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

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.

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