Getting out of debt is not one problem, it is about six, and the right first move depends entirely on which one you have. Someone holding a summons has days to act. Someone whose balances simply will not move has months. Answering the wrong question first is how people lose the case they could have won, or pay an old debt they no longer owed.

So start by finding your situation below, and go straight to that section.

Two things worth knowing before you start, because they decide more outcomes on this page than anything else.

An old debt is not automatically a debt you have to pay. Every state limits how long a creditor has to sue you, and once that window closes the debt is still owed but no longer enforceable in court. Making a payment, or in some states simply acknowledging the debt in writing, can restart that clock. This is the single most expensive mistake people make when a collector calls about something from years ago.

In a debt lawsuit, the plaintiff has to prove it owns the debt. Old accounts are sold and resold for pennies, often with nothing more than a spreadsheet row transferring hands. A plaintiff who cannot produce the account agreement, the assignment chain, and a statement history has a problem, and that problem is why showing up matters so much more than most people expect.

Is it actually as bad as it feels?

Before you pick a strategy, it helps to know whether you are behind, buried, or somewhere in between. These answer that honestly.

Can You Recognize the Signs of Too Much Debt? — Nine warning signs that the balance has tipped, from minimum payments only to borrowing to cover borrowing.

How to Know if You Are In Debt Denial — Why people underestimate what they owe by thousands, and the exercise that produces the real number.

Delinquent Debt Statistics and What to Do About Them — How many Americans are behind, on what kinds of debt, and where you sit in that picture.

How Debt Affects Your Credit Score — Which balances move your score and which barely register, so you know what paying down actually buys you.

Good Debt vs. Bad Debt. Yes, There Is Some Good Debt. — Not every balance deserves the same urgency. This sorts the debt worth keeping from the debt costing you.

How to Handle the Stress of Too Much Debt — Practical ways to keep the pressure from making the decisions for you while you work the problem.

From Panic to Progress: The Psychology of Conquering Debt — Why avoidance is the most expensive response to debt, and how people break out of it.

Pay it off yourself

If you are current on your payments but the balances are not moving, this is the section to start in. No third party, no fees.

The Complete Guide to Managing Debt — Our long-form overview of the whole subject, from first budget to final payoff. Start here if you want the map.

Using Debt Avalanche or Debt Snowball Method to Pay Down Your Debts — The two standard payoff orders compared: one saves the most interest, the other keeps you going.

It Matters Which Debts You Pay First. Here’s Why. — Ranking your debts by interest rate, balance, and consequence of nonpayment, which are three different orders.

Debt Elimination and Debt Reduction Strategies — A fuller treatment of reduction tactics, including rate negotiation, balance transfers, and cutting the term.

How to Handle Debt: Strategies to Save You Money and Improve Your Credit — Payoff choices viewed through their effect on your credit report, not just on the balance.

3 Steps To Paying Off Credit Card Debt — The short version for revolving balances: stop the bleeding, rank the cards, attack one.

A Guide to Getting Out of Debt Fast — What actually accelerates payoff when you have income to throw at it, and what only feels fast.

How to Live Debt Free – Our List of Do’s and Don’ts — The habits that keep people out once they get out, written as a plain list of dos and don’ts.

Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck in Ten Steps — Ten steps to open a gap between income and outgo, which is the money every payoff plan runs on.

Break Bad Spending Habits That Keep You in Debt — The recurring purchases that quietly refill a balance you just paid down, and how to interrupt them.

Manage Your Personal Finances – Save Money and Get out of Debt — Where debt payoff fits alongside an emergency fund, insurance, and retirement, when you cannot fund all four.

7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Taking on More Debt — Seven questions worth answering before you borrow again, including the one about what happens if income stops.

Renting Out Your Property to Manage Debt: A Landlord’s Guide — Turning space you already own into payoff money, and the costs and obligations that come with it.

Seven Savvy Ways to Keep Your Creditors at Bay — Buying yourself time with creditors while you reorganize, without making the account worse.

Before you pay an old debt, check it

An old debt is not automatically a debt you still have to pay, and paying it can restart a clock that had nearly run out. Read this section before you send anyone money.

Follow These 7 Steps Before Paying an Old Debt — The checks to run before your first payment, any one of which can change what you owe or whether you owe it.

