Career comparison
Billing Clerk vs. Payroll Clerk
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
Payroll clerks earn more at the median ($58,260 vs. $48,500), while billing clerks usually get to work faster (A few months on the job of training). Billing clerks prepare invoices, post payments and keep customer accounts accurate. Payroll clerks make sure employees are paid correctly and on time.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| Billing Clerk | Payroll Clerk | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $48,500 ($23.32/hr) | $58,260 ($28.01/hr) |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $37,290 – $67,710 | $39,500 – $81,350 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | -0.1% (little or no change) | -15.9% (a projected decline) |
| Openings per year | 37,000 | 11,400 |
| Typical entry education | High school diploma or equivalent | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Training time | A few months on the job | A few months on the job |
| Key credential | Certified Billing and Coding Specialist | FPC |
| Work setting | Billing clerks work in offices and remotely.. | Payroll clerks work in HR and accounting offices, and remotely.. |
What each job does
Billing Clerk
- Prepare invoices
- Calculate charges
- Post payments
- Fix billing errors
- Answer billing questions
Payroll Clerk
- Collect time records
- Calculate pay
- Process deductions
- Run payroll
- Answer pay questions
How they’re similar
Both careers involve working with information, desk work, remote-friendly work, and steady routines. Both are part of the business & office field, so many skills transfer between them.
Which should you choose?
Choose billing clerk if…
- I like numbers
- I’m accurate
- I’m organized
Choose payroll clerk if…
- I’m very accurate
- I keep things confidential
- I like deadlines
Still torn? Take the Billing Clerk fit quiz and the Payroll Clerk fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, billing clerk or payroll clerk?
Payroll Clerks earn more at the median: $58,260 versus $48,500 for billing clerks, based on BLS May 2025 data.
Which takes less time to train for?
Billing Clerks typically train faster (A few months on the job) than payroll clerks (A few months on the job).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects billing clerks to grow -0.1% from 2025–35, compared with -15.9% for payroll clerks.