Debt-relief resources: official guides, credit reports and legal help

Source: https://freshfinancialsolutions.com/resource-library/ — Page updated November 5, 2026. General education; not a professional review date.

Consumer resource library

Use these sources to check claims, understand your rights and find appropriate help. Government resources explain rules; counseling and legal-aid directories help you find organizations to evaluate. A link is not an endorsement, a guarantee of eligibility, or an affiliation with Fresh Financial Solutions.

Understand debt relief and avoid scams

• FTC: How to get out of debt — an overview of budgeting, creditor conversations, counseling, settlement, consolidation, bankruptcy and scam warning signs. Start here when comparing a sales claim with consumer-protection guidance.
• CFPB: What is a debt-relief program? — explains settlement risks, fees, creditor refusal, possible lawsuits, credit effects and alternatives.
• CFPB: Debt collection tools — information about collection rights and responding to a collector. Verify the debt and the caller before sharing financial details. A lawsuit requires attention to the court’s own deadlines.
• CFPB: Submit a financial complaint — a route for reporting an issue involving a financial product or service. It is not a substitute for responding to court papers or getting legal advice.
• FTC: Report fraud — report suspected scams or deceptive business practices through the FTC’s official reporting service.

Review credit information

AnnualCreditReport.com is the federally authorized source for obtaining free credit reports. A credit report can help you review reported accounts and identify possible errors; a report is not the same as a credit score. Use the official website rather than a lookalike advertisement, and avoid sending your reports through a general inquiry form.

Find counseling, legal help and bankruptcy information

• U.S. Trustee Program: Credit counseling and debtor education — explains the counseling and education requirements associated with bankruptcy and links to approved-agency information. Approval for a bankruptcy-related purpose is not a general government endorsement of every service an agency offers. Jurisdiction and course requirements matter.
• CFPB: What is credit counseling? — explains counseling services and questions to ask before choosing an agency. Ask the particular organization about availability, qualifications, fees and any proposed debt management plan. Nonprofit status alone does not mean every service is free.
• Legal Services Corporation: Find legal aid — a directory for locating LSC-funded civil legal-aid organizations. Eligibility and the matters each organization handles vary.
• U.S. Courts: Bankruptcy information — official introductory information about the bankruptcy process. An attorney can explain how the law applies to your debts and assets; this website cannot determine whether you should file.

Understand possible tax consequences

• IRS Topic 431: Canceled debt — the general federal tax rule, exceptions, exclusions and reporting considerations. A settlement’s advertised savings can leave out taxes.
• IRS: What if I am insolvent? — explains why insolvency may affect the treatment of forgiven debt. Review the rules with a tax professional before assuming an exclusion applies.

Use the right resource for the debt

Federal student-loan options are different from commercial settlement programs. For official loan and repayment information, use Federal Student Aid’s loan-management resources. For tax debt, start with the IRS or the relevant state tax agency rather than treating it like an ordinary credit-card balance. For a mortgage, contact the servicer promptly and ask about the options applicable to that loan.

Prepare before contacting anyone

Use our decision checklist to organize questions. Our debt-settlement guide explains risks and our calculators let you test assumptions without submitting financial details. Keep records of any written offers. Do not send account numbers, passwords or financial documents through this website’s general forms.

External sites control their own content, privacy practices, availability and eligibility rules. Fresh Financial Solutions is not a government agency, law firm, tax adviser, credit bureau or the operator of the organizations listed here. A first-contact inquiry does not enroll you or establish service eligibility. See important disclosures and privacy information.

Considering legal help? Read our guide to attorney-based debt relief, collection defense and bankruptcy to understand the different roles and questions to ask.