Kaplan Group collection agency rates, minimums and cheaper options for small B2B claims

The Kaplan Group charges a contingency fee on what it collects: 25% on claims of $3,000 to $9,999, 20% on $10,000 to $49,999, 15% on $50,000 to $499,999 and 10% on $500,000 and above, with 30% whenever the debtor is outside the USA. There is no fee if nothing is collected. New clients need an average claim size above $5,000, and if a lawsuit is needed the rate rises to 30% to 35% plus cost advances starting at $1,300 (kaplancollectionagency.com rate, FAQ and litigation cost pages, read September 2026). For a US business with a single large B2B claim, that is one of the lowest published commercial rate cards available. For a business with a steady run of smaller overdue invoices, most of them will fall below what Kaplan takes on.

Below is the full rate card, what suit actually costs, the minimum claim rules, worked numbers on real claim sizes, and the cheaper routes for the invoices Kaplan is not built for.

Kaplan Group collection agency rates

Kaplan publishes one rate card for all commercial claims, tiered by the amount collected rather than by the age of the debt. It handles business to business debts and personal guarantors of business debts only, never consumer debt.

Two terms matter as much as the percentages. First, the effort comes in two rounds at the same rate: a full collection effort under the agency's name, and if that fails, a second full effort under the name of Kaplan's in house law firm. A demand on law firm letterhead at no extra cost is worth more than it sounds, because it is usually the step that makes a stalled accounts payable department move. Second, Kaplan says it discusses discounts to its standard rates case by case and has kept the same rate card for over twenty years.

What does the Kaplan Group charge if it has to sue?

Suit is a separate decision with its own price. Kaplan's litigation cost page puts the contingency at 30% to 35%, and it states that this figure covers both Kaplan and the independent attorney, so it replaces the agency rate rather than stacking on top of it. On top of the contingency you pay money up front:

• Initial cost advance: starting at $1,300, for filing fees, service and hearing costs. Unused advances are returned at the end, and Kaplan says the first advance is enough to reach a judgment in 90% of cases.
• Non-contingent attorney fee: requested in the majority of its suits, non-refundable, $1,000 in about two thirds of cases and up to $2,500 (or 5% of the claim) in the rest.
• Judgment collection: usually a further $250 to $500 if the debtor does not pay voluntarily, and $2,000 or more against an obstinate debtor owing a large sum.
• Counterclaim defense: hourly, typically $200 to $450 an hour, although Kaplan reports that clients paid more than $1,000 to defend a counterclaim only three times in 15 years.

One caution. An older Kaplan page on the litigation process, still live, describes suit at about 33% with a court cost deposit of $200 to $750 and a retainer of $250 to 5% of the claim. The newer cost page is more detailed and quotes higher up front figures, so budget from the newer one and get the quote for your claim in writing before you approve a filing.

Worked on a $25,000 invoice that goes to suit and is paid in full: 30% to 35% is $7,500 to $8,750, the non-contingent fee is $1,000 to $1,250, and the advance is $1,300. You keep roughly $13,700 to $16,500, depending on the rate and on whether the judge adds court costs to the judgment. If your contract has an attorney fee clause, part of that cost can shift to the debtor, and it is worth reading how your state treats those clauses before you decide; you can search the case law in plain English in a few minutes. See commercial collections attorney costs for the full breakdown.

What is the smallest claim the Kaplan Group will take?

For a new client, the average claim size needs to exceed $5,000. For its regular clients, Kaplan will work amounts as small as $1,000. The published rate card starts at $3,000, so a new client with a mix of claims can include some smaller ones as long as the average stays above $5,000.

That rule is honest and it is standard for commercial agencies: the work to find the right contact at a debtor company, negotiate and document a payment plan costs about the same on a $2,000 invoice as on a $20,000 one. It also means that a business whose overdue invoices mostly run $500 to $4,000 is not really Kaplan's customer, however good the service is.

What does a Kaplan placement cost on real claims?

The pattern is clear. On large, genuinely stuck claims the rate card is good value, especially with a law firm demand included at the same percentage. On a $4,000 invoice from a customer who is simply slow, a quarter of the money is a high price for something a firmer sequence of emails might have fixed at day 45.

Is the Kaplan Group a good collection agency?

On what it publishes, it is one of the more transparent commercial agencies in the US. It lists an A+ BBB rating and IACC membership, has worked commercial collections since 1991, and states an 85% success rate on large viable claims and 76% on viable claims under $10,000. Those success rates are its own figures, and "viable" is Kaplan's own screen, so read them as a sign that it turns down files it does not expect to win rather than as a promise for your file. It also says it recommends litigation only when it rates the chance of actually collecting at about 50% or better, which is the advice you want from an agency that earns more if you sue.

Where it does not fit is volume. Kaplan is built around claims of $25,000 and up, handled one at a time by experienced collectors. It is not a tool for chasing forty invoices of $1,800 each, and it does not pretend to be.

Kaplan Group alternatives compared on published price

STA figures are from stacollect.com and Rocket Receivables figures from rocketreceivables.com, both read at source in September 2026, and Atradius figures from its US fee schedule, read October 2026. For more agencies with published rates, see the best commercial debt collection agencies compared.

When should you place a claim with the Kaplan Group instead of chasing it yourself?

Place it when three things are true: the balance is above about $5,000, the customer has stopped responding or is openly refusing to pay, and you have already sent a firm written demand with a date on it. At that point an agency name and a law firm letter change the conversation, and a 20% or 25% fee on money you would otherwise lose is a good trade.

Chase it yourself when the invoice is under 90 days past due, when the customer is still talking to you, or when the balance is below the agency minimum. Recovery falls with age, from around 70% or better on accounts under 90 days to often below 15% past 180 days, so the cheapest collection is almost always the one that starts early. That is the stage DebtAgent is built for: it drafts a friendly, firm and final email sequence from the real invoice amount and due date, you approve it once, and it runs on every overdue invoice for a flat monthly fee. The invoices it does not move are then the short list worth sending to Kaplan. If you are weighing agency fees more broadly, our commercial collection agency comparison covers the rest of the market.