Free billing clerk job description templates for medical, legal, construction, freight, and accounting, with FLSA non-exempt and pay guidance built in.
6 free templates by industry: general, medical, legal, construction, freight, and accounting, with the FLSA non-exempt classification, pay band, and small-business guidance the generic templates skip. Download as DOCX.
A billing clerk prepares invoices, posts payments, and keeps a company's billing records accurate: generating invoices, tracking accounts, following up on unpaid balances, and supporting the accounting team. It is an entry-level, hourly role, and for many small businesses it is the first dedicated finance hire. The role looks different by industry, and it carries one classification point most templates skip: a billing clerk is non-exempt and overtime-eligible, even when paid a salary.
These six templates cover the role across the industries that hire billing clerks most: a general version, plus medical office, law firm, construction, freight and logistics, and accounting firm versions. Each is ready to use, with the FLSA non-exempt note, pay guidance, and a software fill-in built in. For the fundamentals behind any posting, the guide to writing a job description is a useful companion, and FirstHR helps run the onboarding once you hire.
TL;DR
A billing clerk prepares invoices, posts payments, and keeps billing records accurate. It is an entry-level, hourly, non-exempt role, overtime-eligible even on a salary, and a common first finance hire for small businesses. Pay runs in the low-to-mid $40,000s, with the closest federal occupation near $46,000 a year. Download six free templates as DOCX, by industry: general, medical, legal, construction, freight, and accounting, with the FLSA and pay guidance built in.
What a Billing Clerk Does
A billing clerk compiles, computes, and records billing data and prepares invoices for goods or services. The core work is preparing and sending invoices, posting and reconciling payments, tracking and following up on outstanding balances, verifying billing accuracy, maintaining records, and supporting month-end close. It is a detail-focused, procedure-following role at the entry level of a company's finance function.
Billing clerk duties cluster into four areas: invoicing and billing, payments and accounts, records and reporting, and coordination. A strong job description picks the specific responsibilities from each area that match your industry, rather than listing every possible task.
Invoicing and billing
Prepare, review, and send invoices
Apply rates, terms, and billing rules
Verify billing data for accuracy
Payments and accounts
Post payments and reconcile accounts
Track outstanding balances
Follow up on overdue accounts
Records and reporting
Maintain organized billing records
Support month-end close
Enter and update billing data
Coordination
Answer customer and staff billing questions
Coordinate with accounting and operations
Resolve billing discrepancies
The specifics shift by industry: a medical clerk works claims, a construction clerk prepares progress billings, a freight clerk audits rates. For a structured way to scope the role, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by industry. The core structure is the same across all six, but each one emphasizes the duties, software, and compliance that fit a specific kind of billing. Use this guide to choose the closest fit, then adjust.
General
Any business
The flexible baseline: prepare invoices, post payments, track accounts, and support the accounting team. Adapt it to your business.
Medical Office
Practices, clinics
For a medical or dental practice: insurance and patient claims, payment posting, claim follow-up, and HIPAA-compliant records.
Law Firm
Legal billing
For a law firm: prebills, attorney time and expenses, client billing guidelines, and electronic billing where required.
Construction
Contractors
For a contractor: progress billings and AIA-style pay applications, schedules of values, retainage, and lien waivers.
Freight / Logistics
Carriers, logistics
For a freight or logistics company: invoices from rate confirmations and BOLs, charge auditing, and high-volume billing.
Accounting Firm
Bookkeeping firms
For an accounting or bookkeeping firm: client invoicing by engagement, retainers, receivables, and confidential records.
Match the Template to the Industry
A medical or dental practice: Medical Office, with the HIPAA note built in. A law firm: Law Firm, for prebills and e-billing. A contractor: Construction, for progress and AIA billing. A carrier or logistics company: Freight / Logistics. An accounting or bookkeeping firm: Accounting Firm. Any other business or a general role: start with the General version and adapt. Whichever you choose, state the non-exempt classification and name your billing software.
