DocMuse is a private, paid service run by The Muse Technology EOOD (Bulgaria). It is neither a public authority nor a law firm, is not connected with the Confederation, a canton, a commune or any court, and does not give legal advice. Official forms are free from the authority concerned.
Reply to a collection agency: contest the debt and the charges, in German (Switzerland)
Switzerland · in German · for debtors
CHF 2.00Fill it in online free — pay only to download
13 questions · about 5 min
This document is in German
The PDF you download is in German — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
Made for use in Switzerland
Fill in the form
Your answers stay on this device for 7 days, or until you clear them.
- Instant download after payment
- Backup link emailed to you
- No account needed
For private persons in Switzerland who received a letter from a collection agency (Inkassobüro), in German: contests the claim in whole or part, reports it paid or pleads limitation, refuses collection fees and a flat “damage for delay” that were never agreed, and asks for a breakdown with documents. If a payment order from the debt collection office follows, object (Rechtsvorschlag) within ten days. Send it by registered post and keep a copy.
- Made for use in Switzerland
- Last updated November 4, 2026
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- A collection agency in Switzerland wants money for an invoice you do not recognise.
- High collection fees and a charge for damage from delay have been added to an old bill.
- The bill was paid long ago or is so old that it may be time-barred.
- You want to answer the collection agency in writing and contest the charges.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Debtor
- Debtor's address
- Debt collector or debt buyer
- Debt collector's postal address
- City
- Date
- Debt collector's reference
- Date of the debt collector's letter
- Creditor
- Your position on the claim
- Undisputed principal in CHF (only if you contest part)
- Your reasons, in your own words (optional)
- Attachments
Common questions
- Do I have to pay collection fees in Switzerland?
- No statute provides for collection fees. What is owed is the claim itself, default interest of 5 % a year from default, or a higher rate agreed in the contract (Art. 104 CO), and dunning charges only where agreed, for instance in the terms and conditions. Agencies base flat fees on “damage for delay” under Art. 106 CO, but the creditor must prove such damage. Beobachter and SRF Kassensturz advise contesting these items. Debt counselling services give free help (directory on schulden.ch).
- Is a collection agency's letter already a Swiss debt enforcement?
- No. Debt enforcement starts only with a payment order served by the debt collection office (Betreibungsamt). Agency letters are not enforcement, even when headed “Zahlungsbefehl” or “last reminder before enforcement”. If you receive a real payment order, object within ten days (Art. 74 DEBA), at once to the person delivering it or at the office, orally or in writing and without reasons.
- When is a claim pursued by a Swiss collection agency time-barred?
- Most claims become time-barred after ten years (Art. 127 CO); periodic payments such as rent, and claims for small retail sales, medical care and craftwork, after five (Art. 128 CO). Enforcement or an acknowledgement interrupts limitation (Art. 135 CO). A claim recorded in a certificate of loss is barred after 20 years (Art. 149a DEBA). No interest is owed on a claim recorded in a certificate of loss (Art. 149 para. 4 DEBA). Limitation counts only if you raise it; the court does not apply it of its own motion (Art. 142 CO).
- What happens if I tell a Swiss collection agency that part of the claim is undisputed?
- You acknowledge that part: limitation is interrupted and starts again (Art. 135, Art. 137 para. 1 CO), and a signed letter acknowledging a specific amount as owed may serve the creditor as an acknowledgement of debt for provisional removal of an objection (Art. 82 DEBA). So name an undisputed amount only if you really owe it, and leave the box empty if you plead limitation. A time-barred debt that has been paid cannot be claimed back (Art. 63 para. 2 CO).
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
Related documents
- Reply to a collection agency: contest the debt and the charges, in French (Switzerland)
For private persons in Switzerland who received a letter from a collection agency (société de recouvrement), in French: contests the claim in whole or in part, reports it paid or pleads limitation, refuses collection fees and a flat “damage for delay” that were never agreed, and asks for a breakdown with supporting documents. If a payment order from the debt collection office follows, object (opposition) within ten days. Send it by registered post and keep a copy.
- Reply to a collection agency: contest the debt and the charges, in Italian (Switzerland)
For private persons in Switzerland who received a letter from a collection agency (agenzia d’incasso), in Italian: contests the claim in whole or part, reports it paid or pleads limitation, refuses collection fees and a flat “damage for delay” that were never agreed, and asks for a breakdown with documents. If a payment order (precetto esecutivo) from the debt collection office follows, object within ten days. Send it by registered post and keep a copy.
- Reply to a collection agency: contest the debt and the charges (Switzerland)
For private persons in Switzerland who received a letter from a collection agency (Inkassobüro, société de recouvrement, agenzia d’incasso): contests the claim in whole or part, reports it paid or pleads limitation, refuses collection fees and a flat “damage for delay” that were never agreed, and asks for a breakdown with documents. If a payment order from the debt collection office follows, object within ten days. Send it by registered post and keep a copy. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.
- Final demand before debt enforcement, in French (Switzerland)
For creditors in Switzerland, private persons and businesses, in French: asks the debtor one last time to pay a due claim by a date, states the reason, the amount, the account and 5 % default interest (Art. 104 CO), and otherwise announces the request for enforcement (réquisition de poursuite). You then file that request on the debt collection office's form or online through EasyGov.swiss; this letter does not replace it. Send it by registered post and keep a copy.
- Final demand before debt enforcement, in German (Switzerland)
For creditors in Switzerland, private persons and businesses, in German: asks the debtor one last time to pay a due claim by a date, states the reason, the amount, the account and 5 % default interest (Art. 104 CO), and announces the request for debt enforcement (Betreibungsbegehren) otherwise. You then file that request on the debt collection office's form or online through EasyGov.swiss; this letter does not replace it. Send it by registered post and keep a copy.
- Final demand before debt enforcement, in Italian (Switzerland)
For creditors in Switzerland, private persons and businesses, in Italian: asks the debtor one last time to pay a due claim by a date, states the reason, the amount, the account and 5 % default interest (Art. 104 CO), and otherwise announces the request for enforcement (domanda d’esecuzione). You then file that request with the debt collection office, on its form, through www.sportellodelleesecuzioni.ch or EasyGov.swiss; this letter does not replace it. Send it by registered post and keep a copy.