Debt collector laws in Massachusetts

Massachusetts regulates collectors through the Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93, § 49 (debt collection by creditors), Attorney General Debt Collection Regulations (940 CMR 7.00) and Division of Banks rules for debt collectors (209 CMR 18.00). Here are its extra protections, licensing, complaints and medical debt rules.

Short answer

Massachusetts has its own debt collection law: the Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93, § 49 (debt collection by creditors), Attorney General Debt Collection Regulations (940 CMR 7.00) and Division of Banks rules for debt collectors (209 CMR 18.00). It also covers original creditors collecting their own debts. Debt collectors need a state license in Massachusetts; the licensing agency is Massachusetts Division of Banks (debt collector license; licensing is done through NMLS). Original creditors and Massachusetts attorneys don't need this license; passive debt buyers that use licensed collectors or attorneys don't either (Division of Banks). Complaints go to Massachusetts Attorney General – Consumer Advocacy & Response Division, and to the CFPB.

State law
Yes
Covers original creditors
Yes
License required
Yes
Extra protections listed
5

What Massachusetts law says about collectors

State law
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93, § 49 (debt collection by creditors), Attorney General Debt Collection Regulations (940 CMR 7.00) and Division of Banks rules for debt collectors (209 CMR 18.00)
Law
M.G.L. c. 93, § 49; c. 93, §§ 24–24K; 940 CMR 7.00; 209 CMR 18.00
Covers original creditors
Yes
Official text
Read the law

Massachusetts is one of 22 states in our 48 state guides whose law also covers original creditors collecting their own debts.

What Massachusetts adds to the FDCPA

  • A creditor or collector may not start more than 2 phone calls, texts or recorded messages per debt in any 7-day period to your home or cell phone, and 2 per 30 days to other numbers (940 CMR 7.04(1)(f)).
  • No calls outside your normal waking hours, or if those aren't known, outside 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Eastern time (940 CMR 7.04(1)(g)).
  • If you ask (orally or in writing), calls to your workplace must stop; an oral request lasts only 10 days unless you confirm it in writing within 7 days. Visits to your workplace are not allowed unless you request them (940 CMR 7.04(1)(h), (k)).
  • Before trying to collect a debt it knows is time-barred, a creditor must tell you the debt may be too old to sue on and that a payment or signed promise could renew it (940 CMR 7.07(24)).
  • Collection lawsuits on credit card (revolving) debt must include papers about the debt and a certification that the time limit has not run out (Mass. R. Civ. P. 8.1).

Also in Massachusetts

  • Massachusetts' 2-calls-per-week rule applies to creditors collecting their own debts, not just collection agencies (940 CMR 7.04(1)(f); Armata v. Target, 480 Mass. 14 (2018)).
  • A passive debt buyer that hires licensed collectors or lawyers does not itself need a debt collector license (Dorrian v. LVNV Funding, 479 Mass. 265 (2018), per Trial Court Law Libraries).

Medical debt in Massachusetts

Not final as of October 2026: the Department of Public Health proposed 105 CMR 95.00, which would bar licensed health care facilities and providers (and collectors working for them) from reporting medical debt to credit bureaus. A public hearing was held July 27, 2026; DPH's page still lists the rule as proposed. Check again before publishing.

Can you sue a collector under Massachusetts law?

Yes, through the Consumer Protection Act. A violation of c. 93, § 49 is an unfair or deceptive act under c. 93A. You must first send a written demand letter at least 30 days before suing. You can get actual damages or $25, whichever is more; 2 to 3 times that for willful or knowing violations; plus attorney's fees (M.G.L. c. 93A, § 9).

Under federal law you can also sue a collector that breaks the FDCPA within 1 year, for your actual damages, up to $1,000 more and your attorney's fees (15 U.S.C. 1692k).

Do collectors need a license in Massachusetts?

License required
Yes
Who licenses
Massachusetts Division of Banks (debt collector license; licensing is done through NMLS). Original creditors and Massachusetts attorneys don't need this license; passive debt buyers that use licensed collectors or attorneys don't either (Division of Banks).
Check a license
Official license lookup

Like Massachusetts, 28 of the 48 states we cover license collectors.

In nearby states

Complaints about collectors in Massachusetts

Steps against an abusive collector in Massachusetts

  1. Save the evidence

    Log each call (date, time, who) and keep every letter, voicemail and text.

  2. Check the collector

    Massachusetts requires a license, so check the collector's: Official license lookup.

  3. Write to the collector

    Use a letter to dispute a debt or to stop collector calls; keep a copy and the mailing receipt.

  4. Report the collector

    Complain to Massachusetts Attorney General – Consumer Advocacy & Response Division. You can also complain to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.

  5. Know your right to sue in Massachusetts

    Under Massachusetts law: Yes, through the Consumer Protection Act. A violation of c. 93, § 49 is an unfair or deceptive act under c.

Questions about collector laws in Massachusetts

Do debt collectors need a license in Massachusetts?

Yes. Massachusetts Division of Banks (debt collector license; licensing is done through NMLS). Original creditors and Massachusetts attorneys don't need this license; passive debt buyers that use licensed collectors or attorneys don't either (Division of Banks).

Is there a Massachusetts debt collection act?

Yes: the Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 93, § 49 (debt collection by creditors), Attorney General Debt Collection Regulations (940 CMR 7.00) and Division of Banks rules for debt collectors (209 CMR 18.00) (M.G.L. c. 93, § 49; c. 93, §§ 24–24K; 940 CMR 7.00; 209 CMR 18.00). It also covers original creditors collecting their own debts.

What does Massachusetts law say about medical debt?

Not final as of October 2026: the Department of Public Health proposed 105 CMR 95.00, which would bar licensed health care facilities and providers (and collectors working for them) from reporting medical debt to credit bureaus. A public hearing was held July 27, 2026; DPH's page still lists the rule as proposed. Check again before publishing.

Who takes complaints about collectors in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts Attorney General – Consumer Advocacy & Response Division: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-consumer-complaint · 617-727-8400

Does Massachusetts law let me sue a collector?

Yes, through the Consumer Protection Act. A violation of c. 93, § 49 is an unfair or deceptive act under c. 93A. You must first send a written demand letter at least 30 days before suing. You can get actual damages or $25, whichever is more; 2 to 3 times that for willful or knowing violations; plus attorney's fees (M.G.L. c. 93A, § 9).

How do I verify a collection agency in Massachusetts?

Use Massachusetts's official license lookup: https://www.mass.gov/lists/download-a-list-of-approved-licensees.

How does Massachusetts law go beyond the FDCPA?

A creditor or collector may not start more than 2 phone calls, texts or recorded messages per debt in any 7-day period to your home or cell phone, and 2 per 30 days to other numbers (940 CMR 7.04(1)(f)). No calls outside your normal waking hours, or if those aren't known, outside 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Eastern time (940 CMR 7.04(1)(g)). If you ask (orally or in writing), calls to your workplace must stop; an oral request lasts only 10 days unless you confirm it in writing within 7 days. Visits to your workplace are not allowed unless you request them (940 CMR 7.04(1)(h), (k)).

Related Massachusetts pages

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.

Federal sources