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A demand letter states what happened, what you want, the deadline, and what happens if the deadline passes: on one page, in firm language. Date it, keep a copy, and send it by tracked mail (US Certified Mail or Canada Registered Mail) so you can prove delivery. Specific amounts and dates settle disputes; vague ones start them.
| Part | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The facts | A short, dated account of what happened: no adjectives, no history lesson | "On March 4, 2026, I paid you $2,400 for…" |
| The demand | Exactly what you want, in numbers | "I am requesting the return of $2,400." |
| The deadline | A specific calendar date, giving reasonable time (often 10–30 days) | "Please pay by October 30, 2026." |
| The consequences | What you will actually do if they miss the deadline | "If I do not receive payment, I will file in small claims court." |
| Your contact info | How they can resolve it: address, phone, email | So paying you is easier than ignoring you |
Keep it to one page. A demand letter is not the place to retell the whole relationship or list every grievance: every extra paragraph dilutes the demand and gives the other side more to argue with. One page, five parts, done.
Firm, not threatening. State what you will do, not what you wish you could do. " I will file in small claims court" is a credible consequence. Threats you cannot carry out: reporting a civil debt to the police, ruining someone's reputation, involving people who have nothing to do with it: do the opposite of what you want: they make you look unserious, and in some places, threatening improper action over a consumer debt can create legal trouble for the sender.
Write every sentence as if a judge will read it aloud later, because one might. Demand letters regularly end up as exhibits. The letter that wins is the calm one: dates, amounts, a clear ask, a clear deadline. Anger is evidence of nothing except anger.
The demand letter's power comes from the deadline, and the deadline only works if you can prove when the clock started. Tracked mail gives you a signed delivery record with a date. That lets you write, and later say, truthfully: "delivered on October 2; payment was due October 30." Without delivery proof, the other side can claim the letter arrived late or never arrived, and your deadline dissolves into an argument about the mail.
Practical details: date the letter itself (envelopes get thrown away), keep an exact copy of what you sent, and save the tracking receipt with the copy. If the dispute escalates, that little file (letter, copy, delivery record) is your entire case in one folder.
If your demand is specifically a step before filing in small claims court, see our companion guide on demand letters in the small-claims context.
This is general information, not legal advice.
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