State-by-State Guide to the Statute of Limitations on Debt — How long a creditor has to sue you, state by state and by type of debt, in one table.

Important Information to Know About the Statute of Limitations on Debts — What the statute of limitations does and does not do, including why an expired debt can still be reported.

What is Statute of Limitations Tolling on Credit Card Debt? — The events that pause the clock, so a debt older than the limit may not be out of reach yet.

Statute of Limitations on Debt When You Move — Which state’s limit applies after a move, which is rarely the state you live in now.

What Is Re-aging Debt and Can Debt Collectors Actually Do It? — How an old account reappears with a fresh date, why that is illegal, and what to do when you see it.

Legal and Illegal Methods Used to Re-Age an Account — The distinction matters: some re-aging is permitted, most of what collectors do is not.

How to Protect Yourself From Zombie Debt — Debts sold and resold long after they died, and the questions that send them back to the grave.

What is a Junk Debt Buyer? — Who buys old debt for pennies, what records they usually lack, and why that weakness is yours to use.

Does It Matter if a Debt Has Been Sold or Assigned? — Sold and assigned are not the same thing, and the difference changes who can collect and prove it.

Debt Validation Myths – Debunking Debt Validation Misconceptions — What debt validation actually requires of a collector, stripped of the internet folklore around it.

Can Discharged Debts Spring Back to Life? — When a debt you settled or discharged legitimately returns, and when a collector is simply trying it on.

Settle it yourself

Creditors and collectors settle for less than the balance every day, and you do not need to pay anyone to negotiate for you. What you do need is to get it in writing.

The Complete Guide to Debt Settlement — The full walkthrough of settling debt, from the first offer to the written agreement and the tax bill.

What Is Debt Settlement and Is It Right for You? — The honest case for and against settlement, including the credit damage and who it does not suit.

Debt Settlement Techniques: Settle Debt On Your Own — The mechanics of a do-it-yourself settlement: what to open with, what to concede, when to walk.

DIY Debt Settlement: Proven Techniques Anyone Can Do — Techniques that have worked for our readers, with the scripts and the sequence they used.

How to Settle Your Debt With the Original Creditor — Settling before the account leaves the creditor, which is the cheapest and least damaging point to do it.

How to Settle Debts with Collection Agencies — Negotiating with an agency that bought the debt cheap, where the room to move is much wider.

What’s the Difference Between Debt Negotiation and Debt Settlement? — Two terms used interchangeably in advertising that describe different arrangements with very different consequences for you.

Making An Offer To Settle Debt — What a first offer should look like, in what form, and the numbers collectors expect to hear.

Ready to Settle Old Debts? Start Here — A short orientation if you have decided to settle and want to know the order of operations.

Uncovering Debt Settlement Myths — The claims settlement companies make in their advertising, checked against what actually happens.

Negotiate Credit Rating When Settling Debt with Collection Agency — Money is not the only term on the table. How the account gets reported is negotiable too.

Collection Agency Refuses to Give Me Settlement Offer in Writing — What it means when an agency will not put an offer on paper, and why you should not pay until it does.

Collection Agency Won’t Put Payment Plan into Writing — The same problem with installment arrangements, where an unwritten plan leaves you with nothing to enforce.

Can Creditor Sue After Negotiating and Settling Your Debt — Whether a settled account can still end up in court, and the wording that closes that door.

What is a Reasonable Settlement Offer on a Repossession? — Settling a deficiency balance after a vehicle is taken, where the numbers work differently.

The Pros and Cons of Debt Settlement Letters — When a written settlement offer helps your position and when it hands the other side evidence.

Can Debt Relief Hurt or Help Your Credit Score? — What settlement, consolidation, and management plans each do to your score, and how long it lasts.

Successful Debt Negotiation and Debt Settlement Success Stories — Readers’ own accounts of what they offered, what they were told, and what they finally paid.

The tax bill on forgiven debt

Debt forgiven is usually income in the eyes of the IRS. This is the part of settlement people find out about in January.

When is a 1099-C Issued For Debt Settlement? — The thresholds and timing that trigger a 1099-C, so a settlement does not surprise you at tax time.

