How long creditors collect

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Oregon source. Pennsylvania source. Rhode Island source. South Carolina source. South Dakota source. Tennessee source. Texas source. Utah source. Vermont source. Virginia source , source , source. Washington source , source. West Virginia source , source. A debt collector generally cannot discuss your debt with anyone but you or your spouse. The collector has to tell you four pieces of information. Make sure to send the dispute letter within 30 days.

Once the collection company receives the letter, it must stop trying to collect the debt until sending you written verification of the debt, like a copy of the original bill for the amount you owe. Consider sending your letter by certified mail and requesting a return receipt to show that the collector got it. Keep a copy of the letter for your records. If a debt collector is trying to collect more than one debt from you, the collector must apply any payment you make to the debt you choose.

And you can respond either personally or through your attorney. That will preserve your rights. Yes, but the collector must first sue you to get a court order — called a garnishment — that says it can take money from your paycheck to pay your debts. A collector also can seek a court order to take money from your bank account. If you have an unpaid debt, a creditor or the debt collector it hires may get a court order to try to take money from your bank account to pay the debt.

The court order is called a garnishment. Many federal benefits are generally exempt from garnishment, except to pay delinquent taxes, alimony, child support, or student loans. States have their own laws about which state benefits can be garnished.

Many states allow creditors to "revive" dormant judgments, perhaps subject to a time limit. State laws vary on how the time period is calculated. The clock may begin to run from the time the creditor last tried to collect on the judgment, or it might run from the time the judgment later went dormant.

However, a debt collector can't threaten to garnish your wages or take other legal action to pressure you into settling that old judgment. If a debt collector lies to you about the age of the judgment and whether it lapsed under your state's laws, that also might be a violation of the FDCPA.

It can show up even longer, depending on how much time your state's laws give effect to that judgment. The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or will be formed by use of the site.

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How long a judgment against you lasts depends on state law. But creditors can renew judgments, so you might be on the hook for a long time. Question How long does a creditor have to collect on a judgment against me? Answer Usually, judgments are valid for several years before they expire or "lapse.