Debt Recovery

Massachusetts is arguably the most procedurally complex state for debt collection in New England. Unlike other states where a court judgment automatically grants you the right to garnish wages, Massachusetts requires a second, tedious legal battle known as “Supplementary Process.”

If your current agency thinks getting a judgment means “mission accomplished,” they are likely sitting on a pile of uncollected paper judgments. In the Commonwealth, a judgment is just a piece of paper until a judge issues a specific “Payment Order”.

For revenue cycle leaders—from the academic medical centers in Boston to community hospitals in the Berkshires—this means you need a partner who doesn’t just know how to sue, but how to navigate the post-judgment maze of M.G.L. c. 224.

Need a Medical Collection Agency in Massachusetts? Contact us

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Deep Analysis: The 3 Revenue Traps in the Commonwealth

Standard national strategies fail here because they underestimate the protections built into the Massachusetts General Laws (MGL) and Attorney General regulations (940 CMR 7.00).

1. The “Supplementary Process” Bottleneck

• The Law: Winning a lawsuit (M.G.L. c. 218) does not give you the right to garnish wages immediately. You must file a separate “Supplementary Process” action (M.G.L. c. 224) to bring the debtor back to court for an “examination of ability to pay.”

• The Risk: Most agencies stop after the first lawsuit. They get the judgment and wait for a check that never comes. Without the “Supplementary Process” order, the debtor has zero legal obligation to hand over their paycheck.

• Our Solution: We treat the initial judgment as merely “Step 1.” Our legal workflow automatically triggers the Supplementary Process filing if a voluntary plan isn’t reached within 30 days of judgment, forcing the debtor to disclose their assets to a judge.

2. The “Health Safety Net” (HSN) Compliance Trap

• The Law: Massachusetts hospitals are required to screen patients for the Health Safety Net (HSN) (formerly the Free Care Pool) before billing. Eligibility extends up to 300% of the Federal Poverty Level.

• The Risk: If you send an account to collections without properly documenting this screening, you aren’t just violating MassHealth regulations—you risk losing your surcharge reimbursements from the state pool.

• Our Solution: We integrate an “HSN Scrub” into our intake. If a patient flags as potentially eligible (e.g., unemployed or on MassHealth Limited), we pause collection and help you route them back to your financial counselors, often recovering payment from the state rather than the patient.

3. The “70A Lien” Timing Rule

• The Law: M.G.L. c. 111 § 70A allows you to place a lien on a patient’s personal injury settlement. However, the lien must be perfected prior to any judgment or settlement.

• The Risk: Unlike states with a “100-day post-discharge” window, Massachusetts requires strict timing. If the patient settles their accident case on Tuesday and your agency files the lien on Wednesday, your lien is worthless.

• Our Solution: We monitor “Date of Accident” vs. “Current Date” closely. We file Notice of Liens via certified mail immediately upon identifying third-party liability to “lock in” your claim before the insurance company cuts a check.

Nexa provides 100% reputation-safe, equipped with all 50-state collections license, offering free credit reporting, free litigation, free bankruptcy scrubs, and zero onboarding fees. Secure – SOC 2 Type II & HIPAA compliant. Over 2,000 online reviews rate us 4.85 out of 5. 

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Our 4-Step “Bay State” Recovery System

We have adapted our model to handle the 940 CMR 7.00 regulations and the specific “capias” (arrest warrant for civil contempt) procedures unique to MA.

Phase 1: HSN & Insurance Audit (Pre-Collection)

• The Strategy: We verify if the patient is an HSN candidate. We also check for Auto Insurance (PIP) on accident claims, as MA is a “No-Fault” state where the auto insurer pays the first $2,000 or $8,000 of medical bills before health insurance touches it.

Phase 2: The “940 CMR” Compliant Nudge (Steps 1 & 2)

• The Strategy: Massachusetts has strict rules on call frequency (no more than 2 calls in 7 days to a home). We use a “Letter-First” approach that respects these limits while clearly explaining the debt.

• The Cost: Flat fee (approx. $15/account). You keep 100% of recoveries.

