When the amount requested does not match your records, start by preserving both versions. Keep the demand or lawsuit showing the claimed amount and the statement or spreadsheet showing your calculation. Record the date of each figure.
Compare like with like
Check whether the amounts relate to the same date and account. Identify principal, interest, fees, costs, payments, and credits separately. A difference may require more documentation rather than an immediate conclusion about who is correct.
Trace each adjustment
Match a payment to its confirmation, a credit to its source, and a charge to the document said to authorize it. Explain any missing statement period. If an item cannot be verified, mark it as unresolved.
Ask a focused question
Give counsel a short list of the differences and the documents that support them. Avoid changing the original records. An organized reconciliation helps frame a request for clarification and allows legal questions about recoverability to be addressed separately.
Read the claim before answering the amount
The summons and complaint are the starting point for understanding the lawsuit. California Courts explains the risk of default if a response is not filed on time. Even where a calculation appears wrong, the procedural deadline needs its own attention.
How do I explain a balance that changes over time?
Compare figures as of the same date. Create one row for each intervening payment or charge, attach its source, and show the resulting running balance. If a creditor adds interest, ask for the rate, the period used, and the underlying basis. These are questions for review, not assumptions that every disputed item must be removed.