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Summary

Financial clerks
Financial clerks provide customer service and maintain financial records.
Quick Facts: Financial Clerks
2010 Median Pay $33,710 per year
$16.21 per hour
Entry-Level Education High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation None
On-the-job Training See How to Become One
Number of Jobs, 2010 1,395,500
Job Outlook, 2010-20 11% (About as fast as average)
Employment Change, 2010-20 152,600

What Financial Clerks Do

Financial clerks do administrative work for banking, insurance, and other companies. They keep records, help customers, and carry out financial transactions.

Work Environment

Financial clerks work in a variety of office settings, including bank branches, medical offices, and government agencies. Most work full time.

How to Become a Financial Clerk

A high school diploma is enough for most financial clerk positions. These workers usually learn their job duties through on-the-job training.

Pay

The median annual wage of financial clerks was $33,710 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of financial clerks is expected to grow by 11 percent from 2010 to 2010, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Employment growth will vary by specialty.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of financial clerks with similar occupations.

O*NET

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about financial clerks by contacting these additional resources.

What Financial Clerks Do About this section

Financial clerks
Financial clerks keep and update financial records.

Financial clerks do administrative work for banking, insurance, and other companies. They keep records, help customers, and carry out financial transactions.

Duties

Financial clerks typically do the following:

  • Keep and update financial records
  • Compute bills and charges
  • Offer customer assistance
  • Carry out financial transactions

Financial clerks give administrative and clerical support in financial settings. Their specific job duties vary by specialty and by setting.

Billing and posting clerks calculate charges, develop bills, and prepare them to be mailed to customers. They review documents such as purchase orders, sales tickets, charge slips, and hospital records to compute fees or charges due. They also contact customers to get or give account information.

Gaming cage workers work in casinos and other gaming establishments. The “cage” in which they work is the central depository for money and gaming chips. Gaming cage workers sell gambling chips, tokens, or tickets to patrons. They count funds and reconcile daily summaries of transactions to balance books.

Payroll and timekeeping clerks compile and post employee time and payroll data. They verify and record attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments. They ensure that employees are paid on time and that their paychecks are accurate.

Procurement clerks compile requests for materials, prepare purchase orders, keep track of purchases and supplies, and handle questions about orders. They respond to questions from customers and suppliers about the status of orders. They handle requests to change or cancel orders. They make sure that purchases arrive on schedule and that they meet the purchaser's specifications.

Brokerage clerks help with tasks about securities such as stocks, bonds, commodities, and other kinds of investments. Their duties include writing orders for stock purchases and sales, computing transfer taxes, verifying stock transactions, accepting and delivering securities, distributing dividends, and keeping records of daily transactions and holdings.

Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks review the credit history and get the information needed to determine the creditworthiness of individuals or businesses applying for credit. Credit authorizers evaluate customers' computerized credit records and payment histories to decide, based on predetermined standards, whether to approve new credit. Credit checkers call or write credit departments of business and service establishments to get information about applicants' credit standing.

Loan interviewers, also called loan processors or loan clerks, interview applicants and others to get and verify personal and financial information needed to complete loan applications. They also prepare the documents that go to the appraiser and are issued at the closing of a loan.

New accounts clerks interview people who want to open accounts in financial institutions. They explain the account services available to prospective customers and help them fill out applications. They also investigate and correct errors in accounts.

Insurance claims and policy processing clerks process applications for insurance policies. They also handle customers' requests to change or cancel their existing policies. Their duties include interviewing clients and reviewing insurance applications to ensure that all questions have been answered. They also notify insurance agents and accounting departments of policy cancellations or changes.

Work Environment About this section

Financial clerks
The vast majority of financial clerks work full time.

Financial clerks held about 1.4 million jobs in 2010.

Financial clerks work in a variety of office settings, including bank branches, medical offices, and government agencies. Financial clerks were employed primarily in the following industries in 2010:

Credit intermediation and related activities18%
Insurance carriers and related activities18
Ambulatory health care services11
Professional, scientific, and technical services7

 

Work Schedules

Most financial clerks work full time. However, about 16 percent of billing and posting clerks worked part time in 2010.

How to Become a Financial Clerk About this section

Financial clerks
A high school diploma is sufficient for most financial clerk positions.

A high school diploma is enough for most jobs as a financial clerk. These workers usually learn their duties through on-the-job training.

Education

Financial clerks typically need a high school diploma to enter the occupation. Employers of brokerage clerks may prefer candidates with a 2- or 4-year college degree in business or economics.

Training

Most financial clerks learn how to do their job duties through on-the-job training. The length of this training varies, but typically lasts less than 1 month. Under the guidance of a supervisor or another senior worker, new employees learn company procedures. Some formal technical training also may be necessary; for example, gaming cage workers may need training in specific gaming regulations and procedures.

Important Qualities

Basic math skills. The job duties of financial clerks, including calculating charges and checking credit scores, require basic math skills.

Communication skills. Financial clerks should have good communication skills so that they can explain policies and procedures to colleagues and customers.

Organizational skills. Strong organizational skills are important for financial clerks because they must be able to find files quickly and efficiently.