Steps to Take if You Received a 1099-C — What to do with the form when it arrives, including the insolvency exclusion most people never claim.

Can a Collection Agency Issue a 1099-C for Settled Debt? — Whether a collector, as opposed to the original creditor, can report forgiven debt to the IRS.

Credit counseling and consolidation

There is real help in this category and there are companies that take your money and make things worse. The difference is visible in advance if you know what to look at.

CCCS – The Facts on Consumer Credit Counseling Service — What a nonprofit counseling agency does, what it charges, and what it puts on your credit report.

Understanding Consumer Credit Counseling Services — How a debt management plan works in practice, including what happens to your accounts while you are in one.

How to Find Free or Low Cost Credit Counseling Services — Where to find legitimate counseling at little or no cost, and the accreditations worth checking.

Using a Debt Consolidation Company to Consolidate Your Debt — What consolidation does and does not fix, and why it fails for people who do not change the spending.

Tips for Finding a Reputable Debt Consolidation Company — The questions to ask, the fee structures to refuse, and the promises that mark a company to avoid.

What You Need To Know About Debt Consolidation Companies — A shorter briefing on the industry for anyone about to sign up with one.

FTC Debt Consolidation Company Rules and Regulations — The federal rules these companies operate under, including when they are allowed to charge you.

How to Terminate a Debt Consolidation Program — Getting out of a program that is not working, and what happens to the accounts inside it when you do.

Collectors are calling: what they can and cannot do

Federal law limits how a debt collector may behave, and most collectors test those limits. Knowing the rules changes how the calls go.

The Complete Guide to Debt Collectors — Our long-form overview of debt collection: who they are, how they operate, and what governs them.

What is the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)? — A plain-language introduction to the law that governs collectors, and the important limit on who it covers.

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act – FDCPA — The statute itself, section by section, for when you need the exact language to quote.

FDCPA Violations: A Summary of What Debt Collectors Cannot Do — The prohibited conduct in list form, which is the fastest way to recognize a violation as it happens.

What Are My Rights Regarding Collection Agencies? — Your rights stated from your side of the phone call, including the ones collectors rely on you not knowing.

How to Stop Collection Agency Harassment — The steps that actually stop the calls, in order, and what each one obliges the collector to do.

8 Things You Should NEVER Reveal to Debt Collectors — Eight pieces of information that make you easier to sue or garnish. Do not volunteer any of them.

Everything You Need to Know About Dealing with Collection Agencies — A short orientation for a first collection call, covering what to say and what to write down.

How Should I Respond to an Aggressive Collector? — Handling a collector who threatens, shouts, or calls repeatedly, and turning that behavior into leverage.

Recording Phone Calls When Debt Collectors Violate the Law — Whether you may record the call where you live, and how a recording is used if you later sue.

New CFPB Rules on How Debt Collectors May Deal with Consumers — The newer limits on calls, texts, emails, and social media contact, and how to invoke them.

How the CFPB Protects Consumers in the Debt Collection Process — What the bureau does about collection abuse, and how its complaint process fits with the FDCPA.

Prevent Debt Collectors From Destroying Your Credit — Limiting the credit report damage while an account is in collection, rather than after.

State by State Collection Agency Requirements — Licensing and bonding rules by state. An unlicensed collector in your state has a problem.

A specific letter, call, or collector

The questions readers actually send us about one collector, one letter, or one demand.

I’m Not Sure What to Say In My Letter to a Collection Agency — What belongs in a first letter to a collector, and the common additions that only hurt you.

Received Letter From Collection Agency Requesting a Response — Whether to answer a collection letter at all, and what your answer commits you to if you do.

Did Not Receive the Initial Contact Letter – Can I Still Request Validation? — Your options when the required first notice never arrived, which is more common than collectors admit.

Do Cease and Desist Letters Prevent Response to Credit Disputes? — Why telling a collector to stop contacting you can work against a dispute you have running.

Does a Collection Agency Have to Report Payments I Make? — Whether your payments must appear on your credit report, and what to do when the balance never moves.

Can a Debt Collection Agency Add Fees? — When interest and collection fees may be added to what you owe, and when they are simply invented.

How to Deal with Calls and Collections from MRS Associates — Who MRS Associates is, what readers report about their methods, and how to handle their contact.

