Credit Counseling and Debt Help for Washington Residents

Free Credit Counseling for Washington Residents#

Credit counseling sessions at Cambridge Credit Counseling are free of charge. Washington residents can speak with a certified counselor to review their finances and options at no cost and with no obligation. Cambridge Credit Counseling is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency, a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the Financial Counseling Association of America, and approved by HUD to provide housing counseling.

Debt Management Plans in Washington#

Cambridge Credit Counseling offers debt management plans to Washington residents who need help with unsecured debt. A plan combines unsecured debts into one monthly payment handled by Cambridge Credit Counseling. It is not a loan and does not involve borrowing new money. In Washington, fees are set within the maximum state law allows, and a counselor confirms yours before you enroll. Our counselors work with creditors to request benefits such as a reduced interest rate, a reduced monthly payment, and waived late or over-limit fees. Almost all of these benefits are preset guidelines that creditors have already established for debt management agencies, so the process is not a negotiation, and the terms are set by each creditor, not by Cambridge Credit Counseling.

Housing Counseling for Washington Homeowners#

Cambridge Credit Counseling is a HUD-approved housing counseling agency and offers this service to Washington residents, including first-time homebuyer courses. A mortgage is a long-term secured loan where the home serves as collateral, and monthly payments usually include principal, interest, taxes, and insurance, known as PITI. Homebuyers who put down less than 20 percent must carry private mortgage insurance, which can often be dropped once the loan reaches 80 percent of the home’s value. Washington homebuyers who cannot afford a 20 percent down payment can contact a HUD-approved housing counseling agency like Cambridge Credit Counseling to see if they qualify for programs that help with homeownership.

Bankruptcy Counseling and Debtor Education for Washington Residents#

Cambridge Credit Counseling is approved by the Department of Justice to provide pre-filing bankruptcy counseling and post-filing debtor education for Washington residents. Bankruptcy counseling and debtor education each cost $50.00 per household per session and are available free or at a reduced rate based on ability to pay. The fee is per household, not per person, so a married couple filing together pays once. Households with income below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines for their household size are presumed eligible for a fee waiver. Households above that line may still qualify for a reduced fee if they can show a temporary financial hardship, such as a recent job loss or drop in income, unexpected medical costs, disability, separation or divorce, the death of a household wage earner, or another documented financial circumstance that significantly impacts the household’s ability to pay. Waivers and reductions are assessed on the household’s current income, expenses and overall financial condition, and Cambridge Credit Counseling will not refuse services to anyone due to inability to pay.

Approval by the U.S. Department of Justice Executive Office of United States Trustees does not endorse or assure the quality of our services.

Student Loan Counseling for Washington Residents#

Washington residents can also get student loan counseling through Cambridge Credit Counseling to better understand their repayment options. There is no charge to inquire about this service.

Reverse Mortgage (HECM) Counseling for Washington Residents#

Washington homeowners considering a reverse mortgage can receive HECM counseling through Cambridge Credit Counseling before making a decision.

What Cambridge Credit Counseling Does Not Provide in Washington#

Cambridge Credit Counseling does not offer debt settlement, which is a separate service typically offered by for-profit companies. Debt settlement programs generally do not work with a consumer’s creditors in an agreeable way. Instead, they typically disconnect the relationship between the consumer and the creditor, often through a cease-and-desist letter that stops the creditor from communicating with the borrower, except where the creditor sues over non-payment. On a debt settlement program, the consumer pays money into a special account until enough has accumulated to offer a settlement on an enrolled account. While that money accumulates, no payments are made on the accounts, so they fall past due and age toward charge-off, and late fees, possible over-limit fees, and penalty interest rates increase the balances. This non-payment period has a deep negative impact on a consumer’s credit score and on their future cost of borrowing.

There is no legal right to settle a debt in the United States, and a creditor is not obliged to accept a settlement offer. By the time a settlement is reached, many balances have grown to the point where the settlement company’s fees, which are generally 15 to 30 percent of the savings or the settled amount, plus the settled amount, can come close to the original debt owed at enrollment. If a settlement results in savings of $600 or more, the forgiven amount is usually taxable as income unless the consumer is insolvent, and the creditor sends a Form 1099-C to both the consumer and the IRS.

