Sort out what's being asked
Read each letter to learn what the writer wants, and send items for another department over to them.
Career profile
Correspondence Clerk
Correspondence clerks write clear, accurate replies to letters and messages carrying questions or complaints.
You dig into the facts of the situation before you choose words to describe them. The work blends writing with checking files.
A day in the life
Fill gaps with a coworker
Contact a coworker for missing facts whenever a letter clashes with the file, before you start drafting.
Lay out facts, then reread
Set out the relevant facts, then reread your reply for accuracy, fitting tone and any unanswered question.
File the letter and reply
Store the incoming message and your reply so the office has a trail of what happened.
Quick facts
High school diploma or equivalent
United States · 2025–2035
$46,800 a year
United States · May 2025
5.6% decline
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
High school diploma or equivalentTypical entry education; individual employers set their requirements.
Pay
$46,800 a yearNational median for correspondence clerks, equivalent to $22.50 an hour.
Outlook
5.6% declineEmployment is projected to shrink, with about 500 openings a year on average.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like making a confusing message easier to understand.
- You notice when details in two records do not match.
- You can follow a repeatable process without skipping checks.
Things to weigh
- Repeated requests and long stretches sitting at a computer can feel monotonous.
- Answering dissatisfied customers can be stressful, even when your reply is accurate.
Where AI may help
Email, searchable files, and reusable letter templates help you find information and prepare replies.
What people still lead
You judge whether the answer fits the question and whether the records support it.
What we can’t predict yet
How much routine replying becomes automatic—and how much checking remains with clerks—will vary as employers change their systems.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median is $46,800 a year, or $22.50 an hour. Half of correspondence clerks earn less and half earn more.
The national spread
The 10th-percentile wage is $33,300 a year and the 90th-percentile wage is $64,510. These mark the lower and upper ends of the middle 80% of wages, not starting and senior salaries.
Openings despite a smaller occupation
Employment is projected to decline 5.6% from 2025 to 2035. About 500 openings are projected each year on average as workers leave or move to other occupations.
Getting started
Enter a job with workplace training
- What the route involves
- Apply to roles whose requirements you meet, then learn their computer applications and correspondence procedures on the job.
- What it can lead to
- Training prepares you to handle the office’s routine requests and records.
- What to check
- In federal correspondence work, you explain decisions made by program staff; writing the reply does not give you authority to make those decisions.
Build your preparation in school
- What the route involves
- Complete high school or an equivalent qualification. Add word processing and spreadsheet courses to practice useful office skills.
- What it can lead to
- This meets the typical education baseline and prepares you for applications, although employers may ask for additional experience.
A high school diploma or equivalent is the usual starting point. You can prepare through school and learn the office’s procedures after hiring.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn the office’s filing system, computer applications, and procedures for handling requests.
Handle harder questions
Build skill in reconciling incomplete records and explaining several related issues in one reply.
Move into broader office work
Administrative assistant work can be a next step, with wider responsibilities for keeping an office running.
Where you can work
Government correspondence offices
You explain program rules or the status of a claim. Replies draw on official records and information from program staff.
- Indoors
- Office
Hospital billing offices
The work can focus on returned mail, patient address information, and insurance correspondence. You use several computer systems and communicate with billing coworkers, patients, and insurers.
- Indoors
- Office
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Invent a message asking why a bill shows two charges. Make a small record with two dates and amounts, leaving one detail unclear. Draft a short reply that explains what you can confirm and asks for the missing information. Notice whether you enjoy both checking the facts and choosing clear words.
Stay safe: Use made-up names and account details.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Correspondence Clerks — 43-4021.00. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national estimates — pinned SOC 43-4021 binding. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2025–2035 — pinned SOC 43-4021 binding. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Information Clerks — applicable preparation, training, working conditions, and advancement. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Position Classification Standard for Correspondence Clerk Series, GS-0309. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- Universal Health Services. Research and Correspondence Clerk — Atlantic Region Central Billing Office. Accessed 2026-10-10.