How to Deal with Calls and Collections from Credence Resource Management — The same for Credence Resource Management, including the kinds of accounts they buy and how readers describe their calls.

You have been served with a lawsuit

This is the most time-sensitive situation on the page. You have a limited number of days to file an answer, and doing nothing is how a suit becomes a judgment. Most debt suits are won or lost on whether the plaintiff can prove it owns the debt.

How to Answer a Summons and Complaint if You’ve Been Sued — The document you must file and when, written for someone doing it without a lawyer. Read this first.

How to Fight and Win a Debt Lawsuit — The overall shape of a defense, from answer through discovery to the hearing, and where cases are won.

Handle a Credit Card Debt Lawsuit — Credit card suits specifically, where the plaintiff often cannot produce the signed agreement.

Using Affirmative Defenses in Your Answer to a Debt Lawsuit — The defenses that do real work, what each one requires you to show, and how to plead them.

Affirmative Defenses That Don’t Work — The popular internet defenses that fail in court, and why raising them damages your credibility.

Account Stated and Written Contract – Defenses in a Lawsuit — Two theories plaintiffs plead in debt cases and the specific weaknesses in each.

What is a Bill of Particulars and When Can It Be Used? — A request that forces the plaintiff to itemize the claim, which many junk debt buyers cannot do.

Pretrial Discovery – Tools Used to Uncover the Facts of a Lawsuit — The requests that make the other side produce documents, and why that stage often ends the case.

Filing a Motion to Strike Affidavit of Debt — Challenging the sworn statement the plaintiff’s case usually rests on, and the grounds that work.

Using the Unclean Hands or Clean Hands Doctrine — An equitable defense for when the plaintiff’s own conduct is part of why you are in court.

Basic Overview of the Litigation Process — What happens in what order, from complaint to judgment, so nothing in the process is a surprise.

Should You Settle Your Case During a Pretrial Conference? — How to weigh a settlement offered on the courthouse steps against your chances at trial.

What to Say to the Judge in Court — Practical courtroom conduct for a defendant without a lawyer, including the arguments that only annoy a judge.

Legal Tool Kit – Everything You Need to Handle Litigation — The forms, motions, and reference material for a debt defense, collected in one place.

I Was Served a Summons. Should I Send a Debt Validation Letter? — Why validation is the wrong tool once you are in court, and what replaces it.

Collection Agency is Sending Me an Intent to Sue Letter — How to read a threat to sue, how often it is bluff, and what to do in the window before filing.

I Received a Call About Being Served Papers. What Should I Do? — A common scam call, how to tell it from real service of process, and what real service looks like.

An Alternative to Engaging in a Lawsuit — Arbitration and other routes that avoid a courtroom, with the tradeoffs spelled out at length.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Arbitration Over a Court Trial — When arbitration favors you and when it favors the company that wrote the clause.

You May Not Even Realize You Agreed to Mandatory Arbitration — The clause in nearly every card agreement, what it takes away, and the narrow window to opt out.

Consumer Protection Lawyers Who Handle Credit and Debt Problems — How to find a consumer attorney, and why many take FDCPA cases at no cost to you.

There is already a judgment against you

A judgment is not the end of the road. It can be vacated, and what a creditor may take from you is limited.

How to Vacate a Judgment — The grounds for undoing a judgment entered against you, and the deadline that applies to each.

Never Notified of Court and Now I Have a Judgment — Defective service is the most common reason a default judgment gets thrown out. Here is how to raise it.

Collection Agency Says They Have a Judgment – But It’s Not on My Credit Report — How to verify whether a claimed judgment actually exists in the court record, because sometimes it does not.

Everything You Need to Know About Wage Garnishment — How garnishment starts, how much of your pay is reachable, and what stops it.

Wage Garnishment Law: What You Need to Know About Title III — The federal limits on garnishment, plus the state limits that are often more protective.

How to Get a Wage Garnishment Judgment Exemption — Claiming the exemption that protects income you need to live on, and the paperwork it takes.

Being Sued but Judgment Proof – Do I Need to Do Anything? — Why having nothing to take is not a reason to ignore a lawsuit, and what a judgment still costs you.

