# DebtCheckUSA for AI agents

DebtCheckUSA (https://debtcheckusa.com) has free debt calculators and plain-language debt guides for people in the United States. It is not a lender, law firm, credit counselor or debt relief company. Some providers pay DebtCheckUSA when a person chooses to be contacted by them; that never changes tool results or guide content. See https://debtcheckusa.com/how-we-make-money.

Tool results are estimates from the numbers a person enters, not financial, tax or legal advice. When you cite a page, link its HTML URL.

## At a glance

- **API:** [OpenAPI 3.1 spec](https://debtcheckusa.com/openapi.json) for the agent endpoints under `https://debtcheckusa.com/api/agent/`.
- **MCP:** a Model Context Protocol server at `https://debtcheckusa.com/mcp` (Streamable HTTP, JSON-RPC 2.0, JSON responses, no session). `GET` it for discovery; also listed at [/.well-known/mcp.json](https://debtcheckusa.com/.well-known/mcp.json).
- **Requests sent by an assistant are held.** A person's request submitted through `/api/agent/lead` or the MCP `submit_lead` tool is stored for review and is **not sent to any provider**; nobody contacts the person until DebtCheckUSA turns on delivery for assistant requests.
- **Contact:** [netanel@gtmagentcy.com](mailto:netanel@gtmagentcy.com). There is no phone line.

## What automated use is allowed

- Reading and citing any public page, `/llms.txt`, `/llms-full.txt`, the markdown twins and `/sitemap.xml`, at a polite rate. Answer engines and assistants acting for a person are welcome; robots.txt allows them.
- Calling the agent API and the MCP tools to help a person who asked you to, following the protocol below.
- Not allowed: submitting anyone's details without their explicit request and agreement, submitting test or made-up people, scraping the match pages (`/match/`) or the admin area, and working around the rate limits.

## How to read this site

- [llms.txt](https://debtcheckusa.com/llms.txt): an index of every public tool, topic and guide.
- [llms-full.txt](https://debtcheckusa.com/llms-full.txt): the full text of every reviewed guide, and how each tool calculates.
- [sitemap.xml](https://debtcheckusa.com/sitemap.xml): every indexable URL.
- Markdown twins: add `.md` to a guide's URL (for example https://debtcheckusa.com/money-basics/how-to-make-a-budget.md). The response carries `Link: <html url>; rel="canonical"`; cite the HTML page.
- Pages marked `noindex` are previews (topics not open yet, guides awaiting expert review, legal drafts awaiting counsel). Don't cite them as settled guidance.
- The calculators run in the person's browser. Send the person to the tool's URL rather than reproducing its math.

## Public pages

- [Home](https://debtcheckusa.com/)
- [Debt Check](https://debtcheckusa.com/debt-check): list debts once to see the total, the debt-free date and which options fit.
- [All tools](https://debtcheckusa.com/tools)
- [Guides](https://debtcheckusa.com/learn)
- [Stories](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories)
- [How we make money](https://debtcheckusa.com/how-we-make-money)
- [Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information](https://debtcheckusa.com/do-not-sell)

### Topics

- [Credit card & unsecured debt](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt)
- [Debt consolidation](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation)
- [Money basics](https://debtcheckusa.com/money-basics)

