By law, you have a right to dispute a debt collection notice or call if you don’t believe the debt is yours or if you believe the amount is incorrect. According to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, if you wish to dispute a debt it should be in writing, and once they’ve received your letter, they must cease contacting you until they verify that the debt is valid. For more information about your rights under this law, visit our Debt Collection Information Center. Feel free to use the sample below as an initial letter to dispute a debt. Remember to include specifics about the date and time of the phone calls you received (if possible), or a copy of the written notice you received.

Form Letter for an Initial Debt Collection Dispute

Date

Your Name
Your Address

Collector's Name
Collector's Address

Dear Debt Collector,

I am writing to dispute the claim of your debt collection notice stating that I owe [describe letter or phone call’s claim]. I do not agree that this is a charge that I incurred or for which I am responsible. [OR—I do not agree that the amount of the charge is correct.]

Since I have only recently become aware of this debt claim from you or any other company, this letter serves as a dispute document in accordance with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Section 809(b) in reference to Debt Validation. Please note that according to the Act:

According to the FDCPA’s federal guidelines, I understand that once you receive this letter, you may only contact me to inform me that you:

1. I have notified you within the 30-day period as described in subsection (a) that I am disputing this charge
2. You may not contact me until I receive verification of the debt and it is delivered to me in writing at your expense
3. You cannot add interest or fees unless allowed by the original contract or state law
4. You do not have to respond to this dispute. However, if you attempt to collect this debt again without validation, you will be in violation of the federal law.
5. Since I am disputing this debt, until it is validated, your information concerning this debt is considered inaccurate, and if you have already reported this debt to any credit reporting agency or credit bureau then you must immediately inform them of my dispute with this debt.
6. Reporting information that you know to be inaccurate or failing to report information correctly violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act § 1681s-2.

Should you pursue a judgment without validating this debt, I will inform the judge and request the case be dismissed based on your failure to comply with the FDCPA. Therefore, please provide me with the following:

(1) the amount of the debt
(2) the name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed
(3) a verification and/or if applicable, a copy of any judgment
(4) proof that you are licensed to collect debts in [Your State]

If you do not own this debt, send a copy of this dispute letter to the original creditor so they are also aware of my dispute with this debt.

Be advised that I am fully aware of my rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. I am keeping records of all correspondence from you and your company, including recording all phone calls, and I will not hesitate to report violations of the law to the appropriate legal authorities.

Signature here
Your Printed Name