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Guides

Straight answers to the questions people ask when a collector gets in touch, with the law behind each one.

• How to stop debt collectors contacting you, and what they are not allowed to doWhat debt collectors can and cannot do: the 7-calls-in-7-days rule, calls at work and to family, texts and social media, harassment, and how to stop contact with a cease and desist letter.
• Debt collector scams: how to tell a fake collector from a real oneHow debt collection scams work, the warning signs regulators describe, how scammers impersonate real collectors, how to verify a collector, and what to do if you have paid. Free scam checker.
• Sued for a debt? How to respond, and how to get the lawsuit dismissedSued for a debt? What a summons means, how long you have to respond, how to file an answer, the defenses that get debt lawsuits dismissed, and what happens if you do not respond.
• How to write a debt validation letter, and what to expect backHow to write a debt validation letter: the 30-day deadline, what a collector must tell you, what to ask for, a free sample letter, and what collectors usually send back. With the law.
• Do medical bills affect your credit score?Do medical bills affect your credit score? The 2026 rules: the one-year wait, the $500 threshold, paid medical collections, scoring models, and how to dispute a medical collection.
• How to negotiate medical bills and hospital billsHow to negotiate medical bills and hospital bills: get an itemized bill, find errors, use insurance and surprise billing rules, apply for financial assistance, and set up a payment plan.
• How to remove collections from your credit report, and what actually worksHow collections get on your credit report, how long they stay, how to dispute errors, whether pay for delete works, and whether paying a collection raises your score. Updated for 2026.
• Should you pay a collection agency? When to pay, when to dispute, and how to negotiateShould you pay a collection agency? What happens if you do not, the checks to make first, how to negotiate a settlement, getting it in writing, taxes on settled debt, and your credit.
• Time-barred debt: what the statute of limitations means, and what to do about old debtsWhat time-barred debt is, the statute of limitations on debt in every state, what can restart the clock, what collectors can and cannot do, and what to do if you are sued on an old debt.
• Wage garnishment: how much can be taken, and how to stop itHow wage garnishment works, how much of your pay can be taken, which income is protected, how to stop or reduce a garnishment, and the states that protect far more than federal law.
• What happens if you don't pay medical billsWhat happens if you don't pay medical bills, step by step: collections, your credit, lawsuits, garnishment, time limits, financial assistance, and what happens after death.