Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
What is an insurance clerk and how to become one
An insurance clerk deals with insurance applications, reinstatements, modifications, and cancellations. They work alongside insurance agents and communicate with policyholders to keep the insurance information updated and accurate.
Keeping the records timely is essential for both the insurance company and the policyholders. This makes the role of the insurance clerk crucial in the determination of the validity of coverage and the extent of insurance benefits. They must correctly transfer information to databases and worksheets.
They may act as customer service representatives to find new clients. This task necessitates communication skills to gather information from clients, inquire about their insurance claims, and answer client queries. Math and problem-solving skills are needed qualities to be an efficient insurance clerk since they may review bills and other financial documents. They should also know how to utilize computer applications to input and organize data.
Pursuing a career as an insurance clerk requires a bachelor's degree in accounting, business administration, or a related field. Prior work experience is a huge advantage. People working in this position earn $14.26 an hour, which amounts to an annual salary of $29,655.
Avg. Salary $33,089
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate -3%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.48%
Asian 3.89%
Black or African American 13.78%
Hispanic or Latino 14.38%
Unknown 4.28%
White 63.20%
Genderfemale 91.69%
male 8.31%
Age - 44American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 44Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is excellent
6.4 - fair
Insurance clerk career paths
Key steps to become an insurance clerk
Explore insurance clerk education requirements
Start to develop specific insurance clerk skills
Skills Percentages Patients 25.28% Insurance Verification 7.02% Data Entry 6.86% Customer Service 5.52% Insurance Coverage 5.32% Complete relevant insurance clerk training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New insurance clerks learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an insurance clerk based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real insurance clerk resumes.Gain additional insurance clerk certifications
More About CertificationsInsurance clerk certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific insurance clerk certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.
The most common certifications for insurance clerks include Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) and Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM).
Research insurance clerk duties and responsibilities
- Manage front office check-in, insurance verification and certifications from doctors.
- Establish and implement procedures for completion of patient super bills with proper diagnostic coding utilizing ICD-9 and CPT code manuals.
- Maintain patient medical records insuring diagnosis codes (ICD-9) are itemized correctly and name and address of insurance carriers record.
- Schedule and obtain authorization for outpatient procedures for patients via private insurance, worker's compensation, and Medicare/ Medicaid.
Prepare your insurance clerk resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your insurance clerk resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an insurance clerk resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable insurance clerk resume templates
Build a professional insurance clerk resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your insurance clerk resume.
Apply for insurance clerk jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an insurance clerk job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first insurance clerk job
Are you an insurance clerk?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average insurance clerk salary
The average insurance clerk salary in the United States is $33,089 per year or $16 per hour. Insurance clerk salaries range between $27,000 and $39,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do insurance clerks rate their job?
Insurance clerk reviews
There is no need to work in shift, especially evening or midnight shifts, disclaimer: i transitioned from the hospitality industry to insurance industry. Now i work 8-5 mostly and day off on weekends. And it has been great so far! I can finally sleep at nights now definitely!
Pay is too low especially in my country. And as we are a small firm, so career progression is super narrow. And regardless of how long i work there, pay will still be low.
Good work life balance, low stress and responsibility
I like to work with the Claim Submission, Followup on the claim process, work on the denials of the claims by the insurance companies, submit the corrected claims for reprocessing for the prompt payment on the claims by the insurance companies, post the payment received from the insurance companies and maintain an accurate patient's account, communicate with the patients about their accounts for their balance and post the payment received into their account, answer to all the queries from the patients and insurance rep and work with appeals for the claims denied by the insurance companies.
Updated January 8, 2025
