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Free debt validation letter

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This sample asks a United States debt collector to verify a debt under 15 U.S.C. §1692g. It is not an acknowledgment that you owe the debt. The 30-day pause runs from the collector’s first written notice. After that window, you can still ask; the collector is not required to pause. What the letter is for is in how a debt validation letter works.

First collection notice 


November 3, 2026



Re: Request for debt validation — 15 U.S.C. §1692g — this account

To whom it may concern:

I am writing about a debt you are attempting to collect. This letter is a request for validation under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. §1692g. It is not an acknowledgment that I owe this debt, and it is not a promise to pay.

I received your written notice of this debt within the last 30 days. Under 15 U.S.C. §1692g, please verify the debt and mail that verification to me. Please pause collection of this debt until you have mailed that verification.

Please include the name of the original creditor, the amount you say is owed, and a copy of any judgment or agreement you rely on.

Sincerely,

Before you send it

  • Send via USPS Certified Mail, Return Receipt.
  • Keep a copy of the letter. Do not send original account documents unless a lawyer told you to.
  • Use the collector’s current mailing address from the notice you received. Addresses move.
  • This letter is United States collection law. It is not a letter to Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion.
  • The 30-day window in 15 U.S.C. §1692g runs from the collector’s first written notice, not from today.
  • If you are still inside that window, sending this letter generally requires the collector to pause collection until it mails verification.
  • If that window has closed, you can still ask for verification. The statute does not require the collector to pause.
  • Do not add a sentence that says you agree you owe the debt. That can matter for a lawsuit deadline in some states.