6 Free Billing Clerk Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company and job summary, key responsibilities, qualifications with a software field, a classification or compliance note, and how to apply, with an EEO statement. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
General, medical, legal, construction, freight, and accounting. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Billing Clerk (General)
The flexible baseline: prepare invoices, post payments, track accounts, and support the accounting team. Adapt it to your business.
Billing Clerk Job Description (General)
BILLING CLERK JOB DESCRIPTION (GENERAL)
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: __ (Office Manager / Owner / Accounting Lead)
[Firm Name] is hiring a Billing Clerk to prepare client invoices, post payments,
and keep our billing accurate across engagements. You will generate invoices for
client work, apply engagement rates and retainers, track receivables, and support
the accounting team. A reliable, numbers-focused person who handles client
information with discretion is ideal.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Prepare and send client invoices by engagement
•Apply engagement rates, retainers, and fee arrangements
•Post payments and reconcile client accounts
•Track receivables and follow up on overdue balances
•Maintain accurate, confidential client billing records
•Respond to client billing questions
•Support month-end close and reporting
•Work within the firm's billing or practice software
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent; accounting coursework a plus
•[1-2] years of billing or bookkeeping experience preferred
•Strong attention to detail and comfort with numbers
•Experience with billing or accounting software: _______________________
•Discretion with confidential client information
•Organized, accurate, and dependable
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Firm Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
FLSA, Pay, and Billing Levels
This is the part the generic templates skip, and the part a small employer most needs to get right: the non-exempt classification, the pay band, where the role sits among billing titles, and why naming your industry matters. Get these right and your posting reads credibly and protects you legally.
FLSA: billing clerk is hourly and non-exempt
This is the classification point generic templates skip. A billing clerk performs clerical work, recording and tabulating data and following set procedures, which the Department of Labor identifies as work that is usually not exempt. Because the role does not exercise discretion and independent judgment on matters of significance, it generally fails the duties test for the administrative exemption regardless of salary. In plain terms, a billing clerk is an hourly, non-exempt employee entitled to overtime at one and a half times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a week. Job title alone never determines exempt status, so even if you pay a billing clerk a salary, the role is almost always still overtime-eligible. Misclassifying a non-exempt clerk as exempt can mean back overtime for up to two or three years. This is general information, not legal advice.
Pay: an hourly role in the low-to-mid $40,000s
A billing clerk is an affordable, entry-level finance hire. The closest federal occupation, billing and posting clerks, reports a median wage near $46,000 a year, roughly $22 an hour, with most clerks earning between about $34,000 and $63,000 depending on experience, region, and industry. The broader financial clerks group had a median annual wage of $48,650 as of the latest data. National compensation surveys put billing clerk averages in the low-to-mid $40,000s, confirming the role sits well below the salary level where exemption questions arise. Utility and specialized billing clerks run slightly higher. Post an hourly range anchored to your local market, and check whether your state or city requires a pay range in the posting. This is general information, not compensation advice.
Clerk vs specialist vs coordinator
These billing titles describe different levels, and matching the title to the work sets the right pay and expectations. A billing clerk is the entry-level role: preparing invoices, posting payments, and following set procedures. A billing specialist is a mid-level individual contributor with more complex billing, problem-solving, and sometimes a specialty like medical or legal billing. A billing coordinator is more senior, often overseeing billing operations and sometimes hiring and managing billing staff. The roles share most core skills, but seniority and pay rise from clerk to specialist to coordinator. For a small business making a first finance hire, a billing clerk is usually the right level: it covers the day-to-day billing work at an entry-level, hourly cost. Name the level honestly so you attract candidates at the right experience and pay.
Industry matters: name your billing type and software
Billing looks different across industries, and saying which kind you do filters for candidates who can start faster. A medical office bills insurance payers and patients under HIPAA; a law firm prepares prebills and may use e-billing platforms; a contractor prepares AIA-style progress billings with schedules of values and retainage; a freight company invoices from rate confirmations and bills of lading. Each has its own software and conventions. The templates on this page come in industry versions for exactly this reason, each with a fill-in field for your billing or accounting system. Naming both the billing type and the software, and whether experience with it is required or preferred, sets accurate expectations and shortens the ramp-up. This is general information, not legal advice.
