Your full name

Who owes you money?

Your state

Amount owed ($)

What happened? (1–3 sentences)

Include dates and amounts — the letter is built from exactly what you write here.

Deadline to pay

Free tool — limited to 3 letters per person per day so it stays free for everyone.

Writing your demand letter…

Your Demand Letter

Review it, add your address and the recipient's address where indicated, then send it by certified mail with return receipt and keep a copy — that receipt becomes evidence if you end up in court.

If they don't pay by the deadline…

Your next step is filing in small claims court. Get your complete court-ready package — a completed state-specific complaint form, a word-for-word judge script, and an evidence checklist — for a one-time $19.

Get My Court-Ready Package — $19 →

Why send a demand letter first?

It often works. A dated, formal letter that names a dollar amount and a deadline signals you're serious — many people and businesses pay at this stage to avoid court.
Courts expect it. Some states require you to demand payment before filing a small claims case, and judges routinely ask, "Did you try to resolve this first?"
It becomes evidence. The letter and your certified-mail receipt show the judge you made a good-faith attempt to settle.

What to do after you send it

Send it by certified mail with return receipt requested (or another trackable method), and keep a copy of the letter and the receipt.
Mark the deadline on your calendar. Don't argue by phone in the meantime — keep everything in writing.
If the deadline passes without payment, check your filing deadline, confirm the case is worth filing, and then generate your court package.

Is a demand letter required before you file? By state

In most states a demand letter is strongly advisable but not a legal precondition to filing. In a few it is genuinely required, and in a couple more it is required only for particular kinds of claim. Every row below shows what our jurisdiction dataset records for that state and how confident we are in it — a "medium" reading means we have not confirmed it against the statute or court rule, so treat it as a prompt to check rather than as an answer.

Whether a written demand is required before filing a small claims case. The confidence label on each row is the honest strength of our record for that state, not a measure of how strict the rule is: "medium" means we have not confirmed it against the statute or court rule. Sending a demand letter is a good idea everywhere, required or not.
State	Demand required first?	What our record says	Confirm with
Alabama	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Alaska	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Arizona	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Arkansas	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
California	Yes — at least for some claimshigh confidence in this record	Must demand payment first (pleaded on SC-100)	Official source
Colorado	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Connecticut	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Delaware	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
District of Columbia	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Florida	Conditionalmedium confidence in this record	None general; 30-day statutory notice for bad-check claims	Official source
Georgia	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Hawaii	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Idaho	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Illinois	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Indiana	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Iowa	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Kansas	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Kentucky	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Louisiana	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Maine	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Maryland	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Massachusetts	Yes — at least for some claimshigh confidence in this record	Ch. 93A 30-day demand letter REQUIRED for consumer-protection claims	Official source
Michigan	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Minnesota	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Mississippi	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Missouri	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Montana	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Nebraska	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Nevada	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
New Hampshire	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
New Jersey	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
New Mexico	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
New York	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
North Carolina	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
North Dakota	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Ohio	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Oklahoma	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source — no official link on record
Oregon	Yes — at least for some claimsmedium confidence in this record	Bona fide demand for payment REQUIRED before filing (pleaded on form)	Official source
Pennsylvania	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Rhode Island	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
South Carolina	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
South Dakota	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Tennessee	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Texas	Conditionalmedium confidence in this record	None general; DTPA consumer claims: 60-day pre-suit notice	Official source
Utah	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Vermont	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Virginia	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Washington	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
West Virginia	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Wisconsin	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source
Wyoming	None recordedmedium confidence in this record	NoneThat is what our record says, not a verified reading of the court rules — check before you skip the letter.	Official source

This tool generates a template letter for informational purposes only. SmallClaimsHelper is not a law firm and this is not legal advice. Requirements vary by state — for complex disputes, consult a licensed attorney. Don't include sensitive information (SSNs, account numbers) in the description field.

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