Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks
Authorize credit charges against customers' accounts. Investigate history and credit standing of individuals or business establishments applying for credit. May interview applicants to obtain personal and financial data, determine credit worthiness, process applications, and notify customers of acceptance or rejection of credit.
Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks earn a median of $24.08/hr — about $50,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $14.55/hr; the top 10% earn $34.95/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Keep records of customers' charges and payments.
- Compile and analyze credit information gathered by investigation.
- Obtain information about potential creditors from banks, credit bureaus, and other credit services, and provide reciprocal information if requested.
- Interview credit applicants by telephone or in person to obtain personal and financial data needed to complete credit report.
- Evaluate customers' computerized credit records and payment histories to decide whether to approve new credit, based on predetermined standards.
- File sales slips in customers' ledgers for billing purposes.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
You're around people constantly; time pressure is a real part of the job; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0% of credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused, take-charge and people-focused.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
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Quick questions
- How much does a credit authorizers, checkers, and clerk make?
- The median pay is $24.08 per hour — roughly $50,000 a year, with the real range running from about $14.55/hr (10th percentile) to $34.95/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a credit authorizers, checkers, and clerk?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a credit authorizers, checkers, and clerk actually do all day?
- Keep records of customers' charges and payments. Compile and analyze credit information gathered by investigation. Obtain information about potential creditors from banks, credit bureaus, and other credit services, and provide reciprocal information if requested.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.