Gather the full money picture
Review a client's earnings, expenses, account balances and credit report to see what they owe and what's left.
Career profile
Credit Counselor
Credit counselors help clients understand their debts and build a spending plan to repay them.
Some people cannot cover every bill that's due. Your work is putting their numbers and options into plain words they can act on.
A day in the life
Shape a budget they can explain
Walk through spending and debt payments together, asking early which parts would be hard to stick to.
Ask a creditor for easier terms
In debt management, seek a lower rate or longer payoff, then report back without promising the debt disappears.
Redo the budget after cut hours
Rework a client's budget to fit lower pay from cut hours, and record what changed in counseling notes.
Quick facts
Bachelor’s typical
United States
$52,230/year
United States · May 2025
3.3% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Bachelor’s typicalSome jobs accept a high school diploma.
Pay
$52,230/yearNational median; $25.11 an hour.
Outlook
3.3% projected growthAbout 2,000 openings annually, including replacement needs.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like checking numbers carefully.
- You can listen without rushing to judge.
- You enjoy explaining a confusing choice.
Things to weigh
- Expect substantial sitting, screen work, and client conversations.
- Some appointments fall on evenings or weekends.
Where AI may help
Spreadsheets and counseling software help calculate payments and organize records.
What people still lead
You still need to understand the client’s circumstances and explain the choices.
What we can’t predict yet
How much routine counseling becomes automated remains uncertain; greater efficiency may limit job growth.
Pay in context
Earnings
Use the national figures as a reference when comparing actual offers.
The pay spread
The lowest-paid 10% earned under $38,350; the highest-paid 10% earned over $80,440. These are not starting and senior salaries.
Workplace matters
Annual medians were $61,590 at local junior colleges, $55,280 at private colleges and universities, and $50,600 at state colleges and universities.
Openings include people moving on
The projected 2,000 annual openings include replacement needs. They are not 2,000 newly created positions each year.
Getting started
Prepare through college
- What the route involves
- Earn a bachelor’s degree, commonly in business, finance, or psychology.
- What it can lead to
- Meet the typical educational expectation for counselor jobs.
Find a diploma-entry position
- What the route involves
- Apply to jobs accepting high school graduates; learn alongside experienced counselors after hiring.
- What it can lead to
- Build counseling competence through several months of workplace training.
Check each employer’s education and certification requirements.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn from experienced counselors how to build rapport with clients.
Handle harder repayment choices
Get better at explaining how a lower payment, a longer repayment period, and a changed interest rate affect a client’s options.
Move toward senior counseling
In college financial-aid work, senior counselor is a possible next role. Further training or experience and an employer’s needs shape advancement.
Where you can work
Nonprofit debt-counseling agencies
Phone counseling and client portals can connect you with people beyond the office. Some agencies have separate specialists supporting clients already on repayment plans.
- Indoors
- Office
College financial-aid offices
You explain aid and loan repayment to students and families while reviewing awards and processing documents. Questions arrive through walk-ins, calls, and email.
- Indoors
- Office
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Make a fictional monthly budget with take-home pay, essential expenses, and two debt payments. Calculate what remains, then cut the income by $200. Write two questions you would ask before changing the plan. Notice whether you enjoy both the arithmetic and the conversation.
Stay safe: Use invented numbers, not someone else’s private financial records.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 13-2071.00 — Credit Counselors. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Credit Counselors — Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What is credit counseling?. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What is the difference between credit counseling and debt settlement, debt consolidation, or credit repair?. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- GreenPath Financial Wellness. Speak with a Counselor. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- Boise State University. Job Standard for Financial Aid Counselor, Associate. Accessed 2026-10-04.