Hourly, Non-Exempt, and Overtime-Eligible
A billing clerk performs clerical, procedure-following work, which the Department of Labor treats as generally not exempt, so the role is non-exempt and entitled to overtime over 40 hours a week. Paying a salary does not change this, since the job title and pay method never determine exempt status. The closest federal occupation, within the financial clerks group (median $48,650), reports billing-clerk pay near $46,000 a year.
Track hours, pay overtime, and check your state's rules, since some states have stricter overtime and pay-transparency requirements. The exempt vs non-exempt guide and the Fair Labor Standards Act overview explain why clerical roles like this stay overtime-eligible.
Skills and Requirements
Requirements for a billing clerk center on accuracy, comfort with numbers, and relevant software, scaled to an entry-level hourly role. Keep the bar realistic so you attract reliable candidates.
Requirement
What to look for
Education
High school diploma or equivalent; accounting coursework a plus
Experience
1-2 years of billing, bookkeeping, or clerical experience preferred
Software
Experience with your billing or accounting system, named in the posting
Detail
Accuracy with numbers and strong attention to detail
Industry
Medical, legal, construction, or freight experience where relevant
Classification
Non-exempt, hourly; overtime over 40 hours a week
Keep the posting neutral and job-related, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on a protected characteristic, and the SHRM guide covers the standard sections of a job description.
Billing Clerk Pay
A billing clerk is an affordable, entry-level finance hire paid hourly. Set your range using government data as a baseline, then adjust for your industry and local market.
Around $46,000 a Year, Roughly $22 an Hour
The closest federal occupation, billing and posting clerks, reports a median wage near $46,000 a year, about $22 an hour, with most clerks earning roughly $34,000 to $63,000. The broader financial clerks group had a median annual wage of $48,650 as of the latest BLS data, with the highest 10 percent above $71,330. National compensation surveys put billing clerk averages in the low-to-mid $40,000s.
Pay rises with experience, region, and specialty, and runs slightly higher for utility and specialized billing clerks, but stays well below the salary level where exemption questions arise. The financial clerks group is projected to decline about 5 percent from 2024 to 2034 as software absorbs routine tasks, though roughly 102,200 openings a year are still expected, mostly to replace workers who leave, so demand to hire stays steady. Benchmark to your industry and local market, and post an hourly range.
Hiring a Billing Clerk for a Small Business
Small medical offices, law firms, accounting firms, contractors, and freight operators hire billing clerks directly, usually without an HR department. Here is what actually matters, and where an HR tool helps.
Most templates assume an accounting department; you are the accounting department
Nearly every published billing clerk template is written for a company with an existing accounting team and an HR department to handle hiring. A small medical office, law firm, contractor, accounting firm, or freight operator usually has neither. The owner or office manager writes the posting, screens applicants, and onboards the new hire directly, often as the business's first or only dedicated finance hire. The templates here are written for that reality, by industry, with plain-English guidance a non-HR hirer needs: what a billing clerk actually does, what to pay, and that the role is hourly and overtime-eligible. Pick the version that matches your business, fill in the brackets, and post.
The non-exempt classification is a real obligation, not a formality
A small business without an HR department still owes its billing clerk a correct FLSA classification, and this role is almost always non-exempt and overtime-eligible. The clerical, procedure-following nature of billing work means it does not qualify for the administrative exemption, even if you pay a salary. Getting this wrong is costly: misclassifying a non-exempt clerk as exempt and not paying overtime can mean back pay for up to two or three years. The templates state the non-exempt classification directly so you start on the right footing. Track hours, pay overtime over 40 in a week, and check your state's rules, since some states have stricter overtime and pay-transparency requirements.
