Data Entry Clerk Job Description

What Does a Data Entry Clerk Do?

Billing offices and research teams need every number keyed exactly as it appears on the form. Data entry clerks handle that work for them and for government agencies and records departments, typing forms, invoices and surveys into databases and checking each batch against the originals. One wrong digit can misdirect a bill.

Also known as: Data Entry Operator, Data Input Operator, Senior Data Input Operator

Data Entry Clerk Duties and Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of a data entry clerk include:

• Key information from paper forms, invoices and surveys into databases or spreadsheets.
• Verify entered data against source documents and correct typing or transposition errors.
• Scan and index documents so each image links to the right record.
• Flag unreadable, incomplete or conflicting forms and return them for clarification.
• Meet daily keystroke or batch targets while keeping error rates within set limits.
• Clean up duplicate, outdated or badly formatted records in existing files.
• Run simple queries or reports to confirm a batch loaded correctly.
• Protect confidential personal, medical or financial details under privacy rules such as HIPAA.
• Sort and file source documents after entry, or send them for secure shredding.
• Log batch counts and completion times so supervisors can track the workload.

Required Skills and Qualifications

To succeed as a data entry clerk, you will need the following skills and qualifications:

• Fast, accurate typing and numeric keypad entry
• Excel, Access or similar database screens
• A sharp eye for transposed digits
• Steady focus through repetitive work
• Basic scanning and OCR software
• Following strict privacy rules
• Self-checking before submitting a batch
• High school diploma or equivalent

Education and Training

If you have worked in any keyboard-heavy job, lead with your typing speed and accuracy when you apply. A typing course is worth taking. Employers typically want a high school diploma, and many give a typing test at interview. New hires learn an employer's forms and screens in a short spell of on-the-job training, the pattern BLS describes as typical for data entry keyers.

Salary and Job Outlook

According to BLS, employment of data entry keyers is projected to fall about 26 percent from 2025 to 2035. That is a sharp drop, driven by scanning, online forms and software that reads documents automatically. BLS still expects roughly 7,700 openings a year, mostly to replace keyers who leave. For a newcomer, the job works best as a first step toward records, billing or office roles.

Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Data entry keyers.