Bill and Account Collectors
In short: today's best AI models could do about 43% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about the same by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 57% of the time, stays with people.
Locate and notify customers of delinquent accounts by mail, telephone, or personal visit to solicit payment. Duties include receiving payment and posting amount to customer's account, preparing statements to credit department if customer fails to respond, initiating repossession proceedings or service disconnection, and keeping records of collection and status of accounts.
158,830 people do this job in the US. $47,030 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on1 h
- A person checks AI's work16 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people23 h
Bill and Account Collectors, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 1 hours, 16 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 23 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Find and monitor overdue accounts (about 5 h, a person checks); Record customer status and collection efforts (about 3 h, a person checks); Trace customers to new addresses (about 3 h, a person checks).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 7%
- 36%
- 55%
- 0%
- 2%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 43% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 6%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 43%. Today's estimate: 43%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, no reportable share went to this job's tasks in May 2026; 0 of its 15 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.036% to 0.02% (released February and March 2025); 0.012% to 0.032% (August 2025 to February 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.036% | 328 of 708 | 7 of 15 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.02% | 422 of 703 | 5 of 15 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.012% | 434 of 655 | 3 of 15 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.025% | 356 of 672 | 6 of 15 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.032% | 321 of 677 | 5 of 15 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 15 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 15 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates almost none of this job's working time as physical work, so robots do not reach it.
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
57% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Discuss reasons for overdue payment, the conversation, 12%
- Advise on debt repayment, the conversation, 8%
- Persuade customers to pay, the conversation, 7%
- Answer account questions, the conversation, 7%
- Trace customers to new addresses, the conversation, 6%
- Set up repayment schedules, the conversation, 6%
What becomes checking the machine
40% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 3% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Find and monitor overdue accounts, costly if wrong, 12%
- Record customer status and collection efforts, costly if wrong, 8%
- Trace customers to new addresses, costly if wrong, 6%
- Set up repayment schedules, costly if wrong, 4%
- Post payments to accounts, costly if wrong, 2%
- Notify customers of delinquent accounts, costly if wrong, 2%
What to learn
- The conversations. About 55% of the time is conversation and in-person work, which this site leaves with people: listening, explaining, persuading, calming.
- Handling protected records. Much of the work touches protected personal records: knowing what may be shared with a model, and how, is part of the job.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
- Running AI inside the business systems. About 36% of the time is work inside business systems, which a model can do only once it is connected: knowing the systems well enough to set that up and watch it.
- Dealing with people outside the organization. Customers, patients, suppliers or the public: trust with them is built by a person.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 15 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trace delinquent customers to new addresses by inquiring at post offices, telephone companies, credit bureaus, or through the questioning of neighbors.Searches in the systems and calls to post offices, bureaus and neighbors.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 13% | 33 min17 min to 1.3 h | Systems 50%, conversation 50% | 50%Desk part half by now |
| Locate and monitor overdue accounts, using computers and a variety of automated systems.Working the accounts in the collection systems.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 25 min10 min to 1.3 h | Systems 100% | 100%Half by now |
| Confer with customers by telephone or in person to determine reasons for overdue payments and to review the terms of sales, service, or credit contracts.Calls with customers over the terms and the reasons.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 12% | 25 min13 min to 42 min | Conversation 100% | Stays with people |
| Arrange for debt repayment or establish repayment schedules, based on customers' financial situations.Agreeing the schedule with the customer and entering it.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Conversation 60%, systems 40% | 40%Desk part half by now |
| Advise customers of necessary actions and strategies for debt repayment.Conversations with customers about how to pay.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 8% | 17 min8 min to 25 min | Conversation 100% | Stays with people |
| Record information about financial status of customers and status of collection efforts.Notes entered in the account record.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 8% | 13 min7 min to 21 min | Systems 100% | 100%Half by now |
| Persuade customers to pay amounts due on credit accounts, damage claims, or nonpayable checks, or to return merchandise.Persuasion on the phone.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Conversation 100% | Stays with people |
| Locate and notify customers of delinquent accounts by mail, telephone, or personal visits to solicit payment.Calls and letters to customers about overdue balances.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 7% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Conversation 70%, documents 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Answer customer questions regarding problems with their accounts.Calls with customers about their accounts.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Conversation 100% | Stays with people |
| Sort and file correspondence and perform miscellaneous clerical duties, such as answering correspondence and writing reports.Answering letters and writing reports, with the filing.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Documents 60%, hands-on 40% | 60%Desk part half by now |
| Contact insurance companies to check on status of claims payments and write appeal letters for denial on claims.Calls to insurers and appeal letters written.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Documents 50%, conversation 50% | 50%Desk part half by now |
| Receive payments and post amounts paid to customer accounts.Payments received and posted to the account.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 7 min3 min to 13 min | Systems 100% | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks86% now, 86% by 2028
- Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents77% now, 82% by 2028
- Customer Service Representatives64% now, 64% by 2028
- Tellers48% now, 48% by 2028
- Billing and Posting Clerks85% now, 85% by 2028
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks88% now, 90% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Bill and Account Collectors is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 43% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 43% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Bill and Account Collectors come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Find and monitor overdue accounts (100% of the task's time now); Record customer status and collection efforts (100% of the task's time now); and Trace customers to new addresses (50% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Bill and Account Collectors stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Discuss reasons for overdue payment; Advise on debt repayment; and Persuade customers to pay. Together such tasks are about 34% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Bill and Account Collectors learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the conversations; handling protected records; and reviewing work you did not do yourself. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 57% of the working time stays with people, 40% becomes checking a model's work and 3% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Bill and Account Collectors?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026, no reportable share went to this job's tasks. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 30%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Bill and Account Collectors?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds almost none of the working time is physical work, so robots do not reach it.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 15 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on September 30, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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