Skip tracer vs collections representative

The differences between skip tracers and collections 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 skip tracer, becoming a collections representative takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a skip tracer has an average salary of $36,545, which is higher than the $34,015 average annual salary of a collections representative.

The top three skills for a skip tracer include debt collection, outbound calls and skip trace. The most important skills for a collections representative are payment arrangements, customer service, and delinquent accounts.

Skip tracer vs collections representative overview

	Skip Tracer	Collections Representative
Yearly salary	$36,545	$34,015
Hourly rate	$17.57	$16.35
Growth rate	6%	-8%
Number of jobs	1,464	85,275
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 29%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	44	46
Years of experience	6	12

Skip tracer vs collections representative salary

Skip tracers and collections representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Skip Tracer	Collections Representative
Average salary	$36,545	$34,015
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $66,000	Between $26,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	San Ramon, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between skip tracer and collections representative education

There are a few differences between a skip tracer and a collections representative in terms of educational background:

	Skip Tracer	Collections Representative
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 29%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	-

Skip tracer vs collections representative demographics

Here are the differences between skip tracers' and collections representatives' demographics:

	Skip Tracer	Collections Representative
Average age	44	46
Gender ratio	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%	Male, 30.6% Female, 69.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 4.7% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between skip tracer and collections representative duties and responsibilities

Skip tracer example responsibilities.

Prevent impeding loss and increasing profitability through negotiation and enforcement of schedule collection campaigns, consistently achieving high success standards.
Prevent impeding loss and increasing profitability through negotiation and enforcement of schedule collection campaigns, consistently achieving high success standards.
Utilize various skip-tracing services such as Accurint and TheWorkNumber in order to locate consumers and verify employment for account recovery purposes.

Collections representative example responsibilities.

Protect A/R assets by managing a portfolio of accounts to maximize gainful sales and reduce debt losses.
Maintain effective communication and utilize negotiation skills with internal and external customers to effect collections while maintaining customer good will.
Submit all reconsideration and appeals if need.
Conduct periodic data cleaning of queues balances deny with deny appeals.
Resolve valid or authorize NSF charges due to decline credit cards or ACH transactions.
Collect and count inventories, reconcile purchases and scan UPC's and inputting price information.

Skip tracer vs collections representative skills

Common skip tracer skills

Debt Collection, 25%
Outbound Calls, 11%
Skip Trace, 7%
Delinquent Accounts, 6%
Payment Arrangements, 5%
FDCPA, 5%

Common collections representative skills

Payment Arrangements, 14%
Customer Service, 13%
Delinquent Accounts, 9%
Past Due Accounts, 6%
Customer Accounts, 4%
Debt Repayment, 4%

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Skip Tracer
Skip Tracer vs Collections Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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