Receptionist/billing clerk vs office clerk

The differences between receptionist/billing clerks and office clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a receptionist/billing clerk and an office clerk. Additionally, a receptionist/billing clerk has an average salary of $31,932, which is higher than the $30,927 average annual salary of an office clerk.

The top three skills for a receptionist/billing clerk include patients, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for an office clerk are customer service, data entry, and telephone calls.

Receptionist/billing clerk vs office clerk overview

	Receptionist/Billing Clerk	Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$31,932	$30,927
Hourly rate	$15.35	$14.87
Growth rate	-	-5%
Number of jobs	129,530	106,497
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	42	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a receptionist/billing clerk do?

A receptionist/billing clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties as needed to maintain a smooth flow of operations for the business. Receptionist/billing clerks process the customers' payment transactions, manage account payables, releasing invoices, and immediately resolve account discrepancies. A receptionist/billing clerk must have excellent communication and analytical skills, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, escalating high-level complaints to the billing management. They should also maintain records of financial documentation for reference and reconciliation as needed.

What does an office clerk do?

Office clerks are administrative employees who handle clerical activities for the organization. They are in charge of managing company records, organizing and storing documents, filing and sorting hard copies of documents, and liaising with other departments or external partners. They are also in charge of handling and scheduling meetings and appointments, managing the reservation of office meeting rooms, and manning telephone lines. Office clerks may also be in charge of ordering office supplies, preparing purchase requisitions for office needs, sending out and receiving official company documents, and other correspondences.

Receptionist/billing clerk vs office clerk salary

Receptionist/billing clerks and office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Receptionist/Billing Clerk	Office Clerk
Average salary	$31,932	$30,927
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Santa Maria, CA	Englewood, CO
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Leggett & Platt	University of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industry	Technology	Transportation

Differences between receptionist/billing clerk and office clerk education

There are a few differences between a receptionist/billing clerk and an office clerk in terms of educational background:

	Receptionist/Billing Clerk	Office Clerk
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Western Carolina University

Receptionist/billing clerk vs office clerk demographics

Here are the differences between receptionist/billing clerks' and office clerks' demographics:

	Receptionist/Billing Clerk	Office Clerk
Average age	42	47
Gender ratio	Male, 7.2% Female, 92.8%	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 25.0% Asian, 5.7% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between receptionist/billing clerk and office clerk duties and responsibilities

Receptionist/billing clerk example responsibilities.

Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Obtain and track all insurance referrals for patients with HMO products.
Coordinate in-processing of all patients, to include accurate insurance information and payments are entered correctly into office computer system.
Move from SNF billing to HMO outpatient billing and keep a large alpha current.
Maintain confidentiality and adherence to HIPAA guidelines.
Develop effective billing strategies for Medicaid recipients according to HIPPA rules and regulations.

Office clerk example responsibilities.

Complete medical records requests as specified under HIPAA regulations.
Scan EOB's and attach to payments in software system.
Perform electronic billing of Medicare, Medicaid, and HMO/PPO submissions.
Follow all HIPAA guidelines and safety rules as required within the healthcare policy.
Perform account analysis on credit balance accounts using insurance explanation of benefit information (EOB).
Provide information about establishment, such as location of departments or offices, employees within the organization, or services provide.

Receptionist/billing clerk vs office clerk skills

Common receptionist/billing clerk skills

Patients, 25%
Data Entry, 11%
Customer Service, 9%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Appointment Scheduling, 6%
Front Desk, 5%

Common office clerk skills

Customer Service, 21%
Data Entry, 18%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Payroll, 5%
Office Equipment, 4%
Office Machines, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Receptionist/Billing Clerk
Receptionist/Billing Clerk vs Office Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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