Business & Finance
File Clerks
File correspondence, cards, invoices, receipts, and other records in alphabetical or numerical order or according to the filing system used. Locate and remove material from file when requested.
Median salary (BLS)
$43,600
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$31k – $63k
Job outlook
No separate BLS projection for this specific role
AI exposure
Plan a path to File Clerks
Education
Typical entry: No degree required
Plan my path to this →How to qualify
EstimateCost to qualify
$500–$3,150
Time to qualify
1 yr
Renewal
—
- 1
High school diploma or GED
CourseExpected by most employers; if you need the GED, test fees run $0–$150 depending on the state.
$0–$150 · 3 months · varies by state source
- 2
On-the-job training
ExperienceEmployer-provided and typically paid — days to a few months for most no-degree roles.
Cost varies · 3 months source
- 3
Industry certification (optional for many roles)
CertificationRole-dependent — e.g. CPA, Series 7/65, PMP, SHRM. Not always required, but often expected for advancement.
$500–$3,000 · 6 months source
Estimated typical U.S. route for "File Clerks" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.
Typical progression
Junior File Clerks
Entry / Junior
$31,200
~2 yrs to advance
File Clerks
Established
$43,600
~3 yrs to advance
Senior File Clerks
Senior
$53,545
Key skills
A typical day
- •Perform general office activities, such as typing, answering telephones, operating office machines, processing mail, or securing confidential materials.
- •Keep records of materials filed or removed, using logbooks or computers and generate computerized reports.
- •Gather materials to be filed from departments or employees.
- •Find, retrieve, and make copies of information from files in response to requests and deliver information to authorized users.
- •Add new material to file records or create new records as necessary.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Business & Finance
Explore all- University of Pennsylvania6% admit · $112,000 grad pay
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology4% admit · $124,000 grad pay
- Harvard University4% admit · $119,000 grad pay
- University of California, Berkeley11% admit · $97,000 grad pay
- New York University12% admit · $84,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.