Owe less. Keep more of what you earn.

Plain-English guides and free calculators for business loans, IRS tax relief, and medical debt — researched from primary sources, with the real numbers other sites leave out. No signup, no email gate, no sales pitch: the rules, the deadlines, the forms and the math, in one library.

379
In-depth guides
21
Free calculators
3
Debt problems covered
$0
No signup, ever

Start with your problem

Every guide is built from the source documents — IRS notices and forms, the FDCPA and CFPB rules, SBA program terms — not from other blogs.

🏢 Business Loans

Equipment financing, SBA loans and calculators that show the true cost before you apply — rates, fees, factor rates and the terms lenders quote in the fine print.

🧾 Tax Relief

IRS wage garnishment, Offers in Compromise and levy releases — the rules, the deadlines and the exact forms, explained the way the notice on your desk actually works.

🏥 Medical Debt

Dispute bills, validate collections, and know your rights — with the letter templates, timelines and state rules that decide what you actually owe.

How LessOwe works

Debt problems are won in three moves — and every page in this library is built for one of them.

1 — Understand the rules

Before you pay anyone anything, know what the IRS, a collector or a lender can and cannot do. Our guides quote the actual thresholds, deadlines and form numbers — starting with your garnishment options and your FDCPA rights.

2 — Run the real numbers

Guessing is how people overpay. The 21 free calculators use the same formulas the other side uses — the IRS's own Offer in Compromise math, true APR on business loans, factor-rate conversion on MCAs — so you see the number they'll see.

3 — Act before the deadline

Most debt outcomes are decided by a date: 30 days to validate a collection, 30 days to appeal a levy, a court date on a summons. Every action guide ends with the deadline that applies and the template or form to file — like the validation letter.

The numbers that decide outcomes

Four figures that come up again and again in our guides — get these right and half the battle is over.
30 days

Your window to dispute a collection in writing under the FDCPA — the collector must pause until it validates the debt. Use the template

$205

The IRS application fee for an Offer in Compromise (Form 656) — low-income taxpayers can qualify to have it waived. Estimate your offer

10%

The standard borrower down payment on an SBA 504 loan — 15–20% for single-purpose assets and startups. 504 vs 7(a) compared

365 days

An unpaid medical collection cannot appear on your credit report until a year after it is placed for collection. Your reporting rights

Free calculators

All 21 — real math, live results, no signup and no email gate.

See all 21 calculators → including equipment leasing, heavy & used equipment, machinery, construction equipment, microloans, working capital and full amortization schedules.

Most-read guides

The pages readers start with, across all three pillars

Kept current

Rate pages are re-verified on a schedule — not published and forgotten

How we research — and why you can check our work

LessOwe is written from primary sources: IRS.gov publications, notices and forms; the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the FDCPA itself; SBA program rules; CMS and state law for medical billing. When a figure can change — SBA rates, IRS fees, state protections — the page says when it was last verified, and rate pages are re-checked monthly or quarterly. We never invent numbers, testimonials or outcomes: if a claim is on this site, the source document exists and the guide links the reasoning. Read our editorial policy, meet the author Waleed Akram, or learn more about LessOwe.

Questions everyone asks first

Short answers — each one opens into a full guide
Can a wage garnishment be stopped once it's already started?

Yes. A levy already in place can be released — by paying in full, entering an installment agreement, showing economic hardship (Currently Not Collectible status), submitting an Offer in Compromise, or appealing within the deadline on your levy notice. Which route works depends on your income, assets and filing history, and each has its own timeline.

What should a medical debt validation letter include?

Your name and the account reference, a clear statement that you dispute the debt, and a request for itemised proof — the original bill, the dates of service and evidence the collector owns the debt. Send it within 30 days of the first collection notice, by certified mail with return receipt, and keep copies of everything.

Does the collector have to stop collecting until it validates?

Yes — if you dispute the debt in writing within 30 days of the collector's first notice, the FDCPA requires collection activity to pause until the collector mails you verification of the debt. If they never validate, they cannot legally continue collecting on it.

What's the difference between an SBA 504 and a 7(a) loan?

The 504 is a fixed-rate loan for fixed assets — commercial real estate and heavy equipment — made through a Certified Development Company, usually with 10% down and no working capital allowed. The 7(a) is the SBA's general-purpose loan: it can fund working capital, business acquisitions and refinancing, typically at variable rates, with loan amounts up to $5 million.

How much down payment does an SBA 504 loan require?

Most borrowers put down 10%. It rises to 15% when the asset is single-purpose (like a car wash or gas station), and to 20% when the business is a startup and the asset is single-purpose. The rest is split between a bank loan (50%) and the SBA-backed CDC portion (up to 40%).

Still deciding where to start? Contact us or browse the calculators — the fastest way to turn a worry into a number.

How we work: every guide is researched against IRS, CFPB, CMS and SBA primary sources, written by Waleed Akram, and date-stamped at review. General information only — not tax, legal, or financial advice. See our editorial policy.