Phase 3: The “Payment Order” Negotiation (Step 3)

• The Strategy: We explain the reality of M.G.L. c. 224 to the debtor. “Mr. Smith, if we go to Supplementary Process, the judge will examine your spending—coffee, cable, rent—and order a weekly payment. Let’s set up a voluntary plan now to keep you out of court.”

• The Cost: 40% contingency.

Phase 4: Litigation & Capias (Step 4)

• The Strategy: We use the courts not just for a judgment, but for enforcement. If a debtor ignores the Supplementary Process order, we petition for a Capias (civil arrest warrant) to compel their appearance. This is the “nuclear option” that usually prompts immediate payment.

• The Cost: 50% contingency.

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Regional Strategy: Serving the Commonwealth

Collecting in Boston is different from collecting in Worcester. We adjust our tactics accordingly.

Region	Economic Profile	Collection Strategy
Greater Boston (MGB/Beth Israel)	High Income / Biotech	Focus on insurance denials and “balance billing” disputes. Patients here are savvy; we use detailed EOB explanations to prove the debt is valid.
Central MA (UMass Memorial)	Mixed Industrial / Ed	High volume of “underinsured” patients. We use flexible payment plans that align with bi-weekly factory or university payroll cycles.
Western MA (Baystate)	Rural / Service	HSN eligibility is higher here. We focus heavily on screening for state assistance to ensure we aren’t chasing uncollectible debts.

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FAQ: The Executive Summary

Q: Can you garnish wages in Massachusetts?

A: Yes, but it is harder than in other states. We can garnish the lesser of 15% of gross wages or the amount exceeding 50x minimum wage. However, we must get a Supplementary Process order first. It is a two-step legal battle.

Q: What is the Statute of Limitations?

A: You have 6 years to sue for medical debt (contract actions). However, we recommend acting within 12 months to ensure we can leverage insurance appeals if needed.

Q: Can you charge interest?

A: Generally, yes. The statutory rate is 6% unless your admission paperwork specifies a different rate. If you try to charge more without a contract, you risk violating state consumer protection laws (c. 93A).

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Click here for a Free Audit of Your Massachusetts Bad Debt

As the end of the year approaches, many eagerly anticipate their tax refunds. The average federal tax refund is around $2,000. And, for the average individual, this amount goes a long way towards annual expenses such as vacations, car repairs, and holiday purchases. Tax refunds can also be used to pay debt, but sometimes, past due bills are not a debtor’s priority after the windfall.

If you are a creditor and your debtor gets a federal tax refund, you might wonder if you can enforce your rights as a creditor and claim part or all of the money. Debt collection laws can be complex at times, but one principle is simple and clear: private creditors (basically any creditor other than a state or the federal government) cannot legally claim rights to a federal tax refund. If someone owes back taxes or a federal debt, the law permits the IRS to offset the refund. State, court-ordered child support arrears and other government debt can also claim rights to refund offset. But private debt holders cannot step in between a debtor and their tax refund

However, the tax refund season can increase a debtor’s cash flow and presents more opportunities to successfully collect on a debt. The biggest part of the collections battle is lack of funds. The best scenario involves positive communication to encourage voluntary payment, while also better informing the creditor so appropriate legal tactics can be enforced, such as knowing when a tax refund might hit a debtor’s account and be attachable. While not automatic like a refund offset, tax refund season can be great for debtors and creditors alike.

Communication instead of litigation

In addition to funds availability, collection success requires communication, timing, and an organized and strategic approach. Legal enforcement, while effective as a last resort, is expensive, difficult to effectively manage, and can give rise to protections that can halt the collections process. Always try to communicate before you end up having to litigate. Legal fees and court costs can eat away at a debtor’s cash, and aggressive legal action can lead a debtor to try to live on a cash basis, hiding money and further avoiding debt repayment. Communication and rapport with a debtor are crucial because they can help a creditor avoid a costly collections process, and encourage a debtor to use some or all of a tax refund to reduce their debt.

