Credit Repair Business Requirements in New Hampshire (2026): RSA 359-D & 5-Day Rule

Last Updated: August 16, 2026

New Hampshire regulates credit repair under RSA chapter 359-D, the Credit Services Organizations Act. The chapter imposes no state license or registration, but it requires a surety bond or trust account if you take money before finishing the work, a written information statement, and a five-day cancellation right — with federal CROA on top.

Do I need a license to start a credit repair business in New Hampshire?

New Hampshire does not issue a credit repair license and RSA chapter 359-D contains no registration or licensing section. The chapter runs from RSA 359-D:1 (short title) through RSA 359-D:11 (damages) and regulates conduct — prohibited practices, a required information statement, contract contents, and security — rather than gatekeeping entry with a permit. Federal CROA applies on top in every case.

“No license” is not “no rules.” RSA 359-D:3 lists prohibited practices, RSA 359-D:4 and RSA 359-D:5 require a written information statement before the contract is signed, and RSA 359-D:10 and RSA 359-D:11 attach penalties and damages. You still need your ordinary New Hampshire business formation and any local registrations.

Does New Hampshire require a surety bond for credit repair?

Conditionally. Under RSA 359-D:8, a credit services organization that receives money before its services are fully completed must obtain a surety bond — or establish a trust account at a federally insured New Hampshire bank or savings and loan. The bond equals 5 percent of the total fees charged buyers during the previous 12 months, never less than $5,000 and never more than $25,000, recalculated once a year.

A copy of the bond is filed with the office of the New Hampshire Secretary of State; if you use a trust account instead, you file notice of the depository, trustee, and account number. Note the interaction with federal law: CROA already bans collecting any fee before services are fully performed, so a business that bills only after the work is done may never trigger RSA 359-D:8 at all. Confirm that reading with New Hampshire counsel before relying on it, and verify the current amount and filing procedure with the Secretary of State.

What law governs credit repair in New Hampshire?

The New Hampshire Credit Services Organizations Act (RSA ch. 359-D) governs anyone who, for compensation, offers to improve a buyer’s credit record, history, or rating, or to obtain an extension of credit. It sets prohibited practices, a mandatory pre-contract information statement, required contract contents, a five-day cancellation right, and the bond-or-trust-account security rule — all on top of the federal CROA.

Read the statute itself before you launch — credit services acts are short, and the contract and cancellation sections translate directly into your paperwork. Where this page and the statute ever disagree, the statute in force wins.

What must a New Hampshire credit repair contract include?

Start with the CROA baseline that applies everywhere: the services to be performed, the timeframe, the total cost, your business name and address, and a conspicuous three-business-day cancellation notice — plus the separate written consumer-rights disclosure delivered before signing.

New Hampshire adds its own layer: RSA 359-D:6 governs contract contents and gives the buyer the right to cancel within five days from the date the contract is signed — a longer window than CROA’s three business days, so New Hampshire paperwork must use five days. RSA 359-D:4 also requires a separate written information statement delivered before the contract is signed, in addition to CROA’s consumer-rights disclosure.

A contract missing a required element is void under CROA — which means unrecoverable fees and liability exposure. Our guide to credit repair contracts under CROA walks through each required clause; read it alongside the state law cited above.

Do federal CROA and TSR rules still apply in New Hampshire?

Yes — always. The federal Credit Repair Organizations Act applies in all 50 states: written contract with required contents, a three-business-day cancellation right, no fees before services are performed, no guaranteed outcomes, and a mandatory consumer-rights disclosure. The Telemarketing Sales Rule adds an advance-fee ban when you sell credit repair by phone.

State statutes layer on top of this federal floor; they never replace it. When a state rule and a federal rule differ, follow the stricter one. The full federal picture is covered in credit repair laws every business owner must know and our practical CROA compliance guide.

What is the safest launch checklist for New Hampshire?

Read the governing law and CROA, register your entity, complete any state licensing or bond filing, adopt contracts satisfying both state and federal requirements, set a fees-after-performance billing model, and only then market to New Hampshire consumers. Sequence matters: compliance and contracts come before your first client, not after.

Read RSA ch. 359-D and the federal CROA together.
Register your entity and get an EIN — the full sequence is in our hub on how to start a credit repair business.
file the RSA 359-D:8 bond or trust-account notice with the New Hampshire Secretary of State (if you will ever hold funds before completion).
Adopt CROA-plus-state compliant contracts and disclosures.
Set up billing that charges only after work is performed — see how to charge credit repair fees legally.
Run disputes, tracking, and billing on one system so compliance is enforced by workflow, not memory — that is what a purpose-built credit repair CRM is for.

What if my clients live outside New Hampshire?

State consumer statutes protect that state’s residents — so the rules that matter are set by where your client lives, not where your desk sits. A New Hampshire-based business serving a client in another state should expect that state’s licensing, bond, and contract rules to apply to the engagement.

Multi-state businesses typically satisfy the strictest state they serve or decline clients from states where they are not licensed. CROA applies everywhere regardless. Check each state before you take the client in our credit repair business license, bond, and registration requirements by state hub.

Official New Hampshire sources to verify before you launch

Every claim on this page is drawn from the primary sources below. Read them yourself — they are the only versions that count, and they change.

Credit repair business requirements in other states

Every state sets its own licensing, bond, and contract rules. The complete 50-state reference is the credit repair business license, bond, and registration requirements by state hub; the other deep-dive state guides are:

New Hampshire Credit Repair Business FAQ

Do I need a license to start a credit repair business in New Hampshire?

No. New Hampshire’s Credit Services Organizations Act (RSA ch. 359-D) contains no licensing or registration section — it regulates conduct instead. You still must form your business, comply with RSA 359-D’s information-statement, contract, and security rules, and follow the federal CROA. Verify current requirements with the New Hampshire Secretary of State and the Department of Justice.

Does New Hampshire require a surety bond for credit repair?

Only if you receive money before services are fully completed. RSA 359-D:8 then requires a surety bond or a trust account at a federally insured New Hampshire bank, equal to 5 percent of fees charged buyers in the previous 12 months — minimum $5,000, maximum $25,000 — with a copy filed with the Secretary of State.

How long do New Hampshire clients have to cancel a credit repair contract?

Five days from the date the contract is signed, under RSA 359-D:6. That is longer than the federal CROA’s three-business-day right, so New Hampshire contracts should use the five-day window. When a state rule and a federal rule differ, follow the stricter one.

Can I charge New Hampshire clients before doing the work?

No. The federal Credit Repair Organizations Act prohibits charging or receiving fees before the contracted services are fully performed, in every state. Compliant models bill monthly for completed work or per deletion after the result. The Telemarketing Sales Rule adds a second advance-fee ban for telemarketed credit repair.

Where do I check the current New Hampshire requirements?

Read RSA chapter 359-D directly on the New Hampshire General Court website and confirm bond or trust-account filing procedure with the New Hampshire Secretary of State. The Department of Justice Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau handles enforcement. Verify against the state source — not a third-party summary — immediately before you launch.

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A note on what software can and cannot do: no platform — ours included — can remove accurate, verifiable, timely information from a credit report. Dispute software helps you find and challenge information that is inaccurate, incomplete, unverifiable, or obsolete, and helps you document the process. Any tool or service that promises to delete accurate negative items is describing something the law does not allow.

This guide is educational information, not legal advice. Statutes, bond amounts, and filing procedures change; verify current requirements with the state before launching, and consult a qualified attorney for guidance on your specific business.