How much do accounts receivable specialists make in 2026?
Accounts receivable specialists are counted in the BLS bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks series, where OEWS May 2025 reports a national median of $50,670 a year ($24.36 an hour), a 10th percentile near $36,000 and a 90th percentile of $74,550. The series pools 1,373,680 clerks across bookkeeping, payable, receivable and general accounting work, so it does not price receivable roles specifically — specialists typically sit around the middle of the band. The role covers invoice generation and delivery, cash application and remittance matching, collections calls and correspondence, dispute investigation and resolution, credit hold decisions, reconciliation of the receivable subledger, and reporting on ageing and days sales outstanding. Compared with accounts payable, receivable has resisted automation somewhat better, because collection involves relationships and dispute resolution rather than document processing — and because a customer who will not pay requires judgement about how hard to push without losing them. Employment across the pooled series is projected to decline 5.8% through 2034, with roughly 170,000 openings a year still arising. Specialists who reduce days sales outstanding measurably have the strongest case for pay. → Full accounts receivable specialist career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $50,670 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Accounts Receivable Specialists earn a national median $50,670/yr ($24.36/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-3031); the P10 to P90 range is $36,000 to $74,550.
- The $50,670 median comes from a 1,373,680-person series pooling bookkeeping, payable, receivable and general accounting clerks; AR specialists sit around the middle of the $36,000 to $74,550 band.
- Receivable has resisted automation better than payable, because collection involves relationships, dispute resolution and judgement about how hard to push a customer.
- Employment across the series is projected to decline 5.8% through 2034, with roughly 170,000 openings a year still arising — and specialists who measurably reduce days sales outstanding have the strongest pay case.
US Accounts Receivable Specialist Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do accounts receivable specialists earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 43-3031; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-3031, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an accounts receivable specialist earn at each career stage?
Receivable pay progresses from processing to collection effectiveness and analysis. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 43-3031, which pools several clerical accounting roles.
By State
Which states pay accounts receivable specialists the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Receivable roles are often centralised into shared service centres in lower-cost markets, so the geography of the employer's service centre matters more than where its headquarters sits.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($58,270), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay accounts receivable specialists the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Shared service centre locations rather than headquarters metros are where many of these roles now sit.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an accounts receivable specialist’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does accounts receivable specialist pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Accounts Receivable Specialists sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify accounts receivable specialist wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an accounts receivable specialist actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Accounts Receivable Specialist Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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