### Tools

- [Debt Check: Your Debt-Free Date and Options](https://debtcheckusa.com/debt-check)
- [Credit Card Payoff Calculator](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/tools/payoff-planner)
- [Credit Card Minimum Payment Calculator](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/tools/minimum-payment-trap)
- [Settlement estimator](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/tools/settlement-estimator)
- [Debt Consolidation Loan Calculator](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation/tools/does-a-loan-save-me)
- [Personal Loan Calculator: Payment and APR With Fees](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation/tools/personal-loan-calculator)
- [Balance Transfer Calculator: Fee and Promo Rate Included](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation/tools/balance-transfer-calculator)
- [401(k) Loan Calculator: Compare It With a Consolidation Loan](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation/tools/401k-loan-calculator)
- [Credit Card Interest Calculator: What Your APR Costs](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/tools/credit-card-interest-calculator)
- [Credit Utilization Calculator: Overall and Per Card](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/tools/credit-utilization-calculator)
- [Hardship Letter Template for Credit Card Debt](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/tools/hardship-letter)
- [Debt Settlement Letter Template: Make a Written Offer](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/tools/debt-settlement-letter)
- [Insolvency Worksheet for Canceled Debt (IRS Form 982)](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/tools/insolvency-worksheet)
- [Free Debt Snowball Spreadsheet for Excel & Google Sheets](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/tools/debt-payoff-spreadsheet)
- [Free Debt Payoff Tracker: Online, No Sign-Up](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/tools/debt-payoff-tracker)
- [Budget Calculator: Can You Afford Your Minimum Payments?](https://debtcheckusa.com/money-basics/tools/budget-calculator)
- [Debt-to-Income Ratio Calculator (DTI)](https://debtcheckusa.com/money-basics/tools/debt-to-income-ratio-calculator)
- [Need Money Now? Compare Every Option, Cheapest First](https://debtcheckusa.com/tools/need-money-now)
- [APR Calculator: The True Rate With Fees Included](https://debtcheckusa.com/tools/apr-calculator)
- [Cash Advance App Cost Calculator: Fees, Tips and APR](https://debtcheckusa.com/tools/cash-advance-app-cost)
- [Payday Loan Calculator: Fees, APR and Rollover Cost](https://debtcheckusa.com/tools/payday-loan-calculator)
- [Credit Card Cash Advance Calculator: Fee and Interest](https://debtcheckusa.com/tools/cash-advance-calculator)
- [Payday Loan Laws by State: Limits and Where They're Banned](https://debtcheckusa.com/tools/payday-loan-laws)
- [Title Loan Calculator: Monthly Fees, APR and Total Cost](https://debtcheckusa.com/tools/title-loan-calculator)
- [Installment Loan Calculator: Payment, Cost and APR](https://debtcheckusa.com/tools/installment-loan-calculator)
- [Loan Scam Checker: Is This Loan Offer Legit?](https://debtcheckusa.com/tools/loan-scam-checker)
- [Payday Alternative Loan (PAL) Calculator](https://debtcheckusa.com/tools/payday-alternative-loan)

