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- 95
- Billing Clerks
-
- (D.O.T. 184.387-010; 210.382-022, -026, -066; 211.482-014, -018;
- 214.267-010, .362-010, -014, -022, -026, -038, -042, .382-014, -018,
- -030, .387-010, -014, -018, .462-010, .467- 010, -014; 214.482-010,
- -014, -018, -022, .587-010; 216.382-034, -050, -054, -018, -022;
- 217.382-010; 241.267-026; and 249.367-034)
-
- Nature of the Work
-
- Billing clerks produce the bills and related documents that are used
- to settle customers' accounts. Billing, cost, and rate clerks keep
- the records, calculate the charges, and maintain the files of
- payments made for goods or services. Billing machine operators
- operate the machines that generate the bills, statements, and
- invoices.
-
- Billing clerks review purchase orders, bills of lading, sales
- tickets, hospital records, or charge slips to calculate the total
- amount due from a customer. In accounting, law, consulting, and
- similar firms, billing clerks calculate client fees based on the
- actual time required to perform the task. They keep track of the
- accumulated hours and dollar amounts to charge to each job, the type
- of job performed for a customer, and the percentage of work
- completed. In hospitals, calculating the charges for an
- individual's hospital stay may require a letter to an insurance
- company, whereas a clerk computing trucking rates for machine parts
- may consult a rate book. After billing clerks review all necessary
- information, they compute the charges using calculators, adding
- machines, or computers. They then prepare the itemized statements,
- bills, or invoices depending on the organization's needs used for
- billing and recordkeeping purposes. For example, the clerk might
- prepare a simple bill that only contains the amount due and the date
- and type of service. In another organization, the clerk would
- produce a detailed invoice that includes the codes for all goods and
- services provided. This latter form might list the items sold,
- credit terms, date of shipment or dates services were provided, a
- salesperson's or doctor's identification if necessary, and the sales
- total.
-
- Once all the information has been entered, billing machine operators
- then run off the bill that will be sent to the customer. In a
- growing number of firms, billing machines are being replaced by
- computers and specialized billing software that allow clerks to
- calculate charges and prepare bills in one step. Computer packages
- prompt clerks to enter data from hand-written forms and manipulate
- the necessary entries of quantities, labor, and rates to be charged.
- Billing clerks verify the entry of information and check for
- computer errors before the bill is printed by the computer. After
- the bills are printed, billing clerks check them again for accuracy.
-
- Billing clerks maintain the files of payments made for goods and
- services.
-
- Employment
-
- Billing clerks held about 409,000 jobs in 1992. About 4 of every 10
- workers were employed by banks and other financial institutions,
- insurance companies, and other organizations providing business and
- health services. About 1 of every 4 employees was found in
- wholesale and retail establishments, and a significant number worked
- in manufacturing, transportation, communications, and utilities.
- Approximately 1 in 6 billing clerks works part time.
-
- Job Outlook
-
- Job openings for persons seeking work as billing clerks are expected
- to be numerous through the year 2005. Despite the lack of
- employment growth, many job openings will occur as billing clerks
- transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force. Turnover in
- this occupation is relatively high, reflecting the fact that it is
- an entry level occupation requiring only a high school diploma.
- Each year, tens of thousands of jobs will become available as
- billing clerks transfer to another occupation or leave the labor
- force.
-
- Overall employment of billing clerks is expected to change little
- through the year 2005. A growing economy and a greater demand for
- billing services will result in more business transactions, but
- productivity increases will keep employment from rising. Employment
- of billing, cost, and rate clerks will rise, but not as fast as the
- increase in business transactions, as computers are increasingly
- used to manage account information. Less routine, more complex
- billing applications will increasingly require workers with greater
- technical expertise. Employment of machine operators will decline
- as billing machines are replaced by more advanced machines and
- computers which enable billing, cost, and rate clerks to perform the
- jobs formerly done by billing machine operators. In smaller firms,
- accounting clerks are taking over the responsibilities of billing
- clerks due to productivity gains from billing software.
-
- (See introductory part of this section for information on training
- requirements and earnings.)
-