Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Finance and accounting / 13-2071.00

Credit Counselors

Advise and educate individuals or organizations on acquiring and managing debt. May provide guidance in determining the best type of loan and explain loan requirements or restrictions. May help develop debt management plans or student financial aid packages. May advise on credit issues, or provide budget, mortgage, bankruptcy, or student financial aid counseling.

US jobs
27,770
Median wage
$52,230 a year
Job family
Finance and accounting

Can agents do the work of credit counselors?

We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Finance and accounting:

  • Task levelPartialOn Vals AI's Finance Agent benchmark, where agents research SEC filings to answer an analyst's questions, the best model scores 64.4%. Adjacent spreadsheet tasks score higher (83.1% on SpreadsheetBench). No task-level benchmark in our collection tests bookkeeping or audit work inside accounting systems.
  • Project levelPartialOn APEX-Agents, which includes investment-banking tasks written by professionals, the best agent passes 73.5% of tasks on the first try (all domains). OpenAI reports that GPT-5.5's GDPval deliverables, from occupations that include accountants and financial managers, won or tied against professionals' work in 84.9% of comparisons.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in finance and accounting, not always this occupation's tasks.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • Create debt management plans, spending plans, or budgets to assist clients to meet financial goals.
  • Assess clients' overall financial situations by reviewing income, assets, debts, expenses, credit reports, or other financial information.
  • Calculate clients' available monthly income to meet debt obligations.
  • Recommend strategies for clients to meet their financial goals, such as borrowing money through loans or loan programs, declaring bankruptcy, making budget adjustments, or enrolling in debt management plans.
  • Advise clients or respond to inquiries about financial matters in person or via phone, email, Web site, or Internet chat.
  • Explain general financial topics to clients, such as credit report ratings, bankruptcy laws, consumer protection laws, wage attachments, or collection actions.
  • Interview clients by telephone or in person to gather financial information.
  • Maintain or update records of client account activity, including financial transactions, counseling session notes, correspondence, document images, or client inquiries.
  • Estimate time for debt repayment, given amount of debt, interest rates, and available funds.
  • Prioritize client debt repayment to avoid dire consequences, such as bankruptcy or foreclosure or to reduce overall costs, such as by paying high-interest or short-term loans first.
  • Recommend educational materials or resources to clients on matters, such as financial planning, budgeting, or credit.
  • Review changes to financial, family, or employment situations to determine whether changes to existing debt management plans, spending plans, or budgets are needed.
Other job titles for this occupation (32)

Accredited Financial Counselor · Budget Credit Counselor · Certified Consumer Credit and Housing Counselor · Certified Credit Consultant · Certified Credit Counselor · Certified Financial Coach · Certified Personal Finance Counselor · Financial Coach · Financial Health Counselor · Housing Counselor · Branch Credit Counselor · Budget Counselor · Consumer Credit Counselor · Credit Balance Specialist · Credit Card Specialist · Credit Representative · Credit Services Representative · Credit Services Specialist · Credit Specialist · Credit Support Counselor · Credit Support Specialist · Debt Counselor · Debt Management Counselor · Financial Aid Counselor · Home Lending Advisor · Loan Advisor · Loan Servicer · Mortgage Advisor · Mortgage Counselor · Mortgage Loan Counselor · Student Financial Aid Counselor · Student Loan Counselor