Should I call the number on the letter?

Writing is what most people do first, and for a reason: a letter you keep a copy of is a record, and a phone call is not. Asking for proof of the debt in writing is a normal reply and costs you nothing.

What if I do not recognise the debt at all?

Say so in writing, and ask for the original agreement and the history of the account. Until the sender shows where the debt came from, you have not agreed to anything — and asking in writing is what puts that on the record.

Is CraftMyLetter a law firm?

No. CraftMyLetter writes and delivers letters. It is not legal advice, and we are not a law firm.

You received a debt collection letter

A debt collection letter is written to be alarming, and it often arrives about a debt you do not recognise or a figure you do not recognise. The useful first question is not "how do I pay this" but "is this mine, and is this the right amount".

اقرأ هذه الصفحة بالعربية

What this letter usually is

A collection letter comes from someone other than the person you originally owed — an agency acting for them, or a company that has bought the debt. It commonly names the original creditor, an account or reference, the amount claimed, and what the sender says it will do next. It may be the first you have heard of the debt in years, or ever.

What it usually asks for

Payment, or contact. Most letters ask you to pay a stated amount or to call a number, and many offer a reduced figure for paying quickly. Almost all will, if asked in writing, explain what the debt is, where the figure comes from, and on what basis they are the ones asking for it.

The deadlines that commonly apply

Collection letters commonly state a period for responding before the sender takes a further step, and many describe a period in which you can ask them to show the debt is yours. Your letter states its own, or it does not. A date in a collection letter is the sender's stated intention, not a statement of what any law requires.

Three ways to respond

1Ask in writing for proof of the debt: the original agreement, a statement of the amount, and the basis on which they are collecting it.
2Dispute it in writing if the debt is not yours or the amount is wrong, and say you do not accept it until it is shown to you.
3Propose a payment arrangement in writing, once the debt is shown to be yours, at amounts and dates you can keep.

Show us your letter

Photograph it and we will tell you what it says it wants, by when, and write your reply. Nothing is sent until you say so.

Upload the letter

If your reply is a letter, we can send it for you and tell you when it arrives. What a tracked send is

Frequently asked questions

CraftMyLetter writes and delivers letters. It is not legal advice, we are not a law firm, and nothing here is a statement of what any law requires.