Billing clerks work in the accounting field and are responsible for customer invoices. They send invoices to customers, update customer accounts and submit invoices to the company's computer systems. The education needed to become a billing clerk does vary, and some employers prefer applicants with college degrees even if a degree is not a specific requirement of the position. The variety of software used for customer billing in different organizations means most employers provide on-the-job training to allow a new employee to master the company's billing processes.
A high school diploma is a good start for an entry-level career as a billing clerk. If you take courses focused on business, math and accounting, you'll have an advantage if you plan to become a billing clerk without first going to college. Community college degrees in business and accounting are helpful if your company prefers applicants with a college education. When deciding which courses to take, you can consider taking courses in business math, introductory accounting and finance. Having a degree will also provide you with a wider variety of options in other areas of business if you wish to leave your position as a billing clerk, whether to advance within the same department or try a different job entirely.
The amount of experience needed to become a billing clerk varies greatly by employer. While some employers don't mind that you have no experience, others want to see three or more years in the field. If you find potential employers want more experience than you have, you could try taking an accounting or finance internship while still in college. If you're new to the job market, you might benefit from taking a job in a related area, such as bookkeeping. If you don't go to college, you may also benefit from taking training courses, because some employers require less work experience if you have a degree or at least related education.
Even if you have a college degree and job experience, there are other requirements needed to become a billing clerk. Your employer will likely provide training to help you learn the company's specific billing methods and required software. Most of a billing clerk's job is done on the computer, including inputting data into a customer invoice, submitting the invoice for processing and entering data into the company's accounting system. Although using the computer can make it easier to do your job, you'll still need to be good at basic accounting processes and be able to check your data for any errors.
