Debt Collection Forms

I. Debt Collection Forms:

The web site WashingtonLawHelp.org has the best resources for helping a debtor answer a debt collection lawsuit. Look at the following publications, found under the subject heading Money and Debt, subheading Debt Collection.

For general information on debt collection:

Debtors’ Rights: Dealing with Collection Agencies

This publication helps you understand debt collection practices and your rights when dealing with debt collectors. Includes form letters you can use to mail to debt collectors requesting that they stop contacting you.

Publications on dealing with debt collection lawsuits:

  • How do I Answer a Lawsuit for Debt Collection? This packet helps you represent yourself when you have been served with a lawsuit for debt collection. If the defendant (person being sued) for debt collection does not answer the lawsuit, the plaintiff (person bringing the lawsuit) may get a default judgment (court decision for the plaintiff) of the amount owed, as the court will assume that the defendant is not contesting the suit.

Included in this guide are blank MS Word & PDF versions of the following forms that you may fill out online and save or print.

  • Answer and Affirmative Defenses
  • Notice of Appearance
  • Certificate of Service

The guides will tell you how to fill out the forms and what to do with them once you have completed them. 

Washington State Court Forms: Financial:

Garnishment

A Writ of Garnishment is a court order directing an employer or a bank or someone else who has money belonging to the defendant to withhold the money you are owed and pay the money to you instead of the defendant.

Order of Default

If the defendant (person being sued) for debt collection does not answer the lawsuit, the plaintiff (person bringing the lawsuit) may get a default judgment (court decision for the plaintiff) of the amount owed, as the court will assume that the defendant is not contesting the suit.

Small Claims

Any individual, business, partnership, or corporation (with a couple of exceptions) may bring a small claims suit for recovery of money only for an amount up to $10,000. A claim can be filed in any King County District Court location. Other jurisdictional questions will be answered by a review of RCW 3.66.040. Questions regarding the statute of limitations in small claims actions can be answered by a review of RCW 4.16. The State of Washington may not be sued in Small Claims Court. The filing fee for Small Claims is $50. A portion of your filing fee goes to the King County Dispute Resolution Center. The Center provides free mediation services prior to your court date, or the same day as court. For more information about Small Claims, visit the Small Claims Forms Page, Small Claims Research Guide, or visit one of our legal clinics.

Other Helpful Resources:

Federal Trade Commission has a list of resources for dealing with debt.

How to Waive Interest on Legal Financial Obligations

This guide, brought to you by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington State, provides information and forms on how to obtain a court order waiving or reducing interest on legal financial obligations (LFOs) in Washington State. Defined by statute RCW 10.82.090, the court may, on motion by the offender, reduce or waive the interest on legal financial obligations ordered as a result of a criminal conviction.

NOLO’s Handling Debt Collection Calls: Do’s and Don’ts.

NOLO’s Guide to Time-Barred Debts: When Collectors Cannot Sue You for Unpaid Debts.

The Washington State Attorney General has a web page addressing credit and debt.

Where can I get information in person and guidance and help in filling out the forms?

The Debt Collection Defense Clinic, sponsored by the Northwest Justice Project, offers a free half hour legal consultation with a volunteer attorney.  It is held in our Seattle branch each Tuesday from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm and no appointment is necessary. Visit our legal clinics page for more information.

II. Bankruptcy Forms:

Washington State Court Forms:

Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy cases are filed through the federal court system, not through the state courts. You can obtain information on bankruptcies by visiting one of the following web sites:

Washington Western District Bankruptcy Court

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court Western District of Washington has offices in Seattle and Tacoma. The district serves the region south of the Canadian border and north of the Columbia River between the Cascade Mountain range and the Pacific Ocean.National Bankruptcy Forms

Local Bankruptcy Forms

Washington Eastern District Bankruptcy Court

The Eastern District of Washington comprises twenty counties, and generally is all of the area of Eastern Washington east of the summit of the Cascade Mountains.National Bankruptcy Forms

Local Bankruptcy Forms

Additional information on Consumer Debt is available at the WashingtonLawHelp web site

United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington:

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington has a link to Frequently Asked Questions that gives additional information about where to file a bankruptcy case.

  • Look under the tab that says Filing Information to find links to forms, filing fee schedule, etc.
  • Official bankruptcy forms to file a case under Chapters 7, 11 and 13, as well as a proof of claim form for creditors, may be found on the web site.
  • Local Bankruptcy Forms
  • Court opinions

United States Courts Services & Forms:

The United States Courts Services & Forms Page has a useful pamphlet, Bankruptcy Basics.

  • The US Courts provides general information about federal bankruptcy laws and the bankruptcy process on this website, but is not intended to be used as a guide through the bankruptcy process.
  • The US Courts provides official bankruptcy forms.
  • The US courts has created a video series on Bankruptcy to help explain the process. You can find the videos here.

Other Resources:

The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) maintains a web site that is aimed at professionals in the bankruptcy field, but it has links to useful information and is also a good site for monitoring the progress of bankruptcy legislation and other major developments in bankruptcy law. Some of the information is accessible to members only, but the information listed above is accessible by non-members.

The Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute has an overview of bankruptcy, as well as links to other web sites with information on bankruptcy.

The Nolo Press web site has free information on Debt and Bankruptcy in its “law center.”

The WashingtonLawHelp.org web site has helpful information on Bankruptcy on its Money and Debt page.

Links updated October 2020.