Debt counselor vs collections/accounts receivable

The differences between debt counselors and collections/accounts receivables 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 collections/accounts receivable takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a collections/accounts receivable has an average salary of $38,949, which is higher than the $37,932 average annual salary of a debt counselor.

The top three skills for a debt counselor include outbound calls, inbound calls and customer service. The most important skills for a collections/accounts receivable are customer service, patients, and delinquent accounts.

Debt counselor vs collections/accounts receivable overview

	Debt Counselor	Collections/Accounts Receivable
Yearly salary	$37,932	$38,949
Hourly rate	$18.24	$18.73
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	27,258	30,523
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	45	46
Years of experience	2	12

Debt counselor vs collections/accounts receivable salary

Debt counselors and collections/accounts receivables have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Debt Counselor	Collections/Accounts Receivable
Average salary	$37,932	$38,949
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $51,000	Between $30,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	Apollo Global Management
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between debt counselor and collections/accounts receivable education

There are a few differences between a debt counselor and a collections/accounts receivable in terms of educational background:

	Debt Counselor	Collections/Accounts Receivable
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Debt counselor vs collections/accounts receivable demographics

Here are the differences between debt counselors' and collections/accounts receivables' demographics:

	Debt Counselor	Collections/Accounts Receivable
Average age	45	46
Gender ratio	Male, 46.8% Female, 53.2%	Male, 25.3% Female, 74.7%
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, 12.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between debt counselor and collections/accounts receivable 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.

Collections/accounts receivable example 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.
Communicate effectively with patients, physicians, hospital staff, and insurance representatives to ensure accuracy in claims processing.
Review claims to determine if process correctly and if necessary, direct patients to contact insurance companies regarding additional benefit questions.

Debt counselor vs collections/accounts receivable skills

Common debt counselor skills

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

Common collections/accounts receivable skills

Customer Service, 21%
Patients, 6%
Delinquent Accounts, 5%
Credit Card Payments, 5%
Past Due Accounts, 5%
Customer Accounts, 5%

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Debt Counselor
Debt Counselor vs Collections/Accounts Receivable

Updated January 8, 2025

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