How a debt management plan differs

A debt management plan through Cambridge Credit Counseling works differently. Our counselors work with creditors to obtain the benefits those creditors are willing to extend, an approach that is not adversarial. A plan consolidates the accounts a consumer agrees to enroll into one structured monthly payment, and proposals are sent to each creditor to request benefits such as a reduced interest rate, a reduced monthly payment, waived late and over-limit fees, and the ability to bring a past-due account back to current after three months of on-time payments. Creditors on a plan generally stop collection calls once payments begin. Under a plan, balances are paid in full, with the concessions creditors have put in place, so accounts return to current status rather than falling further behind. A plan has an initial impact on a credit score, generally because enrolled accounts are closed, but the long-term impact is generally positive because the consumer is not defaulting and is paying the debt in full. As long as payments are made on time, credit scoring models treat that as positive.

In Washington, fees are set within the maximum state law allows, and a counselor confirms yours before you enroll. A nonprofit agency’s fees are generally lower than a for-profit settlement company’s fees, both up front and over the life of the debt. On the balances and rates our clients actually brought us, the same debts would have cost $44,676 in interest and taken 272 months to pay off. On a plan, those clients are projected to pay $4,936 in interest and our fees.

About Cambridge Credit Counseling#

Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1996 and headquartered in Agawam, Massachusetts. Washington residents can reach Cambridge Credit Counseling for new counseling inquiries at 800-235-1407.

Common questions

Is credit counseling free for Washington residents?

Yes. Credit counseling sessions at Cambridge Credit Counseling are free of charge for anyone who reaches out, including Washington residents, with no obligation to enroll in anything afterward.

Does Cambridge Credit Counseling offer debt settlement to Washington residents?

No. Cambridge Credit Counseling does not provide debt settlement. Debt settlement typically involves stopping payments to creditors while money is set aside in a special account, which can cause accounts to fall past due, accrue late fees and penalty interest, and take a deep negative toll on the consumer's credit score. There is no legal right to settle a debt, so a creditor does not have to accept an offer, and forgiven debt is usually taxable unless the consumer is insolvent. Cambridge Credit Counseling's debt management plans work with creditors to pay balances in full, generally stop collection calls once payments begin, and bring past-due accounts back to current. In Washington, plan fees are set within the maximum state law allows and confirmed before you enroll.

Can Washington residents get help with a reverse mortgage?

Yes. Cambridge Credit Counseling offers reverse mortgage, or HECM, counseling to Washington residents who are considering this option.

How do Washington residents contact Cambridge Credit Counseling?

Washington residents can call 800-235-1407 to speak with Cambridge Credit Counseling about counseling services.

Where this information comes from

• John Henle, Cambridge Credit Counseling, email of 24 September 2026; 28 CFR 58.21(b)(1) and 58.34(b)(1) Checked 2026-09-24.
• Mortgage Downpayments| Cambridge Credit cambridge-credit.org Checked 2026-08-04.
• cambridge-credit.org credit counseling page cambridge-credit.org Checked 2026-08-03.
• Gary Washington, Director of Bankruptcy Counseling, Cambridge Credit Counseling, by email 2 September 2026. Checked 2026-09-02.
• Cambridge Credit Counseling cambridge-credit.org Checked 2026-08-04.
• cambridge-credit.org about page cambridge-credit.org Checked 2026-08-03.
• NFCC Member Agencies register nfcc.org Checked 2026-08-28.
• cambridge-credit.org housing counseling page cambridge-credit.org Checked 2026-08-03.
• cambridge-credit.org bankruptcy page cambridge-credit.org Checked 2026-08-03.
• cambridge-credit.org contact page cambridge-credit.org Checked 2026-08-03.
• Mortgage Basics | Cambridge Credit cambridge-credit.org Checked 2026-08-04.
• industry definition, NFCC nfcc.org Checked 2026-08-28.
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, What is the difference between credit counseling and debt settlement, debt consolidation, or credit repair? consumerfinance.gov Checked 2026-09-18.
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, What is credit counseling? consumerfinance.gov Checked 2026-09-18.
• Federal Trade Commission, How To Get Out of Debt consumer.ftc.gov Checked 2026-09-18.
• How To Get Out of Debt, Federal Trade Commission consumer.ftc.gov Checked 2026-08-28.
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, What is a debt relief program and how do I know if I should use one? consumerfinance.gov Checked 2026-09-18.
• CFPB consumer guidance consumerfinance.gov Checked 2026-08-28.