Questions, answered.

Settle is a software platform that helps you settle your own unsecured debt — for less than you owe, privately, and on your terms. It’s not a lender, debt collector, law firm, or settlement company. You authorize every message, make every decision, and pay your creditor directly.

Anyone can sign up, but settlement works best on past-due unsecured debt — accounts that are late, charged off, sold to a debt buyer, or in collections. Creditors rarely discount a current, on-time account. See who it’s for →

There’s no hard minimum, but settlement usually makes the most sense once you’re carrying at least a few thousand dollars of past-due unsecured debt. The bigger and more delinquent the balance, the more there is to gain.

In a secure, dedicated escrow — not a pooled fund, and not money Settle spends or controls. The moment you approve a settlement, escrow releases it straight to your creditor. Because the funds are escrowed and the offer is certified by Settle, the creditor can trust it will be paid — and you authorize every release.

From escrow, on the terms you and the creditor agreed — a lump sum or installments over time. You authorize each release; with Automation you can turn on automatic ACH and pause or cancel anytime. We’ll remind you before each one posts.

Self-service is free: you run every step yourself. Automation — where Settle runs the steps for you, on your approval — is a flat $49.95/month, cancel anytime. We never take a percentage of your debt or your savings. See pricing →

Unsecured debt: credit cards, store cards, personal and signature loans, medical bills, and accounts already with a collection agency. Secured debt (mortgages, auto loans) and federal student loans don’t settle this way.

The statute of limitations (SOL) is the window during which a creditor can sue you over a debt; it varies by state and debt type. Settle surfaces estimated SOL timing so you understand your rights — and so you never accidentally restart the clock (for example, by making a payment on a very old debt) without realizing it.

Settle gives you the tools; you make the calls. You decide every offer, counter, and acceptance. On Free, you carry out each step yourself. With Automation, Settle carries out the steps you approve, watches for responses, and stops whenever there’s a decision for you to make.

Settling a debt can have credit and tax consequences, and outcomes vary. Often the accounts people settle are already delinquent or charged off. Settle tracks your score and the events that move it so you can see the impact and rebuild deliberately. This isn’t financial or tax advice — consider talking to a professional about your situation.

Under the FDCPA and FCRA you have protections — the right to request validation of a debt, to dispute inaccuracies, and to ask a collector to cease contact. Settle’s rights center helps you understand and exercise them, with validation, dispute, and cease-contact letters you can send, plus a log of collector behavior.

Yes. The journey doesn’t end at the settlement — Settle stays with you to monitor your credit and identity, surface credit-builder and refinance offers matched to your score, and set goals as you build toward real financial health.

Settling your own debt is something you’re legally allowed to do — settlement companies built an entire industry on doing it for you and charging a cut. Settle simply gives you the tools to do it yourself. We’re not a law firm and this isn’t legal advice; availability varies by state.

No. You don’t hand your financial life to a sales floor to get started, and your record of requests, offers, and payments stays yours — logged immutably so you always have the receipts. Trust & security →