Data entry clerk job description template: source documents, accuracy and speed standards, confidential data and non-exempt pay

A data entry clerk job description should name what the clerk keys (invoices, claims, orders, forms or records), from which source (paper, scans, PDFs, handwriting or an OCR exceptions queue), into which system, the accuracy and production standard in the unit you measure, whether the data is confidential, the schedule and location, and an hourly pay range. As of October 2026, data entry is non-exempt work under federal overtime rules, which say recording or tabulating data is not the discretion the administrative exemption needs.

"Data entry clerk, fast typist, detail-oriented" gets hundreds of applicants and no way to tell who has keyed 300 medical claims a day at 99 percent accuracy and who has only typed emails. Below are the seat types, a copy-ready template, the data, testing and classification lines with sources, screening and scorecard rows, and common mistakes. For the call, use data entry clerk screening questions; for a role that is mostly phones and scheduling, see the administrative assistant job description template.

Name the seat: documents, system and standard

Then get the facts from the team lead: documents per day, the production and accuracy standard after training and how it is measured, the source format, the system, the data types, and whether the job is onsite or remote. O*NET lists the core tasks for data entry keyers as locating and correcting entry errors, compiling, sorting and verifying data before entry, comparing data with source documents or re-entering it to detect errors, and storing completed documents (O*NET 43-9021.00); Data Entry Clerk is one of its sample titles.

The data entry clerk job description template

Data Entry Clerk, [Invoices / Claims / Orders / Forms / 10-Key],
[Onsite / Remote within: states], [Temporary for N weeks /
Temp-to-hire / Permanent]
[Company], [city, state]
Pay: $[min]–$[max] per hour. Non-exempt: overtime after 40 hours
in a workweek. [Shift differential, if any.] [Benefits summary, if
required.]

SUMMARY
You will key [documents] from [paper / scanned images / PDFs /
handwritten forms] into [system], about [N] a day after training
(example; use your real figure). The data includes [names and
addresses / Social Security numbers / health information / bank
details], so accuracy and privacy come first. You will report to
[team lead].

SCHEDULE
[Days and hours], [fixed / flexible within (window)]. [Overtime at
month-end or peak season: how often.]

WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Key data from source documents into [system] accurately.
- Check entries against the source and correct errors before
  submitting.
- Flag missing, unreadable or conflicting information to [team]
  instead of guessing.
- Balance batch totals [for numeric work].
- File or store completed documents as the procedure requires.
- Protect confidential data: [clean desk / no personal devices /
  screen privacy] rules.

YOU MUST HAVE
- Experience keying [document type] or similar into a business
  system.
- Ability to meet [N] keystrokes per hour [alphanumeric / 10-key]
  at [N]% accuracy after [N] weeks of training, measured on our
  work sample.
- Availability for the schedule above.
- Ability to perform keyboard and screen work for most of the
  shift, with or without reasonable accommodation.
- [Remote: a private workspace and an internet connection of at
  least [N] Mbps. We provide [equipment].]

NICE TO HAVE
- Experience with [system / industry / medical terms].
If you meet the must-haves and none of these, please apply.

FIXED CONDITIONS
- [Offers subject to a background check permitted by law, because
  the data includes (type).]
- [Confidentiality agreement and privacy training in week one.]

HOW WE HIRE
[Short screen; a timed work sample on documents like ours, the same
for every candidate; offer.]

[EEO STATEMENT]
To request an adjustment to apply, interview or take the work
sample, contact [address].

Data rules, testing and classification

Test the work instead of asking for credentials. Data entry postings rarely need a certificate line. A work sample on documents like yours tells you more than any credential. Federal guidelines on selection procedures accept content validity studies among the ways to show a test is valid (29 CFR 1607.5), and a sample of the real task is the plainest form of that. Give the same test under the same conditions to everyone, watch pass rates by group with the four-fifths rule, and offer accommodations on request; see pre-employment testing laws.

Write the standard in your unit. Keystrokes per hour, 10-key keystrokes per hour and words per minute are different measures, and accuracy matters as much as speed. The screening questions page explains the usual conversion and why numeric rates should not be converted.

Confidential data. If the clerk keys patient information for a HIPAA covered entity, the entity must train its workforce on its privacy policies as needed for their jobs (45 CFR 164.530(b)). Say so in the posting so the training week is no surprise. If you run a background check because of the data, follow the FCRA background check process: a standalone disclosure and written authorization before the check, and a pre-adverse action notice before rejecting anyone on the report (15 U.S.C. 1681b(b)).

Non-exempt. The administrative exemption requires discretion and independent judgment, and the regulation says that does not include clerical work, recording or tabulating data, or other mechanical, repetitive or routine work; an employee who simply tabulates data is not exempt even if called a statistician (29 CFR 541.202(e)). Post an hourly rate and plan for overtime at month-end peaks.

Remote seats and physical demands. In California, the Labor Commissioner explains that employees are entitled to reimbursement of expenses incurred in direct consequence of their work duties (California DLSE), so say what equipment and costs you cover. For physical demands, keyboard and screen work for most of the shift is the honest line. Do not copy lifting requirements from warehouse templates; under the ADA a written job description prepared before advertising is evidence of the essential functions (42 U.S.C. 12111(8)).

Pay and EEO. BLS does not publish a full Handbook profile for data entry keyers, but its data for occupations not covered in detail gives a national median annual wage of $41,340 in May 2025. That is a national median across industries. Check pay transparency laws by state, including for remote postings open in several states, and close with your EEO statement.

From must-haves to screening questions and scorecard rows

The full first call, with red flags, is in data entry clerk screening questions. For remote hires, add questions from remote candidate screening questions, and for later rounds see the interview guide for administrative roles.

Common mistakes in data entry clerk job descriptions

A typing speed with no unit or accuracy

"60 WPM required" says nothing about 10-key work or errors. Give your real standard, unit and accuracy target.

No document type or system

Handwritten forms and clean PDFs are different work. Name the source and the system.

Hiding that the data is sensitive

If the job involves health, financial or identity data, say so with the checks and training it brings.

Requiring a degree

The work sample shows whether someone can do the job. A degree line shrinks the pool without predicting accuracy.

Calling the role salaried and exempt

Recording data is non-exempt work under federal rules. Post an hourly rate.

Before you publish

• Document type, source, system and onsite or remote are in the title and summary.
• The production and accuracy standard is written in your unit, with the training period.
• Sensitive data, checks and training are stated.
• The work sample is the same for every candidate, with an accommodation contact.
• The hourly range, the non-exempt line and the EEO statement close the posting.