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Reply to a collection agency: contest the debt and the charges (Switzerland)

Switzerland · in English · for debtors

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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.

  • Last updated November 4, 2026
  • Document in English
Money & Debt
Switzerland
Notice & Demand
English
Print & sign
1 page

Published byDocMuse

When to use this document

  • A Swiss collection agency demands money for a phone contract you cancelled years ago.
  • The agency's letter adds large fees on top of a small unpaid bill in Switzerland.
  • You paid the original creditor and the agency still chases you for the same debt.
  • You want the agency to prove the debt and stop calling you.

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

Can a Swiss collection agency make me pay its own fees on top of the debt?
No statute provides for collection fees. What is owed is the claim itself, 5 % default interest 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, Swiss consumer media, advise contesting these items. Debt counselling services give free help (directory on schulden.ch).
Is a letter from a debt collector headed “payment order” a real Swiss payment order?
No. Debt enforcement (Betreibung, poursuite, esecuzione) starts only with a payment order served by the debt collection office. 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 — in the office's official language.
Can a debt chased by a collection agency in Switzerland be too old to be owed?
It can be time-barred. Most claims are 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 twenty years (Art. 149a DEBA) and bears no interest (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).
Why should I be careful about telling a Swiss collection agency what part of a debt I accept?
Because naming it acknowledges it: limitation is interrupted and starts again (Art. 135 no. 1, 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 (provisorische Rechtsöffnung, Art. 82 DEBA). 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 German (Switzerland)

    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.

  • 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.

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  • Final demand before debt enforcement, in French (Switzerland)

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