Debt Validation: How to Make Debt Collectors Prove You Owe Money

One of the most powerful tools you have under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is debt validation. Debt validation requires the debt collector to verify the amount and validity of the debt it's trying to collect. The collector has to supply information confirming the legitimacy of the debt, such as the original creditor, an itemized account of charges, the total amount owed, and documentation of ownership. This process is sometimes called "disputing the debt."

To validate the debt, you must act quickly once the debt collector contacts you.

What Is Debt Validation and Why Is It Important?

Debt validation is a consumer's legal right to request written verification from a debt collector proving the debt they're attempting to collect is legitimate and actually owed by the consumer.

Mistakes often happen in debt collection. Validating a debt validation allows you to verify the accuracy of a debt to make sure you really owe it. It also allows you to exercise your consumer protection rights, prevents excessive or illegitimate fees from being added, and gives you an opportunity to resolve an outstanding debt. Also, if you verify the validity of a debt, you won't become the victim of a debt collection scam where you pay off a debt you don't actually owe.

Importantly, debt validation stops collection activities until the collector supplies proper verification, giving you time to review and respond to the claim.

The collection agency usually gives you specific information in its first letter, which is generally called a "debt validation notice," including:

• the amount of the debt
• the name of the creditor to whom the debt is currently owed
• you have 30 days to dispute the validity of the debt
• if you don't dispute the debt's validity, the collector will assume it is valid
• if you do dispute the debt's validity within the 30 days, the agency will send you verification of it (if you miss the 30-day deadline, the collector might still respond even though it's not legally required to do so), and
• if you send a written request within that 30 days for the name and address of the original creditor, the agency will provide it, if different from the current creditor. (15 U.S.C. § 1692g(a) (2025).)

An amendment to the FDCPA in 2021 significantly expanded the law's requirements for debt validation notices by requiring more information and additional disclosures, including:

• information that helps a consumer identify the debt being collected
• information about consumer protections
• information to help consumers exercise their rights under the FDCPA, including a tear-off dispute form with pre-written prompts for disputing a debt, and
• disclosures required under certain laws. (12 C.F.R. § 1006.34 (2024).)

If the initial communication doesn't contain this information, by law, the agency has five days from the initial contact to provide it to you. (15 U.S.C. § 1692g(a) (2025).) The notice can be written or electronic. An oral notification is allowed when you're first contacted, but not later. (12 C.F.R. § 1006.34(a) (2025).)

Timeline: How Long Do I Have to Request Debt Validation?

You have 30 days from the date you receive a debt validation notice to request validation from a debt collector. If you don't request validation within this 30-day period, the collector is allowed to assume the debt is valid and may continue its collection efforts. Disputing the debt within this timeframe is important for protecting your rights and pausing collection activity until the collector provides you with proper validation.

How Does the Collector Know When You "Receive" the Notice?

Thirty days after you receive the notice, the debt collector may resume collection activities if you haven't responded to the debt validation notice. Debt collectors usually use common mailing methods such as regular mail and certified mail to send debt validation notices. Sending the notice via certified mail is one way some collectors attempt to confirm delivery, but it's not required under the law. If the collector sends the notice by regular mail, the collector may assume it has been delivered after five days. (12 C.F.R. § 1006.34 (2025).)

The notice may be provided in a letter or electronically. (12 C.F.R. § 1006.42 (2025).)

What Happens After You Ask for Debt Validation?

If you send a written request for verification of the debt (you dispute the debt) and the name and address of the original creditor, the collection agency must stop its collection efforts. It can't resume them before double-checking the debt information and mailing you the verification, including the original creditor's name and address.

During the 30-day period, the collector can continue attempts to collect the debt from you until they get your validation request. So, debt collectors generally can take legal action, like filing or continuing a lawsuit, during the 30-day period for disputing a debt, provided the collection activity does not overshadow and is not inconsistent with the consumer's right to dispute. (15 U.S.C. § 1692g(b) (2025).)

If you receive notice of a lawsuit, make sure your response is timely. The deadline might be different than the 30-day deadline to request verification of the debt.

When Debt Validation Can Help

Checking who the original creditor is might help you decide whether you have grounds to challenge the debt. Also, collection agencies and original creditors are busy. While verification might seem as if it should be easy, it might take several weeks or longer.

Requesting verification is particularly helpful if the debt has been sold, especially if it has changed hands more than once. Often, debt buyers have little information about the debts they own. They might try to collect the wrong amount or from people with similar names who don't owe the debt. If the debt collector can't verify what you owe, you might be able to reduce or even eliminate the debt.

But if you don't dispute the validity of the debt (or part of it) or don't request the original creditor's name and address within 30 days of receiving the first collection letter, the agency can assume the debt is valid and continue collection efforts during the 30 days and after. The debt collector has a right to use all legal collection efforts against you.

Be Cautious If You Think the Statute of Limitations Is About to Expire or Has Expired

If you think the statute of limitations for the debt (the deadline for collectors to sue you) is about to expire or has expired, be cautious when sending a letter asking the collector to validate the debt. You don't want to inadvertently acknowledge the debt in your communications, which could restart the limitations period.

How to Request Debt Validation: Step-by-Step Guide

Here's how to request debt validation:

• Step 1: Review the debt validation notice you received from the collector, noting the date you received it, which starts the 30-day window to respond.
• Step 2: Write a debt validation letter, including your full name and address, the date of the letter, the collector's name and address, a reference to the date and method of their initial contact, a statement you're invoking your rights under the FDCPA to request validation of the debt, a request for detailed proof, such as the original creditor's information, itemized charges, loan agreements, and the collector's license. It's also a good idea to include a statement that collection efforts must cease until the collector provides validation information.
• Step 3: Send the letter within 30 days of receiving the notice. Use a trackable mailing service, like certified mail, to ensure delivery confirmation.
• Step 4: Keep a copy of your letter and the mailing receipt for your records.
• Step 5: Wait for the collector's response.
• Step 6. If you don't get a response ore the debt isn't properly validated, you may continue disputing the debt, file complaints against the collector, or seek legal advice.

Following these steps will help protect your rights and ensure any debt collection attempts are legitimate. You can also respond by using the tear-off dispute form with pre-written prompts for disputing a debt, which is included in the debt validation notice.

Sample Debt Validation Letter Under the FDCPA

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) provides a sample debt validation letter (click on the "I need more information about this debt" letter on the CFPB website) that you can tailor to your particular situation.

What to Do If the Collector Does or Doesn't Respond

When you receive the collector's response to your request for validation, review it carefully. Make sure the debt is yours and the amount owed is accurate. If the debt is valid and you owe it, consider negotiating a payment plan or settlement. However, if you think the debt is invalid or the validation is incomplete, follow up with a letter challenging the debt or talk to an attorney to learn about what your next steps should be.

If the collector doesn't respond to your request, legally, they must stop collection activities until they provide validation. If the collector continues to try to collect from you without providing validation information, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB and report the collector to your state's attorney general. You might be able to sue them for damages and attorneys' fees.

Getting Help Dealing With a Debt Collector

If a debt collector violates the FDCPA and you sue the collector in court, you might be able to recover different types of damages, including monetary damages, attorneys' fees, and more. (15 U.S.C. § 1692k (2025).) Or you could have a defense or counterclaim if the collector sues you.

If you think a debt collector has violated the FDCPA when trying to collect a debt from you, consider talking to an attorney to get advice about your options.