographics:

	Debt Counselor	Bill Collector
Average age	45	46
Gender ratio	Male, 46.8% Female, 53.2%	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 6.1% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 24.0% Asian, 3.5% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between debt counselor and bill collector duties and responsibilities

Debt counselor example responsibilities.

Manage patient focuse reports, collection modules, provider/facility A/R, collections, patient discharge letters.
Comply with all of the FDCPA guidelines.
Perform numerous acts of repossession and litigation on a daily basis.
Complete standard legal garnishment forms for review, and forward to litigation department.
Provide administrative support by the filing electronic claims to Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers for emergency and non-emergency transports.
Utilize FDCRA and NFCC guidelines.

Bill collector example responsibilities.

Prevent impeding loss and increasing profitability through negotiation and enforcement of schedule collection campaigns, consistently achieving high success standards.
Follow HIPPA and FDCPA guidelines to ensure legal collection practices are utilized.
Bill and collect all skil Medicare, and other insurance claims which include HMO claims denials.
Provide patients with information and resources essential to their financial needs including payment arrangements and account reminders.
Take payments by ACH and debit cards.
Collect A/R payments from medical insurance companies and customers.

Debt counselor vs bill collector skills

Common debt counselor skills

Outbound Calls, 20%
Inbound Calls, 15%
Customer Service, 14%
Delinquent Accounts, 9%
Payment Arrangements, 6%
Credit Reports, 4%

Common bill collector skills

Patients, 19%
Customer Service, 7%
Medicaid, 6%
Medical Billing, 4%
Patient Accounts, 4%
Appeals, 4%