How our commercial collection process works
We verify the debtor and make first contact the same day you place the account, keep up a steady, professional cadence of letters, emails and calls for about 30 days, and only recommend legal action, with costs, if the debtor will not pay. You see every step, and the debtor pays your bank account directly.
1. Place the account
Submit a single account online, upload a CSV of several, or send your aging report. Once we accept the account, you complete our intake form with the invoices, terms, proof of delivery and contact history we need.
2. Our collection timeline
- OnboardingDay 0 (next business day for intakes received by 3 pm ET)
Review and acceptance
We verify the debtor's legal entity, check for bankruptcy filings, liens and judgments, confirm the statute of limitations, score collectability and send you the fee confirmation and agreement.
Your part: Complete the intake form and sign the agreement.
- AmicableDay 0
Notice of placement and demand
Itemized demand by email and first-class mail, with invoice copies and a secure payment link. Payment requested within 10 days.
- AmicableDays 1–14
Multi-channel outreach
Calls, emails and letters on at least three business days a week. The first call to accounts payable on Day 1 finds out why the invoice is unpaid: a dispute, a cash-flow problem, a process issue or avoidance.
- AmicableDay 3
Decision-maker contact
Call and email to the owner, CFO or controller with proof of delivery and the signed terms attached.
- AmicableDay 7
Second notice and payment-plan offer
Second letter and email offering a documented payment plan if cash flow is the problem.
- AmicableDay 14
Final notice before legal review
Final notice by certified mail and email with a 7-day deadline, stating that we will send you a recommendation about legal action.
- AmicableDays 15–30
Senior negotiation
A senior negotiator takes over. Settlements inside the authority you set at intake are agreed directly; offers outside it reach you within 2 business days and are never accepted without your approval.
Your part: Approve or decline offers outside your authority. If we have not heard back in 5 business days, we follow up once.
- AmicableDay 21
Attorney demand letter (included)
On unresolved accounts of $2,500 or more, an affiliated attorney licensed in the debtor's state reviews the file and, after that review, sends a demand on law-firm letterhead. No extra cost to you.
- DecisionDay 30
Status report and legal recommendation
If the account is not resolved, you receive a written report: debtor status, assets found, collectability, the total legal fee (our 10% management fee plus the attorney's own contingency), court costs, and our recommendation. We never recommend suing a debtor with no located assets.
Your part: Choose within 10 business days: forward to an attorney, use our cost-advance program if the claim qualifies, keep working amicably, or close the file. No answer means we keep working amicably through Day 90.
- LegalAfter your approval
Suit (if you approve)
A vetted attorney in the debtor's jurisdiction files suit under a separate fee agreement with you. We manage the attorney and report every 30 days; recoveries are paid to you.
Your part: Approve the attorney and advance court costs, or let us advance them on a qualifying claim.
- LegalTypically 2–4 months after filing
Judgment and enforcement
Suit is usually filed 2 to 4 weeks after your approval. Uncontested cases commonly reach judgment in 2 to 4 months; contested cases can take 12 months or more. Enforcement follows where state law allows: bank levies, liens, garnishment of receivables and debtor examinations.
- DecisionDay 90 (amicable files)
Close or extend
Files not sent to legal are either closed with a full report or extended by agreement. You can withdraw any account with no fee if nothing has been collected within 30 days of placement.
Throughout the file
Disputes
Any dispute the debtor raises is sent to you with its details within 2 business days. We keep collecting any undisputed portion.
Payments
Debtors pay you directly by wire or ACH to the account you give us at intake. Every notice names your company as the only beneficiary. When money lands, confirm it with one click; we update the balance and invoice our fee, due within 15 days.
Confirming payments
When a debtor says they paid, we send you a one-click "Received / Not received" check with their proof. If they pay you without telling us, let us know within 2 business days. The contingency fee applies to all payments after placement.
Withdrawing an account
Free if nothing has been collected within 30 days of placement. After a settlement or payment plan is agreed, withdrawal incurs the fee on the agreed amount.
Payment plans
Every plan is a signed agreement with an acceleration clause. A missed installment triggers a same-day call; if the plan defaults, the full balance becomes due under that agreement.
Reporting
Every call, email and letter is logged and visible to you, with a monthly statement for every open account.
Bankruptcy
If the debtor files for bankruptcy, collection stops immediately and we can file your proof of claim before the deadline.
3. How we talk to your customers
Firm, factual and courteous. We never threaten action we are not authorized to take, never contact your customer's own customers or suppliers, and give every debtor a clear way to pay or to raise a dispute. Read our conduct standards.
4. Disputes
If the debtor raises a dispute, we ask for specifics, share them with you within two business days, and keep collecting any undisputed portion.
5. Getting paid
Debtors pay you directly by wire or ACH to the account you give us at intake. When a payment lands, confirm it with one click; we update the balance and send our fee invoice, due within 15 days.
Owed money by a business?
Place an account in three minutes. No recovery, no fee. Rates from 10%.