Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks: Job Description
Authorize credit charges against customers' accounts. Investigate history and credit standing of individuals or business establishments applying for credit. May interview applicants to obtain personal and financial data, determine credit worthiness, process applications, and notify customers of acceptance or rejection of credit.
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What Tasks Do Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks Perform?
The day-to-day responsibilities of credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks include:
- Keep records of customers' charges and payments.
- Compile and analyze credit information gathered by investigation.
- Obtain information about potential creditors from banks, credit bureaus, and other credit services, and provide reciprocal information if requested.
- Interview credit applicants by telephone or in person to obtain personal and financial data needed to complete credit report.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Successful credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The abilities that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Accounts Receivable Coordinator
- Authorizer
- Branch Processor
- Call Out Operator
- Charge Authorizer
- Collector
- Commercial Credit Advisor
- Commercial Credit Analyst
Job Outlook
There are roughly 1,623,460 credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +3.5% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $32,210 |
| Hourly median | $15.49 |
| 10th percentile | $22,271 |
| 25th percentile | $27,241 |
| 75th percentile | $37,179 |
| 90th percentile | $42,149 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Illinois | $65,270 |
| Texas | $58,770 |
| New Hampshire | $56,400 |
| New Jersey | $55,350 |
| North Dakota | $54,820 |
| Virginia | $53,870 |
| Massachusetts | $53,690 |
| Washington | $53,220 |
| Ohio | $52,270 |
| New York | $52,090 |
| Maine | $51,820 |
| Tennessee | $51,580 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,610 |
| California | $50,370 |
| Minnesota | $49,960 |
| South Dakota | $49,880 |
| Utah | $49,800 |
| Colorado | $49,380 |
| Kentucky | $48,550 |
| Oregon | $47,460 |
| North Carolina | $47,140 |
| Nebraska | $47,120 |
| Iowa | $46,820 |
| Indiana | $46,810 |
| Idaho | $46,720 |
| Maryland | $46,280 |
| Michigan | $46,020 |
| Wisconsin | $45,020 |
| Nevada | $44,680 |
| Louisiana | $42,510 |
| South Carolina | $38,820 |
| Oklahoma | $38,680 |
| Mississippi | $38,170 |
| Puerto Rico | $30,720 |
| Georgia | $28,990 |
Where Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks Earn the Most
Compensation for credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks differ across the country. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | $54,040 | 3.3% | 1.36 |
| Far Western US | $49,616 | 13.7% | 0.89 |
| Great Lakes | $49,552 | 10.9% | 1.10 |
| Rocky Mountains | $49,372 | 5.3% | 1.52 |
| Southwest | $45,781 | 12.1% | 0.97 |
| Middle Atlantic | $42,125 | 18.8% | 3.36 |
| Plains States | $30,961 | 6.5% | 1.23 |
| Other U.S. Territories | $30,720 | 1.0% | 1.46 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $75,530 | |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | IL | $65,240 | 120 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | PA | $65,110 | 600 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | TX | $61,100 | 520 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | NH | $61,030 | 40 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | TX | $60,110 | 60 |
| Columbus, OH | OH | $59,470 | 170 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | MN | $59,190 | 60 |
Industry Breakdown
The largest employers of credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Finance and Insurance | 3,920 | $51,000 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1,400 | $51,480 |
| Retail Trade | 1,350 | $36,920 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 1,350 | $52,340 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1,110 | $46,480 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 550 | $43,830 |
| Information | 520 | $50,450 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 500 | $45,190 |
Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Structured query language SQL (hot technology)
- Business intelligence and data analysis software: Tableau (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
The work environment for credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks reflects the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
Education and Training
This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Financial Managers (Supplemental)
- Accountants and Auditors (Supplemental)
- Credit Analysts (Primary-Short)
- Personal Financial Advisors (Supplemental)
- Financial Examiners (Supplemental)
- Credit Counselors (Primary-Short)
- Loan Officers (Primary-Short)
- Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents (Primary-Long)
Degree Programs
Aspiring credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks often complete programs in:
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 43-4041.00 (Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks).
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