Debt Validation Letter: What Reg F Requires and a CFPB Sample Letter

Short answer: A debt validation letter is the notice a debt collector must give you about a debt, or the letter you send back to dispute it. Under Regulation F, the notice must show the creditor, how the balance was figured and your response deadline. Dispute in writing by that date, and the collector must pause collection until it verifies the debt.

Last checked October 23, 2026 against Regulation F (12 CFR part 1006) on eCFR, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act on govinfo.gov, and the CFPB's sample letters. This page is general information, not legal advice.

If a collector just contacted you, the most important thing on this page is the date. Find the "respond by" date on the notice, and if anything about the debt looks wrong or unfamiliar, get your letter in the mail before it.

What is a debt validation letter?

People use the phrase for two different letters, so it helps to keep them apart.

• The validation notice. This is the letter the collector sends you. Regulation F calls it a validation notice, and it has to include specific details about the debt and your rights (12 CFR 1006.34).
• Your dispute or request letter. This is what you send back to dispute the debt, ask for the original creditor's name and address, or ask for more information. People often call it a debt validation request letter.

The collector has to give you the validation information either in its first communication with you about the debt or within five days after it (12 CFR 1006.34(a)). It can also give it to you orally in that first conversation. The underlying law is section 809 of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 1692g).

What does Regulation F require a validation notice to include?

Since Regulation F took effect in November 2021, the notice follows a set format. The CFPB published a model version, Model Form B-1, and a collector that uses it gets a safe harbor for the content and format rules (12 CFR 1006.34(d)). Here's what has to be on it (12 CFR 1006.34(c)):

The itemization date has to be one of five dates: the last statement date, the charge-off date, the last payment date, the transaction date or the judgment date (12 CFR 1006.34(b)(3)). It anchors the breakdown, so you can see exactly how the balance got from there to today's number.

The bottom of the notice has a tear-off section headed "How do you want to respond?" It has boxes for "This is not my debt," "The amount is wrong," "Other," and "I want you to send me the name and address of the original creditor" (12 CFR 1006.34(c)(4)). Mailing that form back in time counts as a written response, and you can include your own letter with it.

Some notices also list an email address or website for disputes. Regulation F lets collectors add that as an option, but they don't have to.

How long do you have to respond?

You have until the end of the validation period, which runs 30 days after you get the notice. The notice prints the exact date.

The collector is allowed to assume you got the notice at least five days after it was sent, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays (12 CFR 1006.34(b)(5)). So a notice mailed on a Monday is usually treated as received the following Monday, and the deadline lands 30 days after that.

Go by the date on the notice rather than doing the math yourself. If you can, mail your letter well before it so that delivery isn't a question. The CFPB suggests certified mail or another way to show when the collector received it (CFPB sample letter).

What happens after you dispute a debt in writing?

If you dispute all or part of the debt in writing before the deadline, the collector has to stop collecting the disputed part until it sends you verification of the debt or a copy of a judgment (12 CFR 1006.38(d)(2)). The same goes for a written request for the original creditor's name and address. Collection stops until the collector sends it (12 CFR 1006.38(c)).

A few other rules work in your favor:

• No pressure tactics during the 30 days. A collector can't do or say anything during the validation period that overshadows or contradicts your right to dispute (12 CFR 1006.38(b)).
• Not disputing isn't admitting. If you don't dispute, a court can't treat that as proof that you owe the debt (15 U.S.C. 1692g(c)).
• A disputed debt has to be reported as disputed. If a collector reports a debt it knows you dispute and doesn't say so, that's a false or misleading practice under 15 U.S.C. 1692e(8).
• No reporting before contact. A collector can't report the debt to a credit bureau until it has spoken to you about it or has sent you a letter or electronic message and waited a reasonable time to see whether it bounced back as undeliverable (12 CFR 1006.30(a)).

One thing to know: a verbal dispute over the phone doesn't trigger the pause in collection. That only happens with a written dispute sent before the deadline. Put it in writing.

Sample debt validation letter

The CFPB publishes free sample letters for responding to collectors. The letter below is a shortened version of its "I need more information about this debt" letter (CFPB). Fill in the parts in parentheses and cut anything that doesn't apply to you.

(Your name)

(Your mailing address)

(Date)

(Debt collector's name)

(Debt collector's dispute address, from the validation notice)

Re: Account number (from the notice, if you have it)

Dear (Debt collector's name):

I am responding to your contact about a debt you are trying to collect. You contacted me by (phone or mail) on (date) about a debt you described as (what they told you about it). I dispute this debt. Please treat it as disputed and send me the following:

1. The name and address of the creditor the debt is owed to now, its account number and the amount owed.

2. If the debt started with a different creditor, that creditor's name and address, its account number, and the amount owed when the debt was transferred.