Statute of Limitations on Judgments — How long a judgment stays enforceable, and how creditors renew one before it expires.

Protect Your Child’s College Fund From Debt Collectors — Which education savings accounts are shielded from your creditors and which are not.

When they break the law, you can go after them

The FDCPA lets you recover damages and attorney fees from a collector who violates it. Collectors settle these cases routinely.

FDCPA Violations and Resources for Filing a Lawsuit — A short reference for turning a violation into a complaint or a suit, with the resources in one place.

How to Submit a Complaint to the CFPB — Filing a federal complaint, what happens after you do, and why companies respond to these.

Can You Sue For Damaged Credit? — When inaccurate reporting becomes an actionable claim, and what you have to be able to show.

How to Sue Your Creditors in Small Claims Court — Taking a creditor or collector to small claims yourself, which needs no lawyer and little money.

How to File a Lawsuit in Small Claims Court — The filing mechanics: where to file, what it costs, how to serve, and what to bring to the hearing.

List of Small Claims Court Information by State — Each state’s small claims limits, fees, and rules, linked to the court’s own pages.

Types of Damages Awarded in Lawsuits — Statutory, actual, and punitive damages explained, so you know what you are actually asking for.

Tips When Filing a Lawsuit Against a Credit Reporting Agency — What suing a bureau requires that suing a collector does not, starting with a documented dispute.

Defamation of Character Lawsuit Against Credit Bureaus — Where a defamation claim against a bureau can succeed, and the broad federal preemption that usually blocks one.

Won Lawsuit Against Midland Funding — A reader’s case against a major debt buyer, in full, including the filings that decided it.

Collection Agencies Who Violate the Law — Documented violations by named agencies, useful when you are building a case against one of them.

Particular kinds of debt

Medical bills, a divorce, a death in the family, an old apartment. Some debts follow rules of their own.

How to Deal with Medical Debt Caused by Overwhelming Hospital Bills — Charity care, itemized bill review, and financial assistance policies, before you treat it as ordinary debt.

How to Negotiate and Settle Medical Debt and Hospital Bills — Hospitals discount bills more readily than almost any other creditor. Here is how to ask.

3 Ways to Resolve Overwhelming Medical Debt — Three routes out of a medical balance, compared on cost, time, and credit damage.

Keep Medical Collections Off Your Credit — The reporting rules specific to medical collections, which are more favorable than most people know.

How to Handle Jointly Held Debt During a Divorce — Why a divorce decree does not release you from a joint account, and what does.

Debt Can Be a Problem for Newlyweds — Which of a spouse’s debts become yours on marriage, and which never do.

Who Pays Credit Card Debt After Death? — What the estate owes, what survivors do not, and the community property exception.

My Husband Passed Away. Am I Responsible for His Credit Card Debt? — The same question answered for a specific reader, including how collectors approach the bereaved.

Tips For College Grads to Manage and Minimize Debt — Ordering student loans, cards, and a first salary so the debt does not compound from the start.

Why is Debt Increasing Among Older Americans? — What is driving debt into retirement, and the protections that apply to income once you are there.

Why Do Millennials Have So Much Bad Debt? — The structural reasons behind the balances, and which of them you can actually act on.

Do Women Have More Debt Than Men? — What the lending and earnings data show, and where the gap shows up in credit terms.

Is a Collection from Your Old Apartment Haunting Your Credit Report? — Disputed move-out charges, how landlords report them, and how to get them corrected.

Overdue Insurance Company Premium Results in Collection — An unpaid premium in collection, where the underlying contract is often the weak point.

Debt Collection When You Move Out of the United States — What collectors can and cannot do across a border, and what follows you home if you return.

How IRS Hiring of Collection Agencies Could Affect You — Private collectors working federal tax debt, how to verify one is genuine, and the rules they follow.

Bankruptcy, when nothing else will do it

Bankruptcy is the right answer for some people and a costly detour for others. These pages are written so you can tell which you are before you pay anyone.

The Complete Guide to Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy — Our overview of both chapters, the laws behind them, and the forms each one requires.

Bankruptcy 101: What It Really Means and Whether It’s Right for You — The short orientation: what filing does, what it costs, and who it genuinely suits.

Alternatives to Filing Bankruptcy – Get Your Debt Under Control — The options worth exhausting first, and the point at which continuing to try costs more than filing.