Pay About this section

Financial Clerks

Median annual wages, May 2010

Total, All Occupations

$33,840

Financial Clerks

$33,710

Office and Administrative Support Occupations

$30,710

 

The median annual wage of financial clerks was $33,710 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,920, and the top 10 percent earned more than $49,500.

The median annual wages for financial clerk occupations in May 2010 were as follows:

  • $40,160 for brokerage clerks
  • $36,790 for procurement clerks
  • $36,330 for payroll and timekeeping clerks
  • $34,760 for insurance claims- and policy-processing clerks
  • $33,970 for loan interviewers and clerks
  • $32,490 for credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks
  • $32,170 for billing and posting clerks
  • $30,440 for new-accounts clerks
  • $25,690 for gaming cage workers

Most financial clerks work full time. However, about 16 percent of billing and posting clerks worked part time in 2010.

Job Outlook About this section

Financial Clerks

Percent change in employment, projected 2010-20

Total, All Occupations

14%

Financial Clerks

11%

Office and Administrative Support Occupations

10%

 

Overall, employment of financial clerks is expected to grow by 11 percent from 2010 to 2010, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Projected employment change will vary by specialty as follows:

  • Employment of billing and posting clerks is projected to grow 20 percent. Job growth will be particularly strong for those in medical billing because increased demand for healthcare services will require more of these workers. 
  • Employment of payroll and timekeeping clerks is projected to grow 15 percent. Although payroll and timekeeping functions continue to be important for companies, the automation of this work and the use of computer software that allows employees to update and record their own payroll and timekeeping information will limit the growth of this occupation.
  • Employment of insurance claims- and policy-processing clerks is projected to grow 9 percent. These workers are heavily concentrated in the insurance industry; therefore, their job growth will be determined mainly by the performance of the insurance industry as a whole.
  • Employment of procurement clerks is projected to grow 6 percent. The need for procurement clerks will be limited as a result of the increasing use of computers to place orders over the Internet.
  • Employment of brokerage clerks is projected to grow 6 percent. The automation of securities transactions will lead to slower growth for these workers.
  • Employment of credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks is projected to grow 5 percent. The availability of online credit reports will reduce the need for these workers, leading to slower growth.
  • Employment of new accounts clerks is projected to grow 2 percent. Although some of these workers’ duties have been automated, the workers will still be needed to perform customer service. 
  • Employment of loan interviewers and clerks is projected to decline 3 percent. The use of online loan applications will reduce the need for these workers to conduct in-person interviews.
  • Employment of gaming cage workers is projected to decline 13 percent. Fewer of these workers will be needed in casinos and other gaming establishments because transactions are becoming increasingly self-service.

Job Prospects

Job prospects for financial clerks should be favorable, because many workers are expected to leave this occupation. Employers will need to hire new workers to replace those leaving the occupation.

Employment projections data for financial clerks, 2010-20
Occupational Title SOC Code Employment, 2010 Projected Employment, 2020 Change, 2010-20 Employment by Industry
Percent Numeric

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program

Financial Clerks

1,395,500 1,548,100 11 152,600

Billing and Posting Clerks

43-3021 504,800 604,400 20 99,600 [XLS]

Gaming Cage Workers

43-3041 15,900 13,900 -13 -2,000 [XLS]

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

43-3051 187,000 214,300 15 27,300 [XLS]

Procurement Clerks

43-3061 76,900 81,300 6 4,400 [XLS]

Brokerage Clerks

43-4011 58,000 61,400 6 3,400 [XLS]

Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks

43-4041 54,300 56,900 5 2,600 [XLS]

Loan Interviewers and Clerks

43-4131 182,500 176,800 -3 -5,700 [XLS]

New Accounts Clerks

43-4141 68,000 69,400 2 1,400 [XLS]

Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks

43-9041 248,100 269,700 9 21,600 [XLS]

Similar Occupations About this section

This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of financial clerks.

Occupation Job Duties ENTRY-LEVEL EDUCATION Help 2010 MEDIAN PAY Help
Bill and account collectors

Bill and Account Collectors

Bill and account collectors, sometimes called collectors, try to recover payment on overdue bills. They negotiate repayment plans with debtors and help them find solutions to make paying their overdue bills easier.

High school diploma or equivalent $31,310
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks produce financial records for organizations. They record financial transactions, update statements, and check financial records for accuracy.

High school diploma or equivalent $34,030
Gaming services occupations

Gaming Services Occupations

Gaming services workers serve customers in gambling establishments, such as casinos or racetracks. Some workers tend slot machines or deal cards. Others take bets or pay out winnings. Still others supervise gaming workers and operations.

See How to Become One $20,260
Information clerks

Information Clerks

Information clerks provide administrative and clerical support in a variety of settings. They help maintain records, collect data and information, and respond to customers’ questions or concerns.

See How to Become One $29,990
Tellers

Tellers

Tellers are responsible for accurately processing routine transactions at a bank. These transactions include cashing checks, depositing money, and collecting loan payments.

High school diploma or equivalent $24,100
Suggested citation:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Financial Clerks,
on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/financial-clerks.htm (visited October 17, 2012).

Publish Date: Thursday, March 29, 2012