Credit glossary
Debt validation
Your right under the FDCPA and Regulation F to get details about a debt from a collector and make it verify the debt before collecting.
A debt collector must send a validation notice with the amount, the creditor and the date your dispute window ends. If you dispute in writing within that validation period, or ask in writing for the original creditor's name and address, the collector must stop collecting until it sends you verification or a copy of a judgment (15 U.S.C. 1692g(b) and 12 CFR 1006.38).
The notice also itemizes how the balance changed since a reference date, which can show exactly where interest and fees came from. Validation rights apply to debt collectors, not usually to the original creditor. Use them on any debt you don't recognize, any amount that looks wrong, or any old account before you pay, since a payment can affect the lawsuit deadline in some states.
Guides that go deeper
- Debt validation: your right to make a collector prove the debtFederal law gives you 30 days after a collector's validation notice to dispute in writing and force it to pause. How the clock works and what to send.
- Should you pay a collection account? How to decidePaying a collection doesn't remove it, and the score effect depends on the model. How to decide, what to verify first, and how to pay safely.
- What debt collectors can and can't do under the FDCPA and Reg FFederal limits on debt collectors: the 7-in-7 call rule, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. hours, work and social media limits, email opt-outs, and cease letters.
Sources
- 15 U.S.C. 1692g: Validation of debts, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 12 CFR 1006.34: Notice for validation of debts, eCFR
- 12 CFR 1006.38: Disputes and requests for original-creditor information, eCFR
- What information does a debt collector have to give me about a debt they're trying to collect from me?, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
This is education, not legal or financial advice. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it.