Writing the job description is step one; onboarding the hire is the rest
Once you post the role and someone accepts, a small business still has to bring them on: a signed offer letter, the I-9 and W-4, direct-deposit details, and a first-week plan, often for a role that touches sensitive financial or patient data. FirstHR fits this people side for a small business making an early finance hire: e-signature for the offer letter, an onboarding wizard and task workflows that collect new-hire paperwork and assign first-week setup the same way every time, document management for signed forms, and a self-service portal so the new hire completes their own onboarding. To be clear about scope, FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, and it does not run payroll, do your billing, or function as an accounting system, so pair it with those tools. Applicant tracking is coming soon.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, a small business still has to bring them on properly: the offer, new-hire paperwork, and a first week, often for a role that touches sensitive financial or patient data. Because the role is non-exempt, planning how hours are tracked matters from day one.
Send the offer
Confirm the hourly rate, schedule, and non-exempt classification in writing. An offer letter with e-signature makes a first finance hire feel professional.
Collect new-hire paperwork
Gather the I-9, W-4, and direct-deposit details, with a self-service portal the new hire completes before the first day.
Set up time tracking and a first week
Because the role is non-exempt, plan how hours and overtime are tracked, and lay out the billing systems, accounts, and first-week tasks.
Store the records
Keep the signed offer, tax forms, and any confidentiality or HIPAA acknowledgments organized against the employee profile.
Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the next step with the hourly rate and classification stated, and an onboarding template gives the new hire a structured start. FirstHR connects the offer, e-signature, I-9 and W-4 collection, document storage, and onboarding workflow in one place, so a small business can capture signed paperwork and run a consistent first week without an HR department. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, and it does not run payroll, do your billing, or function as an accounting system, so connect those separately. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
A billing clerk prepares invoices, posts payments, and keeps billing records accurate: an entry-level, hourly finance role.
Use the template that matches the industry: general, medical, legal, construction, freight, or accounting.
The role is non-exempt and overtime-eligible, even on a salary, because the clerical work fails the administrative exemption duties test.
Pay runs in the low-to-mid $40,000s, with the closest federal occupation near $46,000 a year.
Name your billing software and, for medical billing, build in the HIPAA note.
For a small business it is a common first finance hire; bridge from the job description into onboarding once you hire.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a billing clerk do?
A billing clerk prepares invoices, posts payments, and keeps a company's billing records accurate. Day to day, that means generating and sending customer or client invoices, posting and reconciling payments, tracking outstanding balances and following up on overdue accounts, verifying billing data, maintaining organized records, answering billing questions, and supporting month-end close. The specifics vary by industry: a medical office billing clerk works with insurance claims and patient payments under HIPAA, a law firm billing clerk prepares prebills and handles e-billing, a construction billing clerk prepares progress and AIA-style billings, and a freight billing clerk invoices from rate confirmations and bills of lading. It is an entry-level, hourly, detail-focused role, and for many small businesses it is the first dedicated finance hire. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is a billing clerk exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
A billing clerk is non-exempt and paid hourly. The role performs clerical work, recording and tabulating data and following set procedures, which the Department of Labor identifies as work that is usually not exempt. Because a billing clerk does not exercise discretion and independent judgment on matters of significance, the role generally fails the duties test for the administrative exemption regardless of how it is paid. That means a billing clerk is entitled to overtime at one and a half times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Importantly, paying a billing clerk a salary does not make them exempt: the job title and pay method alone never determine exempt status, only the actual duties and salary together do, and billing clerks almost always remain overtime-eligible. Misclassifying a non-exempt clerk as exempt can mean back overtime for up to two or three years. Some states apply stricter overtime rules. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a billing clerk make?
A billing clerk is an affordable, entry-level finance hire paid hourly. The closest federal occupation, billing and posting clerks, reports a median wage near $46,000 a year, about $22 an hour, with most clerks earning roughly between $34,000 and $63,000 depending on experience, region, and industry. The broader financial clerks group had a median annual wage of $48,650 as of the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data. National compensation surveys put billing clerk averages in the low-to-mid $40,000s, and specialized variants such as utility billing clerks run slightly higher, though all stay well below the salary level where exemption questions arise. For a posting, set an hourly range anchored to your local market and industry, and publish it where your state requires a pay range. This is general information, not legal or compensation advice.