Taking the Means Test – Do You Qualify for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy? — How the income test works, and the deductions that qualify people who assume they earn too much.

What if You Can’t Qualify For Bankruptcy? — Where you stand if the means test rules out Chapter 7, and what Chapter 13 offers instead.

What Debts Can Be Discharged When Filing Bankruptcy? — Which balances a discharge wipes out and which survive it, including the ones people are surprised by.

What Property Can You Keep When Filing For Chapter 7 Bankruptcy? — Exemptions explained, including how much home and car equity you can protect where you live.

The Most Frequently Asked Questions About Chapter 7 Bankruptcy — Our longest Chapter 7 reference, answering the process end to end from filing through discharge in question-and-answer form.

The Most Frequently Asked Questions About Chapter 13 Bankruptcy — The same for Chapter 13, including how the repayment plan is built and what happens if you miss it.

Can a Student Loan be Discharged in Chapter 7 Bankruptcy? — The hardship standard for student loans, and the recent shift in how courts apply it.

What if You Can’t Afford a Bankruptcy Attorney or the Fees? — Fee waivers, installment payment of filing fees, legal aid, and filing without an attorney.

50 Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Bankruptcy Attorney — Fifty questions to take to a consultation, which is also the fastest way to spot a mill.

Common Mistakes and Errors Made When Filing Bankruptcy — The filing errors that cost people their discharge, most of them made in the months before filing.

Dismissal of Your Bankruptcy Petition – Voluntary or Involuntary — Why a case gets dismissed, what it leaves you with, and whether you can file again.

Bankruptcy Myths – What is Fact and What is Fiction — The persistent myths, including the ones about losing everything and never getting credit again.

Four Stigmas Not To Believe About Bankruptcy — Four beliefs that keep people paying on debt they could discharge, examined one at a time.

Recent Changes to the Bankruptcy Laws — What has changed in the statute and what it means for someone filing now.

The Bankruptcy Abuse Act Changed Bankruptcy Attorney Liability — Why the 2005 law made attorneys cautious, and how that shows up in the advice you get.

Bankruptcy Fraud – Rarely Caught and Rarely Prosecuted — What counts as fraud in a filing, and why rarely prosecuted is not a reason to risk it.

How to Avoid Filing For Bankruptcy if You Are Under 30 — Why filing young carries a longer shadow, and the alternatives worth trying first.

Prevent Bankruptcy from Medical Bills — Medical debt is a leading cause of filings. The steps that keep a hospital bill from becoming one.

What You Need to Know About Threatening Bankruptcy to a Creditor — Mentioning bankruptcy in a negotiation changes the creditor’s math. It can also backfire.

There is Life After Filing For Bankruptcy — What the years after a discharge actually look like for credit, housing, and employment.

10 Ways to Recover After Bankruptcy — Ten concrete steps to rebuild credit from a discharge, in the order they do the most good.

Reference shelf

The tables and case law behind the pages above, for when you need the citation rather than the explanation.

The Complete Guide to Credit and Debt Legal Issues — Our overview of the legal side of credit and debt, and the index to the case law below.

Articles About Consumer Protection Laws and Agencies — Which federal law covers which problem, and which agency to take it to.

Process Service Requirements Listed by State — How you must legally be served in each state. Defective service is grounds to vacate a judgment.

State Attorney General Information — Contact details for every state attorney general, with what each office will and will not take on.

Legal Problem? How Your State Attorney General Can Help — When a complaint to your state AG is the faster route, and how to write one that gets read.

Case Law Reference – Credit Law, Court Rulings — The index to the credit and collection rulings we keep on file, with what each one established.

Cushman v. TransUnion – Credit Bureaus Must Delete Without Proof — The ruling on what a bureau’s reinvestigation must actually involve, still cited in FCRA disputes.

Richardson v. Fleet — A furnisher’s duty to investigate what it reports, and the liability for failing to.

Stevenson v. TRW (now Experian) Fifth Circuit Court — The Fifth Circuit on bureau liability for repeated failure to correct a report, with damages awarded.

Boatley v. Diem Corporation — A collection case turning on the plaintiff’s inability to prove it owned the debt it sued on.