The trick is to maintain a professional, friendly, positive, and value-focused relationship with a debtor. Once a debtor sees a creditor as an enemy, it’s much more likely that lines of communication will become severed. In some cases, especially with those who may be experiencing more extreme financial hardship, a debtor can devalue the importance of the debt in their mind. Consistent communication helps return the concept of value to debt.

Debtor communication should be:

• Friendly
• Ethical
• Sympathetic
• Persistent

Here are some tips on how to execute a communication-focused collection process that can take advantage of a debtor’s cash windfall come tax refund time:

Become your debtor’s partner for success

It’s easy for the debtor-creditor relationship to become antagonistic. But, a friendly approach to communication can convey that you are not your debtor’s enemy, rather, you are their partner in helping them through a financial struggle. With a good rapport, you can explain the benefits of paying their debt and better anticipate payment. This friendly approach can even benefit cases where a debtor disputes the amount owed because it will bring that dispute to light rather than let it grow in darkness. And a friendly tone may be the key to learning about an upcoming tax refund and incorporating it into a repayment plan.

Communicate ethically

Debtor communication should not be based on the premise of tricking someone to pay a bill. Clear communication is ethical. Be truthful about the collection process, not threatening. With an ethical approach to communication, you can better explain the benefits of prompt payment. Communicating ethically does not mean that you delay pursuing your legal rights to collect the debt, just that you play by the rules. For example, don’t threaten to take your debtor’s tax refund, rather, communicate with them about the benefits to both of you if all or part of the refund goes towards the debt.

Express sympathy and better relate to the debtor

People generally don’t want to get behind on their bills. Job loss, illness, and many other factors contribute to getting behind on payments. Open communication with a debtor that understands how life can make payment difficult can help a creditor better anticipate repayment.

Persistence is the key

Your debtor may not have the resources today to pay their debt. They may not have it tomorrow. And their tax refund may or may not be available to satisfy the amounts owed to you, but without an organized, well-managed, and persistent communication plan, you will lose touch with your debtor. When out of contact, your debtor might get their tax refund or other cash windfall and direct money to something other than paying your debt.

If there is a running theme throughout successful debt collection, it is persistence. Often, creditors do not have the time to develop the rapport and goals-focused communication skills needed for successful collections. This is where engaging the services of a professional debt collection can have the most impact. A professional collector knows legal requirements and options but also can be a source of constant contact and relationship-building to ensure mutual success.

Tax refunds may not be directly attachable by a private creditor, but a professional debt collection agency can keep the lines of communication open so the debtor’s mindset can be refocused on payment. Better communication plus the prospect of a tax refund can translate to success for both parties.

Contact us if you need a professional debt collection agency to help you recover your overdue bills.

Psychiatrists and their staff regularly struggle to recover payments from patients. People do not always fulfill their promise of making installments on time, forcing the in-house staff of your medical practice to make repeated calls and mailing invoices to these people. Several of these unpaid medical bills appear unrecoverable as time passes by, leaving employees completely frustrated and helpless. This is where a medical collections agency comes for the rescue and attempts to recover past-due bills in an amicable and legally permitted manner.

If you are looking for a cost-effective debt collection agency: Contact us

Accounts receivable problem has plagued the psychiatric industry for a long time now, and in-house staff often lament on the common issues they have to grapple with – with no clear answer or solution in sight. Below are some of these common issues.

1. Denial of Insurance Claims

One of the most common billing issues is denied insurance claims. Psychiatric facilities are often not cognizant of the fact that an inadequate denial management process can cause the loss of a significant portion of potential profits. While the report of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), states that every healthcare firm should have a denial rate of 4%, some psychiatric firms’ rates soar to 10% or more.

2. Lack of accounts receivable management

Improper accounts receivable management in psychiatric practices can lead the firm towards loss that includes bad debts. Psychiatric practices can mitigate this by properly reconciling their bank statements to verify that they have not missed an entry and that all the transactions are accurate. Also the receivables staff must precisely review every claim form before submission to make certain it meets the guidelines and try to keep a follow up of denied claims.

