Keep this letter short and unemotional. Don't explain your situation, don't offer to pay, and don't admit the debt is yours. You're asking for documents, nothing more.
[Your full name]
[Your current address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Date]
[Collection agency name]
[Collection agency address]
Re: Account / reference number [as shown on their notice or your credit report]
Alleged original creditor: [if known]
Alleged amount: [$ amount]
To whom it may concern:
This letter is a request for validation of the above debt under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. §1692g. I dispute this debt and request that you provide the following:
1. The name and address of the original creditor and the original account number.
2. A copy of the signed agreement or other document creating the obligation.
3. An itemized statement of the amount claimed, showing the original balance, all interest, fees and charges added, and all payments credited, with the date and authority for each addition.
4. Documentation that you own this debt or are authorized by the current owner to collect it, including the chain of assignment if the debt has been sold.
5. Proof that you are licensed to collect debts in [your state], if such licensing is required.
6. The date of the last payment on the original account and the date of first delinquency as reported by the original creditor.
Until you have provided this validation, please cease all collection activity on this account as required by §1692g(b). If you have reported or intend to report this debt to any consumer reporting agency, you must report it as disputed under 15 U.S.C. §1692e(8).
This is not a refusal to pay, but a notice that your claim is disputed and validation is requested. Please direct all communication about this account to me in writing at the address above.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Printed name]
How to send it
- Certified mail with return receipt. The collector's address is on their notice or on the collection tradeline of your report.
- Don't include your Social Security number or date of birth. The collector already has what they need to find the account, and you're not verifying your identity to them.
- Send the collection dispute letter to each bureau the same day.
What happens next
- They validate with real documents: an itemized statement, the original agreement, proof of assignment. Then you decide whether to negotiate, pay or dispute specific errors in what they sent.
- They send a one-line letter saying "we have verified the debt." That isn't validation. Write back noting that no documents were provided and that you consider the debt unvalidated.
- They go silent. Common with debt buyers who don't have the paperwork. They must stop collecting and must not report the debt as undisputed. If the tradeline stays, dispute it with the bureau and cite the unanswered request.
- They delete the tradeline. Some collectors simply drop accounts they can't document.
Full guide: disputing collections. The software generates this letter for each collector on your report, with the account details filled in. Start for $1.99.
Frequently asked questions
What's the 30-day window?
Under the FDCPA, a collector must send you a validation notice within five days of first contacting you. You then have 30 days to dispute in writing. If you do, they must stop collection activity until they mail you verification. After 30 days you can still send the letter; they just don't have to pause.
Does this work on the original creditor?
No. The FDCPA applies to third-party collectors and debt buyers, not to the original lender collecting its own debt. For an original creditor, use a bureau dispute or a direct dispute under FCRA §623.
What if they don't respond?
They can't legally continue collecting or report the debt as undisputed. If the tradeline stays on your report without a 'disputed' notation, that's an FCRA violation. Dispute with the bureau and mention the unanswered validation request.
Will this restart the statute of limitations?
No. Requesting validation is not an acknowledgment of the debt. Making a payment or agreeing to a payment plan can restart it in some states; asking for proof cannot.