Debt collection questions, answered

Your right under the FDCPA to require a third-party debt collector to verify a debt in writing. If you dispute within 30 days of receiving the validation notice, the collector must stop collecting the disputed debt until it mails verification.

The amount, the current creditor's name, and your right to dispute within 30 days, among other items. Since late 2021 the CFPB's Regulation F provides a model notice most collectors use.

They can't lawfully resume collecting the disputed debt until they do. If the account is on your credit report, it can be disputed under the FCRA as unverifiable. Results vary.

Generally no. The FDCPA covers third-party collectors and debt buyers, not the bank or card issuer you originally owed. Other options may apply to original-creditor debts.

You can still dispute, but the collector isn't required to pause collection while it responds. A provider can tell you what still applies.

No, but act now — court deadlines are short. A collector who sues still has to prove the debt. Don't ignore the papers.

Disputing a debt doesn't itself lower your score. If an unverifiable account is removed, your report changes accordingly.

A lender writes a debt off as a loss on its books, usually after several months of missed payments. It doesn't cancel what you owe. The account is often sold or sent to a collector, and it can stay on your credit report for up to seven years.

The rules have changed in recent years. The national credit bureaus stopped reporting paid medical collections and now wait a year before a medical collection can appear. These policies can change, so check your own reports at AnnualCreditReport.com.

No. We're a free matching and education site operated by Rainy Day Company LLC. Providers you're connected with are independent. If a provider is a law firm, they'll tell you so.

Nothing to use this site or for the initial review. Providers explain their own fees before you enroll. Federal rules bar debt settlement companies that telemarket from charging a fee before a debt is actually settled.

Unsecured debts — credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, payday loans, private student loans, collection accounts. Mortgages, auto loans, federal student loans, taxes and child support work differently.

We don't advise that, and a reputable provider won't either without explaining the consequences in writing. Talk it through first.

Yes. You can send a dispute letter yourself for the cost of a stamp; the CFPB publishes free sample letters. A provider helps when documents are messy, the collector pushes back, or you've been sued.

Write a short letter saying you dispute the debt and ask for verification. Include the collector's reference number and your name and mailing address, and leave out your SSN and bank details. Send it certified mail with return receipt within the 30 days, and keep a copy and the receipt.

Each state sets a time limit, called the statute of limitations, for suing over a debt. It varies by state and by type of debt. Once it passes, a collector generally can't sue you, though the debt may still exist. In some states a payment can restart the clock, so check before you pay on an old debt.

An old debt that resurfaces after years, often after being sold. It may be past the time limit to sue, already paid, or not yours at all. You can ask the collector to validate it before you do anything else.

Tell the collector in writing that you dispute the debt, report the theft at IdentityTheft.gov, and ask the credit bureaus to block the account. You generally aren't responsible for charges that aren't yours, but you do need to say so.