A Tennessee collection agency with five to nine certified employees must file a $20,000 surety bond to hold a Collection Service license — ours is $200 flat, and the price you see is the checkout price. The application collects no credit information, so most applicants approve instantly.
















A collection service license bond is one of the simpler filings in surety. Here's the entire process:
Agency details, your compliance officer, and an effective date. That's the application — no financials, no credit section.
License bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase. At most, 1–2 business days.
Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your Tennessee Collection Service license application or renewal through the CORE account system. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
Tennessee licenses collection agencies through the Collection Service Board, part of the Department of Commerce and Insurance, under the Tennessee Collection Service Act. Licensure is conditioned on a surety bond sized to the agency's certified employee count — $15,000 for one to four employees, $20,000 for five to nine, the tier this bond covers, and $25,000 for ten or more.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the State of Tennessee (the obligee), with consumers and clients the agency serves as the protected parties. If a licensed agency breaches the Act or a client agreement in a way the law covers, a harmed party can make a claim against the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The bond must stay active for the life of your Collection Service license, so we track it and notify you before your renewal date so the $20,000 filing stays continuous.
These are the actual issuing fields — no credit section, because this application doesn't collect credit information.
Start the application →$200 flat, soft pull only, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.