3. Unnecessary Write-offs

Most write-offs are related to denied claims and can eventually affect the balance sheet if they occur regularly. Rather than automatically writing off denials, the accounts receivable staff should take the time to review each claim to ensure that all payment options have been exhausted. Account receivable staff can also work with patients to reduce their balance.  A review of each overdue patient account could significantly improve receivables.

4. Restricted Mode of Payment

Psychiatric facilities with a sole mode of the payment run the risk of no-or-late payments. A restricted mode of payment can pose an obstacle when collecting payment. Hence, psychiatric facilities should keep various modes of payments such as accepting payments to maintain smooth cash flow.

Hiring a Collection Agency

As previously stated, inadequate accounts receivable management processes are significant contributors to the financial loss of psychiatric practices. Unfortunately, this is one of the greatest challenges psychiatric firms face. One of the simplest methods available to counter this is to hire a professional collecting agency.

Psychiatric facilities that are unable and unequipped to monitor and manage their accounts receivable can hire a professional collection agency to consult and provide aid in managing their accounts receivables. A collection agency work to reduce the time a firm receives payment for an outstanding claim by tracking these claims and researching the reason why they haven’t been paid yet, thus ensuring that the psychiatric facility receives payment from every claim. With the help of a collection agency, payment can occur within weeks. Besides, a professional collection agency has an accounts receivable management protocol in place. This means that they can help a psychiatric facility increase its client’s collections, minimize reimbursement issues, and speed up their cash flow. These agencies also provide follow up services to ensure that claims are paid promptly and that any issues hindering immediate payment are resolved.

The Bottom Line

A good accounts receivable process can transform the cash flow of any psychiatric practice from negative to positive. A seamless billing and account receivable process commences with analyzing the current account receivables methods and modify them where needed or hire a collection agency to ensure debts and outstanding claims get paid.

Let’s be honest: asking a patient for money is awkward. Asking a pregnant patient for money feels impossible.

In Obstetrics, you aren’t just a medical provider; you are part of a family’s most intimate journey. This unique relationship makes Accounts Receivable (AR) a nightmare. You naturally want to be lenient. You delay sending the bill because she’s in her third trimester. You hesitate to call because she just had the baby.

But while you are being compassionate, your practice is bleeding cash.

The reality is that OB-GYN practices effectively act as unsecured lenders. You provide 9 months of prenatal care, ultrasounds, and labor services—often with zero guarantee that the deductible will be paid once the baby arrives.

NexaCollect exists to solve this specific tension. We don’t act like a “debt collector.” We act as your Patient Financial Advocate, ensuring the business side of your practice remains as healthy as the clinical side.

Need a Collection Agency? Contact us

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The “9-Month Credit Line” & Other Revenue Traps

Unlike a dermatologist or an urgent care clinic where payment is transactional, your billing cycle is a marathon. Here is where the money usually disappears—and how we recover it.

1. The Postpartum “Amnesia”

The Scenario: You collect a deposit upfront, but the final $1,500 deductible balance isn’t calculated until after delivery. By the time the bill arrives, the patient is overwhelmed with a newborn, pediatric bills, and lost sleep.

The Fix: We change the timing. Instead of aggressive demands, we use a “Soft-Touch” cadence. Our communications (email/text/letter) are designed to gently remind the patient that finalizing their account is the last step in their delivery journey. It’s closure, not conflict.

2. The Infertility & Elective Heartbreak

The Scenario: A patient undergoes IVF or an elective procedure that doesn’t result in a pregnancy. Grief turns into financial defiance: “Why should I pay for a baby I didn’t get?”

The Fix: This requires a human touch, not an auto-dialer. Our specialists are trained to validate the debt by respectfully separating the clinical outcome from the financial obligation. We listen, we empathize, and then we set up a realistic payment plan that respects their situation while recovering your costs.

3. The “Death by Copay”

The Scenario: It’s not just the big delivery bills. It’s the mountain of $30–$50 balances from annual exams, pap smears, and lab fees that patients ignore because “it’s too small to worry about.”

The Fix: These small balances clog your ledger. We use automated, digital-first reminders to clear these out in bulk. Patients can pay via a secure link on their phone in 30 seconds.