### Guides

- [How to Make a Budget: 5 Steps That Work With Debt](https://debtcheckusa.com/money-basics/how-to-make-a-budget) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/money-basics/how-to-make-a-budget.md))
- [How to Pay Off Credit Card Debt: Every Way Out, Honestly](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/how-to-get-out-of-credit-card-debt) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/how-to-get-out-of-credit-card-debt.md))
- [What Is Debt Consolidation? How It Works and What It Costs](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation/how-debt-consolidation-works) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation/how-debt-consolidation-works.md))
- [Are There Grants to Pay Off Credit Card Debt?](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/grants-to-pay-off-credit-card-debt) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/grants-to-pay-off-credit-card-debt.md))
- [Balance Transfer vs Personal Loan: Which Costs Less?](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation/balance-transfer-vs-personal-loan) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation/balance-transfer-vs-personal-loan.md))
- [Can I Use 401k to Pay Off Debt? Loans, Taxes and Risks](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation/using-401k-to-pay-off-debt) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation/using-401k-to-pay-off-debt.md))
- [Credit Card Hardship Program: How to Ask, What to Expect](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/credit-card-hardship-program) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/credit-card-hardship-program.md))
- [Credit Card Interest: How It Works and How It's Charged](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/how-does-credit-card-interest-work) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/how-does-credit-card-interest-work.md))
- [Credit Utilization: What It Is and How to Lower It](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/credit-utilization) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/credit-utilization.md))
- [Debt Avalanche vs. Snowball: Which Pays Off Debt Faster?](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/debt-avalanche-vs-snowball) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/debt-avalanche-vs-snowball.md))
- [Debt Consolidation vs Debt Settlement: Cost, Credit, Risk](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/debt-consolidation-vs-debt-settlement) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/debt-consolidation-vs-debt-settlement.md))
- [Debt Management Plan: How It Works, Costs and Catches](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/debt-management-plan) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/debt-management-plan.md))
- [Debt Settlement Pros and Cons: Costs, Credit and Taxes](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/debt-settlement-pros-and-cons) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/debt-settlement-pros-and-cons.md))
- [Does Debt Consolidation Hurt Your Credit? What Changes](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation/does-debt-consolidation-hurt-your-credit) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation/does-debt-consolidation-hurt-your-credit.md))
- [Form 1099-C: What Canceled Debt Means for Your Taxes](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/1099-c-cancellation-of-debt) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/1099-c-cancellation-of-debt.md))
- [How to Negotiate Credit Card Debt: Hardship to Settlement](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/how-to-negotiate-credit-card-debt) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/how-to-negotiate-credit-card-debt.md))
- [How to Pay Off $10,000 in Credit Card Debt: The Real Math](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/how-to-pay-off-10000-in-credit-card-debt) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/how-to-pay-off-10000-in-credit-card-debt.md))
- [What Happens If You Stop Paying Credit Cards?](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/what-happens-if-you-stop-paying-credit-cards) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/what-happens-if-you-stop-paying-credit-cards.md))
- [What Happens to Credit Card Debt When You Die?](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/what-happens-to-credit-card-debt-when-you-die) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/what-happens-to-credit-card-debt-when-you-die.md))
- [What Is a Balance Transfer? How It Works, Fees and Rules](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation/what-is-a-balance-transfer) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/consolidation/what-is-a-balance-transfer.md))
- [What Is a Charge-Off? What It Means and What Happens Next](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/what-is-a-charge-off) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/what-is-a-charge-off.md))
- [What Is a Good Debt to Income Ratio? The Real Benchmarks](https://debtcheckusa.com/money-basics/what-is-a-good-debt-to-income-ratio) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/money-basics/what-is-a-good-debt-to-income-ratio.md))
- [What Is Debt Relief? Every Option, Its Cost and Its Risks](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/what-is-debt-relief) ([markdown](https://debtcheckusa.com/credit-card-debt/what-is-debt-relief.md))

