What Is a Debt Validation Letter?
- Debt collectors send debt validation letters to tell you about a debt you may owe. These letters can be legit, but some are inaccurate or outright scams.
- Never give out personal or financial information to a debt collector until they’ve proven that they are collecting a legitimate debt that you owe.
- You have the right to dispute the debt or ask for more information within 30 days of receiving the notice.
Debt validation letters explained
Debt validation letters (also called debt verification letters) are notices that debt collectors send you. Debt collectors are legally required to send you these notices and give you 30 days to respond.
Debt collectors try to collect overdue debts like bills, credit cards or loans. They may work for the person or company you owe, or they could work for a debt collection agency that bought your debt from the original creditor.
Debt validation letter vs. debt verification letter
People define debt validation letters and debt verification letters differently. There’s no universal agreement on the difference between them or even if there is a difference at all.
Sometimes they mean the same thing. Other times “debt validation letter” refers to the notice the debt collector sends you and “debt verification letter” refers to the notice you send to the debt collector in response to the debt. The government doesn’t use either of these terms — they call debt validation letters “validation notices.”
The exact terms aren’t important. What matters is that you understand your legal right to two forms of communication about a debt that’s in collections:
- A letter or written notice from the debt collector to you that describes your debt
- A letter or written notice from you to the debt collector to verify or dispute the debt
You have more rights when it comes to debt collection. We’ll explain them in the next section.
Your rights with debt collectors
Fair debt collection laws like the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act protect you from harmful or unethical debt collection practices. This law doesn’t apply to business debt or collections from your original creditor (the person or company you owe money to).
Legally, debt validation letters have to:
Be sent by mail or electronically
Debt collectors have to send your debt validation letter using one of the following methods:
- Written letter sent through the mail
- Text
- Private message on social media
Debt collectors can call you, but if that’s how you first hear from them, they must also send you a written notice within five days.
Contain specific information about your debt
The debt validation letter has to contain:
- The name and address of the debt collector
- The name of your original creditor (the person or company you owe money to)
- How much money you owe in total and broken down into categories (interest, fees, credits and payments)
- Any account number associated with the debt
- How to contact them to dispute the debt or get more information about the original creditor
- Information about your debt collection rights, including your right to dispute the debt or get more information about your original creditor within 30 days of the notice
Tell you how and when you can dispute the debt
Debt validation letters have to include a summary of your debt collection rights. This includes your right to dispute the debt or get more information about your original creditor within 30 days of receiving the validation letter. The letter has to specify when that 30-day period ends.
Even though you have 30 days to dispute debt in collections, the debt collector only has to wait 14 days before reporting the debt to the credit bureaus. If the debt isn’t yours and is already on your credit report, dispute it as a credit report error to remove collections from your credit report.
Learn more about your rights to fair treatment from debt collectors under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. You can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) if you face any issues with a debt collector.
How to dispute collections
You can dispute debt in collections within 30 days of getting a debt validation letter and you should do so if you’ve already paid the debt, the amount is wrong or the debt isn’t yours.
How do I write a letter of debt validation?
- Use a template. The CFPB has sample letters to send to debt collectors depending on your situation.
- Ask for proof. In your letter, ask the debt collector to provide proof that you owe the debt. This is also called verification of debt, and legitimate debt collectors should be able to provide proof like a copy of a bill or credit card statement from the original creditor.
- Mail the letter. Keep a copy for yourself, then mail the letter. Use a tracking service like certified mail and pay for a return receipt to prove that the collector got your letter.
- Know your rights. If you dispute a debt or ask for more information, debt collectors can’t contact you to collect the debt until they’ve sent you proof the debt is yours.
If you think the letter might be a scam or want more information about the original creditor, you have the right to ask the debt collector for information within 30 days of getting the debt validation letter.
If they can’t provide you with proof that you owe the debt, it’s probably a scam. Report any scams to the Federal Trade Commission.
How to pay off debt in collections
Once you’ve verified that you owe the debt, create a plan to pay it. Debt collectors can sue you if you ignore them and don’t make payments.
There are three ways to pay off debt in collections:
- Pay in full. If you pay the entire debt, your credit report will say that the debt is “paid in full” instead of “settled.” This looks better to lenders and credit card companies when you apply for a new loan or card. But even if you pay the debt in full, collections will stay on your credit report for seven years.
- Negotiate to pay less than you owe. This is also called debt settlement. You can negotiate your debt for yourself or work with a credit counselor or lawyer.
- Make a payment plan. You can also ask for a payment plan to clear the debt. Create a budget to pay off debt to see what you can realistically afford to pay the debt collector every month.
A credit counselor can tell you about your debt relief options and help you create a realistic budget to pay off your debt.
Frequently asked questions
Debt in collections stays on your credit report for seven years. Other negative marks like Chapter 7 bankruptcy can stay on your credit report for 10 years.
Yes. If you send a letter to a debt collector asking them to verify details about your debt, they are legally required to respond with those details.
If they don’t respond or ask you for additional information, it’s likely a scam. Make sure that the debt doesn’t appear on your credit reports. If it does, you can dispute it as a credit report error.
You can send a cease and desist letter to stop debt collectors from calling. But don’t ignore the debt. Avoiding debt in collections can lead to legal headaches in the form of lawsuits.
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