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Why “Standard” Agencies Fail in Women’s Health

Most collection agencies use a sledgehammer. In OB-GYN, that is a PR disaster waiting to happen.

• Privacy Risks: Leaving a voicemail about a “medical debt” on a home phone can violate HIPAA or accidentally reveal a pregnancy/procedure to a spouse or parent (especially with minors).

• Reputation Damage: Aggressive tactics lead to 1-star reviews on “Mommy Blogs” and local Facebook groups.

The Nexa Standard:

We are 100% HIPAA and Regulation F Compliant. Our notices are discreet. Our agents are trained to navigate the complex privacy laws surrounding women’s health and minors. We protect your reputation as fiercely as we protect your revenue.

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Choose Your Recovery Path

We don’t believe in “one size fits all.” You choose the intensity.

Service Level	What It Is	Best For…	Cost to You
Level 1: The “Nudge”	A diplomatic reminder campaign sent in Your Name.	Recent moms, small copays, “forgetful” patients.	~$15 Flat Fee (You keep 100%)
Level 2: The “Demand”	Formal escalation sent in Nexa’s Name. Signals credit impact.	Patients ignoring calls > 90 days.	~$15 Flat Fee (You keep 100%)
Level 3: The “Recovery”	Full contingency collections with skip-tracing & negotiation.	“Ghost” patients, high-balance delivery fees.	~33% (No Recovery = No Fee)

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Real Stories from Practices Like Yours

The “Global Fee” Recovery

A 4-doctor OB group in Chicago had $210,000 in uncollected delivery balances from the previous year. Their internal team was too busy with current patients to chase past-due accounts.

The Nexa Solution: We ran a “Level 1” campaign for all balances under 120 days.

The Outcome: We recovered $135,000 directly to the practice. The cost? Less than $5,000 in flat fees. The practice manager used the recovered funds to upgrade their ultrasound equipment.

The “Sensitive” Situation

A fertility clinic in Florida faced a $8,000 default from a patient who had moved out of state after a failed cycle.

The Nexa Solution: We used skip-tracing to locate the patient. Our specialist approached the situation with extreme empathy, acknowledging the difficult outcome.

The Outcome: Instead of a lawsuit, the patient agreed to a 12-month auto-draft payment plan. The clinic recovered the full amount without a single negative review.

Stop Being the Bank. Start Being the Doctor.

You deliver life. You shouldn’t have to deliver the bill collection calls too. Let NexaCollect handle the financial awkwardness so you can focus on your patients.

If you need a medical collection agency with experience in dealing with debtors of OB-GYN and Women’s Health doctors: Contact us

There is much talk in national politics about the cost of healthcare and medical debt in general. Policy concerns aside, the rising medical debt in this country has a severe negative impact on medical practices from a business and accounting standpoint. Health care providers, like any other for or not for profit organization, need healthy cash flow to stay afloat. In many ways, poor cash flow can be a chronic illness for medical practices. Managing how much money your practice has, where it goes every month, and who is not paying, is the key to good business health. A good understanding of basic accounting concepts is helpful, but so too is an awareness of attitudes towards medical debt, realities of collection practices, and solutions to ensure your medical business practices good financial hygiene.

Understanding Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable is an account status, and the total figure of accounts receivable is the total amount owed to a business. An accounts turnover receivable ratio is a calculation to measure the efficiency of a business’s billing practices. The formula is simple, but essential for businesses that measure their health in accounts receivable days:

Accounts Receivable Turnover = Net Credit Sales / Average Accounts Receivable

In this formula, Net Credit Sales are transactions where cash is collected at a later date, minus sales returns and sales allowance (or price reductions due to a problem with the sale.) Average accounts receivable is a figure derived from a business’s accounting records and represents how much a business typically has outstanding in credit sales.

For example, if a company has $10,000 in accounts receivable at the end of this year and $30,000 at the end of last year, its average accounts receivable would be $20,000. Let’s assume it also had $100,000 in gross credit sales, and $10,000 in returns, for a net credit sale of $90,000. In this example, the company’s accounts receivable turnover ratio would be determined by dividing $90,000 by $20,000, resulting in 4.5. This figure means that the company collects its receivables 4.5 times a year.