What is the difference between a billing clerk and a billing specialist or coordinator?
The titles describe different levels of the same billing function. A billing clerk is the entry-level role, preparing invoices, posting payments, and following set billing procedures. A billing specialist is a mid-level individual contributor who handles more complex billing, resolves problems, and sometimes focuses on a specialty like medical or legal billing. A billing coordinator is more senior, often overseeing billing operations and in some cases hiring and managing billing staff. The three share most core skills, but seniority, complexity, and pay increase from clerk to specialist to coordinator. For a small business making its first finance hire, a billing clerk is usually the right level: it covers the day-to-day billing work at an entry-level, hourly cost. As the business grows, a specialist or coordinator becomes appropriate. Match the title to the actual scope and pay so you attract candidates at the right level. This is general information, not legal advice.
What does a medical billing clerk do differently?
A medical office billing clerk does the same core billing work but with an insurance and compliance layer that general billing does not have. The role prepares and submits insurance and patient claims, posts insurance and patient payments, verifies insurance eligibility and benefits, follows up on denied and rejected claims, and works within a practice management or electronic health record system. Critically, because the role handles protected health information, all billing duties must be performed within HIPAA regulations, and the clerk should complete HIPAA privacy training during onboarding. Familiarity with insurance claims and basic medical coding is helpful, though many practices train on the job. Medical billing is one of the most common billing clerk variants because physician offices are among the largest employers of these clerks, and small practices hire them directly. The medical version of the template on this page builds in the HIPAA note. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do small businesses hire billing clerks, and who writes the job description?
Yes. Small medical and dental offices, law firms, accounting and bookkeeping firms, construction companies, and freight and logistics operators all hire billing clerks, often as the first or early dedicated finance hire. In these businesses, the owner or an office manager typically writes the job description and runs the hire directly, since most do not have an HR department. The role is well suited to that setting: it is entry-level and hourly, with a clear, defined scope. The practical approach for a small business is to use the industry version of the template that matches your business, state the non-exempt classification and an hourly pay range, name your billing software, and run a consistent onboarding that captures the offer, paperwork, and any HIPAA or confidentiality training. Because clerical roles see steady turnover, a repeatable hire-to-onboard process pays off. This is general information, not legal advice.
What billing software experience should a billing clerk have?
Name the system your business actually uses, because billing software experience is one of the most practical filters in a billing clerk posting. The right software depends on your industry: a medical office runs a practice management or EHR system, a law firm uses legal billing or e-billing platforms, a contractor uses construction accounting software for AIA-style billing, a freight company uses a transportation management system, and a general business may use standard accounting software. The templates on this page include a software fill-in field so you can specify yours and whether experience with it is required or preferred. A clerk who already knows your system ramps up faster, but someone experienced in comparable billing software can usually transfer skills quickly, so decide whether to treat specific-system experience as required or just preferred. Leaving the software unspecified is a common gap in generic templates. This is general information, not legal advice.
What should a billing clerk job description include?
A strong billing clerk job description names the industry and billing type up front, whether general, medical, legal, construction, freight, or accounting, since the industry drives the specific duties and software. It should include a short summary of the business, a job summary that frames the billing focus, and responsibilities grouped into invoicing and billing, payments and accounts, records and reporting, and coordination. The most valuable additions that generic templates skip are the FLSA non-exempt classification stated clearly, an hourly pay range anchored to the market, the billing software named as a fill-in field, and any compliance note such as HIPAA for medical billing. Keep the requirements realistic for an entry-level hourly role: a high school diploma, attention to detail, and relevant software familiarity. Close with an equal opportunity statement and clear apply instructions, then bridge into onboarding once someone accepts. This is general information, not legal advice.
