Playbook · Call · October 1, 2026
Make one hardship call and write down the answer
Who should skip this. Anyone who does not yet know which bill is the problem — use Start here first. Anyone with a summons, lockout date, or garnishment paper — this call is not a court response.
The situation pages name the path. This page is the call. It is a request, not a right, except where a notice already gives you one. FourHundred does not know your lease or your state’s shutoff rule.
The method in one paragraph
Call or write one company, before the due date if you still can. Say the month is short. Name an amount you can actually send. Ask what hardship, extension, or written arrangement exists. Write four lines before you hang up. If they say the system does not allow it, ask whether that is policy or this account, whether a supervisor can confirm it in writing, and what the next date is before a shutoff, late fee, or default.
For you if…
- You already circled one bill on the this-month sheet, the card page, or the collections page
- Housing, food, and required medicine for this week are either covered or already on a separate call
- You can say a dollar amount you will not have to borrow to send
Not for you if…
- The paper says summons, complaint, eviction, or garnishment — use I am late, or in collections and legal aid
- You were about to promise an automatic debit you do not understand
- You want the model, or this page, to pick which company to call first
Steps
- Write the amount you can send: $____. If the honest number is zero, say that. Do not invent a payment to sound cooperative.
- Call the number on your statement or lease, not a number from a text you did not expect.
- Read this, then stop: “This month is short. I can send $____ on ____. What hardship program, extension, or written arrangement do you have, and what happens if I cannot pay the rest on the due date?”
- If they say no: “Is that a policy or this account? Can a supervisor confirm it in writing? What is the next date before a shutoff, late fee, or default?”
- Write four lines: date; name or agent ID; amount you offered; what they said, in their words if you can.
- Do not agree to a one-time debit code on the first call. Ask for the arrangement in writing first.
A worked example (labeled as an example)
Rent is covered. The card minimum is $47, due in six days. You can send $47 and not the extra $80 you were going to put on the card. The call asks only whether the due date can move, and what the first bill after a change will be. That second question is Playbook: due date. The $47 figure is an example, not your statement.
What can go wrong
- Promising $200 because the agent asked for $200. The arrangement fails when the debit bounces rent.
- Calling a collector before you have read the validation notice. Use the validation method first.
- Treating “we noted your account” as a waiver. Without the four lines, you have no record.
Next action (20 minutes)
One company. Four lines on paper. Then stop. Do not call the next creditor to feel finished.
Sources
CFPB, tools when you cannot pay bills
CFPB, Prioritizing bills tool (PDF)
FourHundred is an education tool. It is not personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. This page does not tell you which bill to pay, which product to open, or whether to file.