The higher the ratio, the more efficient the practice is in its billing. A low ratio indicates poor collection practices or patients that cannot afford their care.

Days in accounts receivable is an important metric because it gives insight into more than your patients’ financial ability to pay. This metric also reflects the efficiencies in your medical practice. There may be reasons why some patients cannot pay that are beyond your control, but often medical practices with high accounts receivable are those that lack systems and controls to prioritize payment. And, due to national trends that have been brewing for decades, the need today is urgent for medical practices to get a handle on their billing and payment practices.

The State of Medical Debt

According to recent figures, at least 43 million Americans have overdue medical bills. Some of the reasons for this significant figure can be debated. Medical care can be costly, but advances in medicine require innovation and expensive research. And increasingly complex insurance rules and changes in coverage can mean more people have to pay out of pocket for their care, without having money in their pockets.

Some believe this problem will only grow bigger, as trends like higher costs and higher insurance deductibles can increase bad debt for hospitals and providers. Legislation is in the works that will allow for bundled billing. The idea behind this is that patients are often saddled with medical debt because of a lack of insight on their part into patient financial responsibility. But that is only part of the problem.

Medical Bills from the Patient Perspective

Patients, regardless of ability to pay, often lack incentives to pay their medical bills. A medical provider is not like a utility or credit card issuer that can shut off the lights or decline a purchase. But in today’s connected and data-driven world, there are solutions within easy reach of all medical providers. It starts with how a medical practice is managed a clear understanding of accounts receivables as a measurement of business health. These solutions continue with clear communication that makes your patients your ally in ensuring your continued viability as a medical practice.

Solutions to High Accounts Receivables in Medical Practice

Medical practices should always work to minimize accounts receivable, as unpaid bills add nothing but cost to the bottom line. To have the revenue necessary to remain an economically viable business, a medical practice needs healthy cash flow. Throwing one’s hands up and blaming insurers or a national health care crisis does little to reverse accounts receivable at the provider level. But, a system that communicates, verifies, facilitates, and automates facilities patient responsibility can make the difference between a clean bill of financial health or an accounts receivable-induced flatline. 

Communicate expectations

Clear communication is the foundation of many solutions. With healthcare, patients need to know what the expectations are regarding their role in their care. Communication about financial matters should be as frequent as necessary for the patient not to be surprised or unprepared for payment. Should the care plan be more expensive than the patient can afford, the provider can work with the patient to schedule procedures or communicate with the patient’s insurer for clarification on coverage. 

Verify coverage

Regardless of patient communication, it is incumbent on medical offices to ensure that the patient’s coverage is accurate. A major reason for medical accounts receivable is a misunderstanding of the insurance billing process, on all sides of the equation. Just as communication is crucial, verifying insurance coverage should be a part of patient onboarding and ongoing verification of coverage. 

Facilitate payment

The old way of billing — sending a paper bill a few weeks after a patient’s care is complete, for example — does not encourage prompt payment. Today, some people don’t even use paper checks. Patients pay their Netflix subscriptions each month without fail, not only because that bill is so small, but also because the company makes payment a no-brainer. Embrace online payment, or even payment by phone to make a patient’s financial responsibility easier. 

Automate processes

These solutions work, but as you can see, they require work. Rather than burden a practice with the administrative tasks of communicating finances, verifying coverage, and accepting payments, practices should look to automated processes to manage their billing and payment follow up procedures. Today’s accounting and billing software can handle a large part of this process for you, with such features as automated payment reminders and incentivization.

Cash flow is essential for a medical practice’s success, but numerous obstacles can get in the way. With a clear understanding of receivables turnover ratio, and policies to make payment responsibility a priority for the provider and the patient, medical practices can regain control of their accounts receivables.

If you need a medical collection agency to recover money from your past due accounts: Contact Us

If you’ve been in business for any appreciable amount of time it’s likely that you’ve encountered bad checks. These are checks you deposit that can’t be paid by the writer’s bank because the account drawn on has insufficient funds to cover the amount or the signature does not match. This is how they get the designation NSF  ( non-sufficient funds).

