Debt help
Help when debt gets serious
Plain-language guides for the hard moments: court papers, a garnishment, medical bills in collections, or cards you can no longer pay. Each one starts with what to do first and where to find free legal help.
01 of 03
A lawsuit or a garnishment
What the court papers mean, the deadline, and who can help for free.
- Debt helpSued by a debt collector: what to do firstSued by a debt collector? Find your answer deadline, check the debt, raise defenses like an old debt, and get free legal help. Legal information, not advice.
- Debt helpWage garnishment: how it works and how to limit itHow wage garnishment works after a court judgment, the federal limit on what can be taken, the exemptions you can claim, and where to get free legal help.
02 of 03
Bills you cannot keep up with
Medical bills in collections, and credit cards after a hardship or a layoff.
- Debt helpMedical debt in collections: what to doMedical bills in collections: check the bill, ask about financial assistance, know the credit report rules, and see where settlement fits and where it does not.
- Debt helpCan't pay your credit cards? What to do nextBehind on credit cards or just laid off? What happens as payments are missed, hardship programs, unemployment help, and how the main options compare.
03 of 03
The rules where you live
Time limits on debt, courts, garnishment and bankruptcy, state by state.
Next step
Want to talk it through?
A real person picks up the phone. Or check your state and see an illustrative estimate first. Nothing is signed until you say yes.
Four short steps
Your estimate first. Contact details last.
- 1How much you owea close guess is fine
- 2What kinds of debtpick all that apply
- 3Which state you live inchecked before anything else
- 4Your estimate, then a real person if you want one