jobfacts

Credit controller

Credit controllers — SOC 2020 4121

Credit controllers perform financial, administrative and other tasks in relation to credit control and debt collection.

Also calledDebt collection agentAuthorisation clerkRecovery officerCredit control officerFinancial difficulties adviserDebt management associateand 13 more titles
Typical full-time pay£28,5002025 Provisional
People in the job29,000across the UK
Demand for workersCritical
New adverts a month916↓ 0.7%on last year · 201st of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time credit controllers earn between £25,000 and £34,400 a year.

What full-time credit controllers earn, 2025
£28,500 typical£23,200lowest 10%£34,40075%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£25,000–£34,400)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£23,200
Lowest 20% earn less than£24,800
25%£25,000
Median£28,500
75%£34,400
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £28,500
London!£32,500
East of England!£31,900
South East!£29,600
West Midlands!£28,000
Scotland!£27,400
Yorkshire and The Humber!£26,900
East Midlands!£26,600
South West!£26,500
North West!£25,700
North East!£24,100
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £28,500
London£32,500 (small sample)
East of England£31,900 (small sample)
South East£29,600 (small sample)
West Midlands£28,000 (small sample)
Scotland£27,400 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£26,900 (small sample)
East Midlands£26,600 (small sample)
South West£26,500 (small sample)
North West£25,700 (small sample)
North East£24,100 (small sample)
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £26,700
  • 2024 £28,100
  • 2025 Provisional£28,500
↑ 6.8% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 916 jobs for credit controllers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as critical.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (4 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,059
Jul 2026840
Jun 2026865
May 2026950
Apr 2026830
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026Not published
Jan 20261,042
Dec 2025583
Nov 2025881
Oct 20251,069
Sept 20251,044
Aug 20251,023
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 20251,088
Apr 2025805
Mar 20251,100
Feb 2025968
Jan 20251,021
Dec 2024601
Nov 2024924
Oct 20241,023
Sept 20241,023
Aug 2024995
Jul 20241,227
Jun 20241,110
May 20241,288
Apr 20241,304
Mar 20241,112
Feb 20241,271
Jan 20241,485
Dec 20231,019
Nov 20231,275
Oct 20231,363
Sept 20231,301
Aug 20231,534
Jul 20231,580
Jun 20232,010
May 20231,880
Apr 20231,825
Mar 20232,364
Feb 20232,192
Jan 20232,513
Dec 20221,797
Nov 20222,479
Oct 20222,607
Sept 20222,518
Aug 20222,389
Jul 20222,638
Jun 20222,520
May 20222,966
Apr 20222,294
Mar 20223,064
Feb 20222,740
Jan 20222,693
Dec 20212,456
Nov 20212,108
Oct 20212,256
Sept 20212,377
Aug 20211,979
Jul 20212,027
Jun 20211,901
May 20211,823
Apr 20211,450
Mar 20211,833
Feb 20211,230
Jan 20211,188
Dec 2020936
Nov 20201,026
Oct 20201,092
Sept 20201,065
Aug 2020827
Jul 2020790
Jun 2020756
May 2020651
Apr 20201,110
Mar 20202,422
Feb 20202,847
Jan 20202,879
Dec 20192,055
Nov 20192,692
Oct 20192,838
Sept 20192,844
Aug 20193,280
Jul 20194,381
Jun 20194,657
May 20193,976
Apr 20192,447
Mar 20193,275
Feb 20193,280
Jan 20193,203
Dec 20181,809
Nov 20182,983
Oct 20182,787
Sept 20182,708
Aug 20182,974
Jul 20182,919
Jun 20183,124
May 20183,031
Apr 20182,800
Mar 20183,020
Feb 20182,703
Jan 20183,527
Dec 20171,985
Nov 20172,914
Oct 20172,830
Sept 20172,654
Aug 20172,658
Jul 20172,491
Jun 20173,578
May 20172,404
Apr 20172,643
Mar 20173,375
Feb 20172,483
Jan 20173,181
Is there a shortage of credit controllers?
Critical

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was elevated.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsWell above usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hours worked, change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
34%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for administrative occupations: finance, which includes credit controllers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London377
Manchester120
Leeds75
Birmingham71
Bristol, City of56
Glasgow City40
Nottingham35
Trafford32
West Northamptonshire30
Cheshire East27
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where credit controllers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of credit controllers
n/p
14%!
29%!
23%!
26%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3414% (small sample)
35–4429% (small sample)
45–5423% (small sample)
55–6426% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!29%
Higher education below degree!11%
A levels or equivalent!32%
GCSEs or equivalent!23%
Other qualifications!5.1%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent29% (small sample)
Higher education below degree11% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent32% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent23% (small sample)
Other qualifications5.1% (small sample)

Main employers: other credit granting (6.8%), engineering activities and related technical consultancy (5.1%), other monetary intermediation (4.3%), activities of collection agencies and credit bureaus (2.4%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
29%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 32%
Apprenticeships
1
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
1 year
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

University

You could do a foundation degree or degree in:

  • business
  • finance
  • accounting
  • business and management

Some larger companies offer graduate training schemes, which prepare you for a career in credit control and management.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • at least 1 A level, or equivalent, for a foundation degree
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You could do a college course which will give you some of the skills you’ll need to apply for a trainee credit controller position.

Courses include:

  • bookkeeping and accounting
  • computerised accounting for business
  • business and finance

You can speak to your college to find the right level course for you. Some colleges also offer distance learning courses.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply for an apprenticeship such as:

  • Credit Controller and Collector Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Credit Controller and Debt Collection Specialist Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship

These can take between 1 and 2 years to complete.

If you want to train for a manger role, you could take an Account and Finance Manager Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship over 3 years.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship

Work your way up

You could start as a finance assistant in a credit control department. You could then train on the job to become a credit controller or deputy manager.

The Chartered Institute of Credit Management offers courses at different levels tailored to your experience.

Apply directly

You can apply directly to be a credit controller, as many companies will train you on the job. The qualifications and experience you'll need will vary.

Most employers will expect you to have:

  • 3 to 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including maths
  • the ability to use spreadsheets and accounting packages
  • experience of office administration or customer service work

You might be able to move into credit control if you have experience in:

  • bookkeeping
  • accounts
  • debt collecting

You can find out more about careers in credit control and management from the Chartered Institute of Credit Management.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for credit controller. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

1 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • receives requests for credit submissions and lending proposals
  • arranges for investigations of the credit worthiness of individuals or companies
  • deals with any enquiries or difficulties concerning the acceptance or rejection of credit applications
  • checks that accounting, recording and statutory procedures are adhered to for all credit transactions
  • arranges for the collection of arrears of payment

Skills

  • communicate with banking professionals
  • obtain financial information
  • advise on financial matters
  • analyse financial risk
  • analyse loans
  • advise on risk management
  • apply credit risk policy
  • consult credit score
  • create a financial plan
  • examine credit ratings
  • provide support in financial calculation
  • analyse market financial trends
  • analyse the credit history of potential customers
  • decide on loan applications

Knowledge

  • banking activities
  • securities
  • credit control processes
  • debt systems
  • mortgage loans
  • property law
  • corporate social responsibility
  • customer service

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Leading and persuading

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for administrative occupations, a group of 20 jobs that includes credit controllers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 12%about 381,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 20351 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

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