Not only do bad checks cause problems for your cash flow, but they also end up costing you extra money in fees. Thankfully, several methods are available to businesses to collect on these returned checks, and many of them can be reasonably quick and painless.

Need a Collection Agency to recover money due to Bad/Bounced Checks? Contact us – Serving Nationwide We can help you recover unpaid bills using a low-cost flat fee service, or a contingency-fee only service. Most states will allow adding a $30 NSF fee. Did you know most collection agencies keep this whole fee? Only a handful of collection agencies will split this fee with their client. Serving Grocery Stores, Convenience Stores, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Pizza Chains, and Electric/Utility Companies.

When considering your approach, you should do whatever you can to avoid legal action. Lawsuits in small claims courts are costly and time-consuming. Also, because it’s your responsibility to collect any judgments you’re awarded, lawsuits are frequently ineffective, even when you win. Half of all judgments go uncollected, which means you may very well incur legal fees for no reason.

Here are five ways you can attempt to collect what’s owed you without resorting to court.

Call Your Customer’s Bank

The good news is that most people don’t write bad checks intentionally. More often than not they’re simply unaware that they don’t have the funds available. It could be that a check they’d written months ago was suddenly deposited. Or they miscalculated their account balance.

Whatever the case, it’s likely that the shortfall will be rectified once the check-writer is alerted to his or her mistake. So wait a few days and then ask the bank to check if funds are now available. If they are, you can redeposit the check.

The bank may also offer an enforced collection service. This will capture the needed funds from the next deposit your customer makes automatically.

Contact Your Customer

If you have your customer’s email address or phone number you can contact them to make them aware of the situation. This might feel pushy, but honest customers will usually welcome the alert. If they haven’t already gotten word from their bank your communication could help them avoid further bounced checks.

You can send your customer a certified letter if you don’t have immediate contact information. Not only does this alert them to the situation, but it also establishes a paper trail that could prove useful if your collection attempts prove unsuccessful.

Whichever way you make contact, politely and professionally ask for a payment, offering a number of alternative payment options.

Try a Check Recovery Service

Remembering to check in with your customer’s bank on a regular basis is difficult, and people frequently forget. This can be a problem because you only get three attempts to redeposit, and you don’t want to do that if you don’t know there are funds available. A better option is to use a check recovery service.

The provider of the service will monitor your customer’s account balance for you on a daily basis and then strategically redeposit the check when it’s most likely to be paid. This is a “set it and forget it” service, maximizing your chances of getting paid.

Best of all, you’ll get the full value of the check because check recovery services are nearly always free. Payment is taken as a fee charged to the bad check writer. Of course, the service can only work if the customer eventually deposits sufficient funds, and your check hits their account before those funds go elsewhere.

These are third-party services that guarantee payment on checks up to a certain amount. They can be beneficial but do come with a cost, so it’s essential to determine whether the benefits outweigh the expenses for your specific practice.

Your District Attorney’s Office May Be Able to Help

If you’ve exhausted friendlier options, you may find some relief through your local district attorney’s office. In some areas, they’ll send a letter on your behalf requesting an immediate satisfaction of the debt in order to avoid prosecution.

While this is generally an empty threat, the scare value alone is often enough to spur your customer into action.

Contact a Collection Agency

Contact a good collection agency if you’ve still found no relief after attempting everything listed previously. This is the most expensive option that doesn’t involve small claims, on average charging 40% of any amount collected, but it can help recover some portion of what’s owed you. Parting with 40% of something is always preferable to keeping the entirety of nothing.

The benefit of using a collection agency is that they’ll take over the entire collections process for you, freeing your time to focus on your business. Depending on the provider, it won’t cost you anything if they’re unsuccessful, so it’s certainly worth the attempt.

Remember that lawsuits are expensive, and any judgment you’re awarded could cost you considerably more when you attempt to collect it. It’s advisable to avoid court unless the amount owed is sufficiently high to warrant the cost and effort. As a method of last resort, a collection agency is a much better choice.