Tellers

Summary

What Tellers Do About this section

Tellers verify a customer’s identity and financial information before processing a transaction.

Tellers process routine transactions, such as cashing checks and depositing money, at a bank or credit union.

Duties

Tellers typically do the following:

• Count the cash in their drawer at the start of their shift
• Accept checks, cash, and other forms of payment from customers
• Answer questions from customers about their accounts
• Prepare specialized types of funds, such as money orders, savings bonds, and traveler’s checks
• Exchange dollars for foreign currency
• Order bank cards and checks for customers
• Record all transactions electronically throughout their shift
• Count the cash in their drawer at the end of their shift and make sure the amounts balance

Tellers are responsible for the safe and accurate handling of the money they process. When cashing a check, they verify the customer’s identity and make sure that the account has enough money to cover the transaction. When counting cash, tellers must be careful not to make errors.

Tellers also may recommend the bank’s products or services, such as certificates of deposit (CDs) or loans, based on a customer’s interest or financial information. If the customer is interested in any products or services, tellers refer the customer to the appropriate personnel.

Head tellers manage teller operations. In addition to doing the same tasks as those done by other tellers, they have some managerial duties, such as setting work schedules or helping other tellers. Because of their experience, head tellers may deal with difficult problems, such as errors in customer accounts. Head tellers also go to the vault (where larger amounts of money are kept) and ensure that other tellers have enough cash to cover their shift.

Work Environment About this section

Most tellers work full time during regular business hours.

Tellers held about 350,300 jobs in 2023. The largest employers of tellers were as follows:

The credit intermediation and related activities industry includes banks and credit unions, where tellers are primarily employed.

Work Schedules

Most tellers work full time during regular business hours. Some work schedules that include evenings or weekends.

How to Become a Teller About this section

Tellers must be friendly, helpful, and patient when interacting with bank customers.

To enter the occupation, tellers typically need a high school diploma; they also may need to pass a background check. Once hired, they receive training on the job.

Education

Tellers usually need a high school diploma or the equivalent. Some tellers take college courses or have a college degree, but this is not typically required for a job applicant to be hired.

Training

New tellers usually receive on-the-job training after they are hired. Normally, a head teller or another experienced teller trains them. During this training, tellers learn how to balance cash drawers and verify signatures. They also learn the computer software that their employer uses and the financial products and services the bank or credit union offers.

Advancement

Experienced tellers may advance to become head tellers or move to other supervisory or managerial positions. Some tellers advance to other occupations, such as loan officer. They can also move to sales positions.

Important Qualities

Communication skills. Tellers must be able to understand customers’ needs and to explain product or service options available.

Customer-service skills. Tellers spend their day interacting with bank customers. They must be friendly, helpful, and patient.

Detail oriented. Tellers must be careful to avoid making errors when dealing with money.

Integrity. Tellers have access to customers’ financial information, which they must keep confidential. They also must follow procedures to help safeguard financial assets and accounts.

Interpersonal skills. Tellers should be able to create positive interactions with customers.

Math skills. Because they count and handle large amounts of money, tellers must be good at arithmetic.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage for tellers was $37,640 in May 2023. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $29,720, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $46,950.

In May 2023, the median annual wages for tellers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Most tellers work full time during regular business hours. Some work schedules that include evenings or weekends.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of tellers is projected to decline 15 percent from 2023 to 2033.

Despite declining employment, about 27,300 openings for tellers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

Historically, job growth for tellers was driven by the expansion of bank branches, where most tellers work. However, the number of bank branches has been in decline due to technological change. As more people use online banking tools, such as mobile check deposits, fewer bank customers will visit the teller window. This should result in decreased demand for tellers.

In addition, automation is expected to lead to fewer tellers per bank branch. For example, video kiosks that allow customers to interact with tellers through webcams at ATMs will allow tellers to service a greater number of customers from one location, reducing the number of tellers needed for each bank.

“Enhanced ATMs” are another form of automation technology. These machines are expected to perform an increasing range of customer service and clerical tasks currently done by tellers, such as issuing debit cards or detecting counterfeit currency. The use of these machines will improve teller productivity and allow workers to focus on only the most complex customer service tasks, which in turn is expected to lower demand for these workers.

State & Area Data About this section

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link(s) below go to OEWS data maps for employment and wages by state and area.

• Tellers

Projections Central

Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.org. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved.

CareerOneStop

CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For general information about the banking industry, visit

American Bankers Association (ABA)

For general information about credit unions, visit

National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions (NAFCU)

O*NET

Tellers