Debt dispute letter template

For a debt collector or creditor chasing money you don’t think you owe, or not that much.

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General information, not legal advice. These templates follow what Australian regulators, legal aid commissions and community legal centres publish, checked on 26 October 2026. They can’t know your situation. If a lot is at stake, or a deadline or court case is running, talk to a lawyer, your state’s legal aid commission or a community legal centre first. Unopost isn’t a law firm.

About this letter

If a debt collector contacts you about a debt you don’t recognise, think you’ve paid, or think is too old to chase, you can dispute it in writing. Under the ACCC and ASIC debt collection guideline, a collector should suspend collection while liability is disputed and unverified, and should stop if it can’t show you owe it.

The letter disputes the debt without admitting it, asks for the documents that prove it and for contact in writing only, and keeps your options open.

What a collector must do

Under the ACCC and ASIC guideline, collection should be suspended, including credit listing, while your identity or liability is unconfirmed and you say the debt isn’t yours, was never incurred or has been paid.
If it can’t show you owe it, it should stop. It mustn’t suggest you have to prove you don’t owe it: whoever claims a debt has to prove it.
It may contact you no more than three times a week or ten times a month, at reasonable hours, and must not harass, threaten or mislead you.
A credit provider must give you copies of your credit contract documents within 14 days of a request if the contract is under a year old, or 30 days if older.

Old debts

Legal action on most debts is barred six years after the debt fell due or was last paid or acknowledged in writing, and three years in the Northern Territory. A court judgment lasts longer, at least 12 years in NSW.
In NSW, a statute-barred debt is extinguished. Elsewhere it usually still exists, but can’t be recovered through a court.
Paying any amount, or admitting the debt in writing, can restart the clock in most states. Get advice before you do either.
Threatening legal action on a statute-barred debt can be misleading conduct.

Where to get help

The National Debt Helpline (1800 007 007) has free financial counsellors, who can also help you ask for hardship arrangements.
The Financial Rights Legal Centre and your state’s legal aid commission give free legal advice.
Complain to AFCA about banks, lenders, debt buyers and collectors that are members. Telco debts go to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, and energy and water debts to your state’s energy and water ombudsman.
If a collector threatens violence, call the police.
After a dispute, a collector may decide to sue. If court papers arrive, get advice at once.

Questions

Do I have to pay a debt collector if I don’t think I owe it?

No. You can dispute it in writing and ask them to prove it. Under the ACCC and ASIC guideline, a collector should suspend collection while liability is disputed and unverified, and stop if it can’t show you owe it. If you’re taken to court, the person claiming the debt has to prove it.

Can I tell a debt collector to stop calling me?

You can ask them to contact you only in writing, and the letter does. The guideline says a collector should respect a reasonable request about how to contact you. In Victoria, a collector mustn’t contact you after you’ve asked in writing for no further contact, with some exceptions.

What is a statute-barred debt?

One too old to be chased through the courts: usually six years after it fell due or was last paid or acknowledged, three in the Northern Territory. Paying anything or admitting it in writing can restart the clock, so get advice before you do.

Will disputing a debt stop a default on my credit report?

Under the guideline, a debt generally shouldn’t be listed while a dispute is being investigated or is before AFCA, a court or a tribunal. If it’s already listed wrongly, you can ask the credit provider and the credit reporting agency to correct it.

I’ve received a statement of claim. Will this letter help?

No. Court papers have strict deadlines, as short as 14 days in some states, and need a formal response to the court. Get free advice straight away from the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 or your state’s legal aid commission.

Where this comes from

Checked on 26 October 2026. Laws and limits change: check the source before you rely on a figure.