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Reply to a debt collector: prove the debt, or it is statute-barred (England and Wales)
England and Wales · in English · for debtors
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For someone chased by a debt collector or debt buyer for a debt they do not recognise, dispute or believe is more than six years old. The letter does not acknowledge the debt: it asks for proof — the agreement, a statement of account, the default notice and the assignment — or states that the debt is statute-barred under the Limitation Act 1980 and will not be paid, which FCA rules require a firm collecting a regulated credit debt to respect. Send it first class with a free certificate of posting, and keep a copy.
- Made for use in England and Wales
- Last updated October 28, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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When to use this document
- A debt collector in England or Wales is chasing you for a debt you do not recognise.
- A debt purchaser wrote to you about an old credit card from many years ago.
- Debt collectors keep calling but have never shown you any agreement.
- You want to send a prove it letter or say the debt is statute barred.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- Town or city
- Sender's postcode
- Date
- Debt collector or debt buyer
- Debt collector's postal address
- Debt collector's reference
- Date of the debt collector's letter
- Amount claimed
- Who the debt was first owed to
- Your answer: prove the debt, or it is statute-barred
Common questions
- When is a debt statute-barred in England and Wales?
- Most debts, such as credit cards, loans, overdrafts and utility bills, become statute-barred six years after the creditor could first have sued, usually after a default, provided that in those six years you made no payment and gave no signed written acknowledgement, and no court judgment was obtained. Mortgage shortfalls and some other debts follow other periods.
- Will asking a debt collector to prove the debt count as admitting it?
- Not if you avoid saying the debt is yours: an acknowledgement must admit the claim in writing and be signed. This letter states that it acknowledges nothing. A payment made while you wait, even a token one, restarts the six-year period on a debt that is not yet statute-barred.
- What if the debt collector has already sent a court claim form?
- Then this letter is not enough: you must respond to the court by the deadline on the claim form, usually 14 days from service, online or with the response pack, and a limitation defence must be raised there. Free help is available from National Debtline, StepChange, Citizens Advice and MoneyHelper.
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
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