Demand letter
How to write a demand letter — and send it so you can prove it
A demand letter tells someone, in writing, what they owe you or must do, by when, and what happens if they do not. Most disputes end here. The ones that do not end here are won or lost on whether you can prove the letter was sent, when, and what it said.
What goes in it
- Who you are and who they are. Full names, the address you are writing to, the date.
- The facts, in order. What was agreed, what happened, what went wrong. Dates and amounts. No adjectives.
- What you demand. A specific amount, a specific repair, a specific act. One thing, stated once.
- A deadline. Ten to thirty days is typical. State the calendar date, not “promptly”.
- What happens otherwise. Small claims, a lawsuit, a complaint to a regulator. Say only what you are prepared to do.
- How to pay or respond. An address, an email, a payment method.
Attach copies — never originals — of the contract, invoice, photos or messages you rely on. Keep it to two pages where you can. The reader should be able to see the whole problem and the way out in one sitting.
Sample demand letter
Sample — adapt every bracketed item
[Your name]
[Your street address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Date]
[Recipient’s legal name]
[Street address]
[City, State ZIP]
Re: Demand for payment of $[amount] — [invoice number / order / date of agreement]
Dear [Name],
On [date], [you / your company] agreed to [describe the obligation: deliver, repair, refund, pay]. In exchange, I [paid $amount / delivered / performed] on [date]. Copies of [the contract / invoice / receipt] are enclosed.
As of today, [what has not happened]. I contacted you on [dates] by [phone / email] and the matter remains unresolved.
I demand [payment of $amount / the specific act] no later than [calendar date]. Payment can be made by [method] to [address or account instructions].
If I have not received [payment / the act] by that date, I will file a claim in [small claims court / the appropriate court] for the amount owed, plus court costs and any interest the law allows, without further notice.
This letter is sent by USPS Certified Mail with return receipt. Please treat it as formal notice.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Enclosures: [list]
Why it goes by Certified Mail with return receipt
A demand letter does two jobs. It gives the other side a real chance to fix the problem, and it creates the record you will need if they do not. Email is deniable and easy to “never see”. Certified Mail with an electronic return receipt gives you a mailing date from the Postal Service, a tracking history, and the signature of whoever accepted it. Many small claims courts ask whether you demanded payment before filing; in California, for example, the claim form itself asks you to state that you did. A certified letter answers that question with a document instead of a memory.
Certified Mail proves that something was delivered. It does not prove what was inside. That is why the exact letter, unchanged, has to be kept with the mailing record — which is precisely what Piloxa does for every letter it sends.
Send this letter from the AI you already use
Draft the demand letter with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any assistant that supports custom connectors, then say:
“Prepare this letter for Certified Mail with return receipt.”
Piloxa is the connector the assistant calls. Its address is https://piloxa.com/mcp. The assistant cannot mail anything: it hands you a review link. You open it, read the exact pages that will be printed, check the recipient, see one total, and authorize with your card. Only then does the letter leave. Afterwards the document, its fingerprint, the address, every tracking event and the signature stay together as one record — and any assistant you connect can read it back to you.
Status, September 2026: Piloxa is opening in stages. Review, address checking and pricing work today; live mailing is switched on for invited accounts first. To be invited, write to support@piloxa.com.
Where to send it
To a person: their home address, or the address in your contract. To a company: its legal name at the address named for notices in your agreement, or its registered agent for service of process, which every state lists on its Secretary of State business search. Sending to a store counter or a customer-service P.O. Box is the most common reason demand letters go unanswered.
Common questions
Do I need a lawyer to write a demand letter?
No. Anyone can send one. A letter on a law firm’s letterhead is taken more seriously by some recipients, but the facts, the amount and the deadline do the work. When the amount is large or the facts are contested, have a lawyer read it before it goes out.
How many days should I give them?
Ten to thirty days from the date of the letter is common. Give enough time to actually comply — a refund takes a week, a repair may take longer — and state a calendar date so there is no argument about when the clock ran out.
Should I threaten to sue?
Say only what you are prepared to do, and say it once, without heat. A calm, specific consequence is more credible than an angry one, and the letter may be read aloud in court later.
Is a demand letter required before small claims?
Rules differ by state. California’s small claims form asks whether you asked the defendant to pay before filing, and some claims, such as those against government entities, have their own mandatory pre-suit notice rules. Check your court’s self-help pages for your state.
What if they ignore it?
The certified record shows the letter was delivered, or refused, on a specific date. That record goes into your claim as proof you gave notice and a fair chance to resolve it.