Billing Clerks and Billing Machine Operators

• Nature of the Work

  Billing clerks keep the records, calculate the charges, and maintain the files of payments made for goods or services. Billing machine operators run 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 or computers. They then prepare the itemized statements, bills, or invoices-depending on the organization's needs-used for billing and recordkeeping purposes. In one organization, the clerk might prepare a simple bill that only contains the amount due and the date and type of service; in another, 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 errors before the bill is printed by the computer. After the bills are printed, billing clerks check them again for accuracy.

• Employment

  In 1994, billing clerks held about 323,000 jobs, and billing machine operators held about 96,000. About 4 of every 10 billing clerks and billing machine operators were employed by banks and other financial institutions, insurance companies, and other organizations providing business and health services. About 1 of every 5 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 and billing machine operators works part time.

• Job Outlook

  Job openings for persons seeking work as billing clerks or billing machine operators are expected to be numerous through the year 2005. Despite the lack of employment growth, many job openings will occur as these workers transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force. Turnover in this occupation is relatively high, characteristic of an entry-level occupation requiring only a high school diploma.

  Little change is expected in the employment of billing clerks 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. Billing clerks will be affected 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 billing machine operators is expected to decline through the year 2005 as billing machines are replaced by more advanced machines and computers which enable billing clerks to perform the jobs formerly done by billing machine operators. In smaller firms, accounting clerks are taking over the responsibilities of billing clerks and billing machine operators due to productivity gains from billing software.

  (See introductory part of this section for information on working conditions, training requirements, and earnings, as well as sources of additional information.)

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