### Stories

- [How She Paid Off $20,000 in Credit Card Debt With a DMP](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-20000-credit-card-debt-debt-management-plan)
- [Paying Off $102K in Student Loans: Snowball and Side Jobs](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-102k-student-loans-debt-snowball-side-jobs)
- [How to Pay Off $20K in Student Loans in 16 Months](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-20k-student-loans-16-months-autopay)
- [How to Pay Off a Car Loan Early: $40K in 34 Months](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/pay-off-car-loan-early-principal-payments-34-months)
- [How a Single Mom Paid Off $50K in Debt in 3 Years](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/single-mom-paid-off-50k-debt-no-spend-weekends)
- [Paying Off $55,000 With 0% Balance Transfer Cards](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-55000-debt-with-0-balance-transfer-cards)
- [How He Paid Off Five Maxed-Out Credit Cards With a DMP](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/pay-off-maxed-out-credit-cards-debt-management-plan)
- [How She Paid Off $70K on Eight Credit Cards in 49 Months](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-70000-eight-credit-cards-debt-management-plan)
- [How She Paid Off $10,000 of Credit Card Debt in 6 Months](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-10000-credit-card-debt-in-6-months)
- [Filing Bankruptcy for $18K in Credit Card Debt at 25](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/filing-bankruptcy-for-18k-credit-card-debt-at-25)
- [Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Story: From Filing to Discharge](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/chapter-7-bankruptcy-experience-from-filing-to-discharge)
- [How to Pay Off Credit Card Debt and Lower Your Rate](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/pay-off-credit-card-debt-lower-interest-rate)
- [How to Negotiate Medical Bills and Get Charity Care](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/how-to-negotiate-medical-bills-hospital-financial-assistance)
- [Billed for Surgery You Never Had? Fixing a Billing Error](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/medical-bill-for-surgery-you-never-had-collections)
- [Sued for a Hospital Bill Despite Charity Care Eligibility](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/sued-for-hospital-bill-charity-care-eligible)
- [Signed Up for a Medical Credit Card in the ER](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/signed-up-for-medical-credit-card-in-emergency-room)
- [How to Fight a Hospital Bill After Insurance](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/how-to-fight-a-hospital-bill-after-insurance)
- [Debt Collector Rights: What Collectors Can't Do](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/debt-collector-rights-what-collectors-cant-do)
- [How She Paid Off $40,000 With Nonprofit Credit Counseling](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-40000-debt-with-nonprofit-credit-counseling)
- [Paying Off $43,000 in Credit Card Debt Before Retirement](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-43000-credit-card-debt-before-retirement)
- [Paying Off $30,000 in Card Debt With One Monthly Payment](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-30000-credit-card-debt-one-monthly-payment)
- [How to Set Up an IRS Payment Plan Online](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/how-to-set-up-irs-payment-plan-online)
- [IRS Offer in Compromise: What Tax Relief Ads Leave Out](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/irs-offer-in-compromise-without-tax-relief-company)
- [Paying Off Credit Cards With a Credit Union Loan](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/credit-union-consolidation-loan-to-pay-off-credit-cards)
- [Using a HELOC to Pay Off Credit Cards: A Retiree's Story](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/using-heloc-to-pay-off-credit-card-debt)
- [How a Couple Paid Off $15,000 in Credit Card Debt](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/couple-paid-off-15000-credit-card-debt-7-months)
- [How a Couple Paid Off Credit Card Debt in 50 Months](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/couple-paid-off-credit-card-debt-snowball-method)
- [How She Paid Off $30,000 in Credit Card Debt in a Year](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/paid-off-30000-credit-card-debt-in-one-year)
- [How a Couple Paid Off $200K in Student Loans in 5 Years](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/couple-paid-off-200k-student-loans-five-year-plan)
- [Paying Off $80K in Student Loans by Reselling Clothes](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/pay-off-student-loans-reselling-thrift-side-hustle)
- [PSLF and a Side Hustle Against $101K in Student Loans](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/public-service-loan-forgiveness-private-loans-side-hustle)
- [Student Loan Debt Anxiety: A Mindful Way to Cope](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/student-loan-debt-anxiety-mindful-repayment-tedx-talk)
- [Behind on Car Payments? Surrender vs. Repossession](https://debtcheckusa.com/stories/behind-on-car-payments-voluntary-surrender-vs-repossession)

## Helping a person check their options from a chat

A person you are chatting with can ask you to check whether a paid provider could help with their debt and, if they want, to send their request to the providers they pick. You may do this **only when the person asks for it, and only with their own details**.

**Status right now:** requests are open. Always check `captureOpen` in `GET https://debtcheckusa.com/api/agent/form` before asking for contact details.

