Introduction
A billing clerk computes the amounts on a business’s client bills and prepares them to be sent out. The clerk must accurately determine the total amount that a customer owes a business by going over all of that business’s costs and services rendered for that client during the previous fiscal period. A billing clerk must also accurately compute a customer’s balance in light of any current promotions and discounts the business may be offering. The final bill is then sent by the billing clerk to the business’s system, from where it is transmitted directly to the client.
A high school diploma is typically enough to be accepted for the position, with the majority of crucial skills being taught after, as the candidate goes through their first few weeks on the job. This is relatively lax for a position that deals with finances on a daily basis like a billing clerk does. Billing clerks typically work with a lot of information that needs to be processed fast, so it’s important to have strong arithmetic abilities as well as the ability to conduct calculations on the spot without the use of additional equipment.
The annual pay for a billing clerk can range from $28,000 to $40,000. Some larger companies offer substantial compensation that goes well over $40,000, but typically require candidates to have several years of prior experience. The amount earned increases proportionally to the size of the company’s financial operations (and thus the workload that the billing clerk must manage).
Overall purpose
A billing clerk is a specialist who is in charge of producing bills and credit memos, maintaining customer records, and reminding clients to make payments. Their main responsibility is to help clients with their invoice-related inquiries by phone and email, but they often collaborate with other corporate departments like shipping.
Example:
We need a dependable billing clerk to complete chores that will allow us to keep track of our earnings. You will be in charge of billing clients for money owed to us, maintaining records, and creating invoices.
You must be accurate and dependable when managing accounts and paperwork as a billing clerk. Due to the vast amount of financial information, it is imperative to have strong math skills and organizational skills. A certain level of computer literacy is necessary because you will be employing technology to speed up your task.
The objective is to support the appropriate preparation of accounts receivable and protect the company’s revenue.
Primary duties
- Calculate account balances.
- Manage debts and any other irregularities.
- Create a spreadsheet of payable bills.
- Refresh the accounting software
- Deliver bills and invoices to the customers.
- Add new payments, balances, customer information, etc. to accounting records.
- Make customer account statements
- Send payment reminders and make touch with consumers when necessary
- Respond to customer questions
- Produce reports and deliver them to managers.
Educational qualifications
There are specific certifications available for the billing clerk career path:
- CAPA (Certified Accounts Payable Associate). This is a professional certificate for billing clerks and accounts payable specialists.
- CAPP (Certified Accounts Payable Professional). This professional certificate is for accounts payable professionals in supervisory roles.
- X years of experience as a billing clerk or other comparable position
- Working knowledge of accounting law and legal procedures
- Having practical expertise with accounting software like Quickbooks
- Exceptional math abilities
- Awareness of computers
- Excellent organizational abilities
- Exceptional communication abilities
- An undergrad degree degree
- Excel in particular, and MS Office, is a strengths. It would be beneficial to have some experience with the relevant programs, such as Quickbooks.
- Having more education is an advantage
Experience required
- High school diploma/GED.
- Previous experience as a billing clerk or in a similar role. (varies with the employer)
- Knowledge of accounting software such as Quickbooks.
- Working knowledge of accounting standards and relevant legal regulations.
- Strong communication, organizational and time-management skills.
- Ability to work efficiently under pressure.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office.
- Excellent math skills.
- Strong attention to detail.
KSAOs
A billing clerk must use their financial understanding to ensure that company accounts are accurate and current. You will require the following soft skills:
- Exceptional organizational and time-management skills
- Ability to work efficiently under pressure
- First-rate customer-service skills
- A responsible, meticulous attitude with excellent attention to detail
- Ability to solve problems
- Reliability and a strong work ethic
- There are opportunities to progress in the role of billing clerk through quality performance and certification.
Conclusion
You must be familiar with accounting principles and procedures and feel at ease using a computer on a regular basis to work with large amounts of data. As they will be a crucial component of the role, you should get familiar with financial regulations including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.