3. Verification and documentation that I am required to pay this debt, such as a copy of the agreement that created it.

4. A copy of the last billing statement from the original creditor, and an itemization of any interest, fees, payments or credits since then.

5. The date the debt became due, the date of the last payment, and whether you have determined that the debt is within the statute of limitations.

6. Whether your company is licensed to collect debts in my state, and if so, the license number and the issuing agency.

Please stop collection of this debt until you send me this information.

Sincerely,

(Your name)

If you're sure the debt isn't yours, the CFPB has a separate "This is not my debt" letter. It also has letters for asking a collector to stop contacting you and to contact your lawyer instead (CFPB).

The CFPB is candid about the limits. A collector may not be legally required to give you everything this letter asks for, and leaving some of it out doesn't automatically mean it broke the law (CFPB sample letter). Asking still makes the collector show its work.

How do you send a validation letter?

1. Use the dispute address on the notice. Regulation F requires the notice to list the address where the collector takes disputes.
2. Include the tear-off form with the boxes checked, along with your letter.
3. Mail it before the deadline, ideally with certified mail and a return receipt, so you can show when it arrived.
4. Keep copies of your letter, the notice, the envelope and the mailing receipt. The CFPB recommends keeping a copy of everything you send (CFPB).
5. Don't admit the debt or promise to pay in the letter if you're not sure it's yours.

What if more than 30 days have passed?

You can still write to the collector to dispute the debt or ask questions. The difference is that the automatic pause in collection only applies to disputes sent before the deadline, so the collector can keep trying to collect while it looks into your dispute.

The other rules don't go away. A collector still can't use false or misleading statements, and it still has to mark a debt as disputed if it reports it to the credit bureaus (15 U.S.C. 1692e).

If the debt is old, check your state's statute of limitations before you pay anything. Under Regulation F, a collector can't sue or threaten to sue you over a time-barred debt (12 CFR 1006.26(b)). The CFPB also warns that in some states, even a partial payment can restart the clock. Our guide to the statute of limitations on credit card debt explains how it works.

Is a debt validation letter the same as a 609 or 623 letter?

No. Those are credit report disputes under a different law, the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Section 609 gives you the right to see what's in your file. It isn't a delete button, and accurate information can stay on your report. If a collection account is wrong, dispute it with the bureau, and with the collector too. Our guide on how to get debt off your credit report covers the steps.

When should you get help?

Get help right away if you've been served with court papers. A lawsuit has its own deadlines, and a validation letter doesn't stop it. Our guide on how to stop a judgment for credit card debt covers your options, and a legal aid office can tell you whether you have a defense.

If a collector ignores your dispute, keeps collecting before it sends verification or reports the debt without marking it disputed, you can file a complaint with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. For the wider rules on calls, threats and what collectors can't say, see our plain-English guide to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Our debt collector pages show what public CFPB complaint records say about specific companies, such as Midland Credit Management and Portfolio Recovery Associates.

Sources

1. 12 CFR 1006.34, Notice for validation of debts (Regulation F), eCFR: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1006/subpart-B/section-1006.34
2. 12 CFR 1006.38, Disputes and requests for original-creditor information, eCFR: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1006/subpart-B/section-1006.38
3. 12 CFR 1006.30, Other prohibited practices (credit reporting before contact), eCFR: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1006/subpart-B/section-1006.30
4. 12 CFR 1006.26, Collection of time-barred debts, eCFR: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1006/subpart-B/section-1006.26
5. 15 U.S.C. 1692g, Validation of debts (U.S. Code, 2023 edition, govinfo.gov): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title15/html/USCODE-2023-title15-chap41-subchapV-sec1692g.htm
6. 15 U.S.C. 1692e, False or misleading representations (U.S. Code, 2023 edition, govinfo.gov): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title15/html/USCODE-2023-title15-chap41-subchapV-sec1692e.htm
7. CFPB, What should I do when a debt collector contacts me? (sample letters): https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-should-i-do-when-a-debt-collector-contacts-me-en-1695/
8. CFPB, Debt collection sample letter: "I need more information about this debt": https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_debt-collection-letter-2_more-information.doc
9. CFPB, What information does a debt collector have to give me about a debt?: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-information-does-a-debt-collector-have-to-give-me-about-a-debt-en-331/
10. 15 U.S.C. 1681g, 1681i and 1681s-2, Fair Credit Reporting Act (U.S. Code, 2023 edition, govinfo.gov): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title15/html/USCODE-2023-title15-chap41-subchapIII.htm

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DebtHaus is not a law firm and isn't affiliated with the CFPB. This page explains the law in general terms; it isn't legal advice for your situation. Editorial policy