Quick answer. Federal rules let you dispute a debt in writing by the end date on the collector's validation notice (about 30 days after it reaches you), limit calls to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. your time, and stop contact with a written request. A collector calling about one debt more than 7 times in 7 days is presumed to break the harassment rule. Check what happened to you below.
Did a collector do any of this?
Tick everything that happened. You'll see the rule for each, with its source. Only a court or regulator decides whether a rule was broken.
Tick what happened to see the rule and its source.
Dispute deadline calculator
Enter the date the collector sent its validation notice. The calculator counts the five days Regulation F lets a collector assume for delivery (skipping Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays), then adds 30 days. If your notice prints an end date, add it and the calculator shows the earlier of the two.
Enter the date the notice was sent.
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The rule lets a collector assume you got the notice five business days after sending it, even if it arrived later, so the calculated date is the earliest it could use. Send your dispute well before the date shown, in a way you can prove.
The rules, with their numbers
- Validation notice: in the first communication or within five days after it (12 CFR 1006.34(a)). It lists the amount, the creditor and your dispute rights (15 U.S.C. 1692g(a)), and states the end date of the validation period (1006.34(c)(3)).
- Validation period: ends 30 days after you receive or are assumed to receive the information; receipt may be assumed five days after it's provided, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and the legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103(a) (1006.34(b)(5)).
- Written dispute by the end date: the collector must stop collecting until it mails verification, or the original creditor's name and address if you asked for them (1692g(b)).
- Call times: before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. your local time is presumed inconvenient (1006.6(b)(1)(i)).
- 7 in 7: more than seven calls about a debt in seven consecutive days, or a call within seven days after a conversation about it, is presumed to violate the rule (1006.14(b)(2)). The conversation day counts as day one (official comments).
- Stop contact: a written request to stop, or a written refusal to pay, ends contact about that debt except for limited notices (1006.6(c)). The debt still exists (CFPB).
- Time-barred debt: no lawsuit or threat of one once the state statute of limitations has expired (1006.26(b)).
Statute of limitations: check your state
The time limit for suing on a debt is set by state law and can depend on the type of debt and your agreement. The CFPB says most states set limits of three to six years, federal student loans have none, and a partial payment or acknowledging an old debt may restart the clock (CFPB). The FTC adds that in some states even a promise to pay can revive a time-barred debt (FTC). We don't list any state's period here; check your state's official sources or legal aid before paying on an old debt.
Sources
- Regulation F, 12 CFR 1006.34: Notice for validation of debts
- Regulation F, 12 CFR 1006.6: Communications in connection with debt collection
- Regulation F, 12 CFR 1006.14: Harassing, oppressive or abusive conduct
- Regulation F official interpretations, section 1006.14
- Regulation F, 12 CFR 1006.26: Collection of time-barred debts
- 15 U.S.C. 1692g, Validation of debts (govinfo.gov)
- 5 U.S.C. 6103(a), Legal public holidays (govinfo.gov)
- CFPB: How do I get a debt collector to stop calling or contacting me?
- CFPB: What is a time-barred debt?
- CFPB: What is a statute of limitations on a debt?
- FTC: Debt Collection FAQs (2022)
General information checked November 2026 against Regulation F, the FDCPA and the CFPB and FTC pages above. Not legal, credit or financial advice, and not affiliated with any agency, creditor or credit bureau. The tool runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent or saved.
Related free pages
- Sued for a debt in New Jersey: the 35-day answer deadline
- Going to court without a lawyer in New Jersey
- Hardship letters and a free sample
- Fix your own credit: free checklist
Common questions
How long do I have to dispute a debt with a collector?
Until the end of the validation period. Under Regulation F it ends 30 days after you receive, or are assumed to receive, the validation information; a collector may assume receipt five days after sending it, not counting weekends and federal holidays. The notice itself must state the end date.
What times can a debt collector call?
Regulation F presumes calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. your local time are inconvenient. You can also tell a collector other times are inconvenient, and that you can't take calls at work.
How many times can a debt collector call me in a week?
A collector is presumed to break the harassment rule if it calls about one debt more than seven times in seven consecutive days, or within seven days after a phone conversation with you about that debt. The presumption can be rebutted, and each debt is counted separately.
Does telling a collector to stop contacting me erase the debt?
No. The CFPB says stopping communication doesn't make the debt go away, and the collector can still sue or report it to a credit reporting company.
Can a collector sue me over a very old debt?
A collector must not sue or threaten to sue on a time-barred debt, one past the state's statute of limitations. The CFPB says most states set limits of three to six years, and that a partial payment or acknowledging the debt may restart the clock. Check your own state's rules.
Where do I report a debt collector?
The CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint, the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and your state attorney general's office, according to the FTC.