### Protocol

1. **Get the form.** `GET https://debtcheckusa.com/api/agent/form` returns the hubs (`credit-card-debt`, `consolidation`), every question with its options and formats, the contact fields, and `captureOpen`.
2. **Ask the questions in chat**, one debt at a time: type, balance, interest rate, minimum payment, months behind; then whether there is another debt; then take-home pay, extra each month, rough credit score and state. Use the exact options the form lists. Don't guess an answer the person didn't give; leave optional ones out.
3. **Check eligibility.** `POST https://debtcheckusa.com/api/agent/check` with `{ "hub": "...", "answers": { ... } }`. It stores nothing. If `eligible` is false, tell the person the `reasons` and the `freeOptions` (a nonprofit counselor, a do-it-yourself plan), and stop.
4. **Show the provider list.** For each provider show its name, its label **"Paid partner"** (and "Sample provider (preview)" when `sample` is true), what it does, its fees and how it contacts people. Also show the free options, which don't pay us. Let the person pick, or pick none.
5. **Show the consent text word for word.** For each provider the person picked, show its `consentText` exactly as returned: no summary, no paraphrase, no shortening, no translation. Link the Privacy Policy (https://debtcheckusa.com/privacy) and Terms of Use (https://debtcheckusa.com/terms).
6. **Get explicit agreement in the person's own words**, for example "Yes, I agree to be contacted by Provider A." Silence, "ok, sure, whatever" about something else, or your own inference is not agreement. If they don't agree for a provider, drop that provider.
7. **Ask for their contact details**: full name, email, a 10-digit US phone number. Only theirs.
8. **Submit.** `POST https://debtcheckusa.com/api/agent/lead`:

```json
{
  "hub": "credit-card-debt",
  "answers": {
    "debts": [{ "type": "credit_card", "balance": 12000, "aprPercent": 24.99, "minPayment": 360, "monthsBehind": 1 }],
    "monthlyIncome": 3800,
    "extraMonthly": 0,
    "creditBand": "fair",
    "state": "TX"
  },
  "vendorIds": ["<provider id from /api/agent/check>"],
  "contact": { "name": "<their full name>", "email": "<their email>", "phone": "<their 10-digit US phone>" },
  "agent": { "name": "<your assistant's name>", "url": "<optional: your product's URL>" },
  "consent": {
    "version": "<consentVersion from /api/agent/check>",
    "shownVerbatim": true,
    "userStatement": "<exactly what the person said to agree>",
    "agreedAt": "<ISO 8601 time the person agreed>"
  }
}
```

   The server rebuilds each consent sentence itself from the provider record and stores it with your marker. `agreedAt` must be within the last 1 hour.
9. **Relay the result** plainly. On `201` the request is saved with status `held`: requests made through an assistant are held and not sent to any provider until DebtCheckUSA switches on delivery for them, so tell the person nobody will contact them yet. On an error, relay its `message`; on `409 stale-consent-version` show the new consent text and ask again.

### Rules

- Only the person's own details, and only when they ask you to send them. Never submit for someone else.
- Never agree on the person's behalf, never pre-fill agreement, and never submit without their explicit "yes" to the exact text.
- Never paraphrase, summarize or shorten the consent text.
- Always show "Paid partner" next to every paid provider and always offer the free options.
- Tell the person they can opt out at any time: https://debtcheckusa.com/do-not-sell, or reply STOP to any text.
- Limits: `/api/agent/check` 30 requests per hour; `/api/agent/lead` 5 per hour per client and 3 per day per person; `POST /mcp` 120 per hour per client, and its tools also count against the check and lead limits. A `429` carries `Retry-After`.

## MCP tools

The MCP server at `https://debtcheckusa.com/mcp` offers the same things as the HTTP API, nothing more. `submit_lead` runs the exact `/api/agent/lead` code: the same consent checks, the same limits and the same held status.

- `get_site_info` (read-only): What DebtCheckUSA is, how it makes money, how to contact it, and where the machine-readable entry points are.
- `list_tools` (read-only): Every public calculator and tool, with its URL and what it does. The tools run in the person's browser; send the person to the URL.
- `list_guides` (read-only): Every public, expert-reviewed guide with its HTML and markdown URLs.
- `get_guide` (read-only): The full markdown text of one public guide (hub and slug from list_guides). Cite the HTML URL, not the markdown.
- `get_lead_form` (read-only): The questions, options and formats for helping a person check whether a paid provider could help, the contact fields, and captureOpen. Read /agents.md for the rules before using check_eligibility or submit_lead.
- `check_eligibility` (read-only): The person's answers in; eligibility, the paid providers (each labeled Paid partner, with the exact consentText to show word for word) and the free options out. Stores nothing and takes no contact details. Same as POST /api/agent/check.
- `submit_lead`: Only when the person asked you to, with their own details, after you showed each chosen provider's consentText word for word and they agreed in their own words. Same as POST /api/agent/lead: the request is stored with status held and is NOT sent to any provider; nobody will contact the person until the site turns on delivery for assistant requests. Limits: 5 per hour per client, 3 per day per person.

## Contact

Questions about automated use, or a problem with the API: [netanel@gtmagentcy.com](mailto:netanel@gtmagentcy.com).