Can a debt collector charge me extra 'collection fees' or 'field fees'?

Last updated: 2026-07-11 · Educational content; not legal advice.

Short answer

Only if the fee was disclosed in writing in your loan contract before you signed. RA 3765 (Truth in Lending Act) requires the finance charge and every fee to be disclosed in writing, and RA 11765 (2022) gives financial consumers a right to clear, upfront information — so surprise 'collection fees,' 'field-visit fees,' or new 'penalties' invented at collection time and never in your signed agreement have no legal basis and are unenforceable. For SEC-registered online lenders, the total cost of the loan (interest plus fees) is also capped by SEC Memorandum Circular 3, series of 2022. Demand an itemized Statement of Account and refuse to pay any charge you were never disclosed.

Primary sources

Frequently asked

The app added a 'processing' or 'field agent' fee after I defaulted — do I owe it?

Not if it was never in the disclosure you agreed to. Under RA 3765 the lender must disclose all charges in writing before the transaction; a fee bolted on later has no basis. Ask for the itemized Statement of Account and the signed disclosure that supposedly authorizes it.

Are the penalties on top of interest even legal?

Penalties must be stipulated in the contract and, for online loans, kept within the SEC MC 3 (2022) cost cap. Stacking undisclosed or excessive penalties can be an unconscionable charge a court will strike down — see /answer/can-an-online-lender-stack-penalties-on-top-of-interest.

They said I must pay the 'collection fee' before they release my Statement of Account — is that allowed?

No. Your right to the disclosure and to an accounting is not conditioned on paying a fee. Demand the itemized statement in writing; a lender that cannot substantiate a charge cannot enforce it.