What are the FDCPA's debt validation requirements?

Validation is the FDCPA's core information duty, set out in section 1692g, and Regulation F turned it into a form problem: the CFPB's model validation notice, with the itemization date, the amount broken into principal, interest, fees, and payments, and the tear-off dispute prompts, is the safe-harbor format most agencies now use. Getting the itemization math right matters as much as sending the notice on time, because an inaccurate amount can convert a validation letter into a misrepresentation claim.

Operationally the requirements are a workflow pair. Outbound: the notice goes out within five days of the first communication on every placed or purchased account, and debt buyers need media from the seller sufficient to populate it accurately. Inbound: a written dispute or original-creditor request inside the thirty-day window must stop collection on the account until verification is mailed, which means dispute flags have to propagate to dialers, letters, and credit reporting immediately. Disputes received after the window still deserve documented handling, since many state practice acts and client agreements require it.