Debt collectors in Missouri: your rights

Your federal rights

These federal rules apply in Missouri and every other state. Missouri's own law, below, can add more.

• Who the federal law covers. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) covers debt collectors who collect for someone else and companies that buy debts, not usually the original creditor collecting its own debt (15 U.S.C. 1692a(6)). Some state laws also cover original creditors.
• A validation notice. A collector must give you a validation notice, in its first message or within 5 days after it, with the amount, the creditor and how to dispute (15 U.S.C. 1692g(a); 12 CFR 1006.34).
• Your right to dispute. If you dispute the debt in writing within the validation period (30 days after you get the notice), the collector must stop collecting until it mails you verification (15 U.S.C. 1692g(b); 12 CFR 1006.38).
• When collectors can contact you. No calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. your time, or at work if your employer doesn't allow it (15 U.S.C. 1692c(a)). More than 7 calls in 7 days about one debt is presumed to break the law (12 CFR 1006.14(b)(2)).
• Telling a collector to stop. If you tell a collector in writing to stop contacting you, it must stop, except to tell you it is ending collection or will take a specific step such as a lawsuit (15 U.S.C. 1692c(c)).
• What collectors can't do. No threats, obscene language, false statements (for example pretending to be a lawyer or the government, or threatening arrest) and no unfair practices such as collecting fees your contract doesn't allow (15 U.S.C. 1692d, 1692e, 1692f). A collector generally can't discuss your debt with your family, neighbors or employer (15 U.S.C. 1692c(b)).

Read how to dispute a debt or stop collector calls.

Old debts in Missouri

Written contracts

10 years

Open accounts and unwritten agreements

5 years

Does a payment restart the clock?

A promise or acknowledgment restarts the clock only if it is in writing and signed by you (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.320). This does not change the effect of a payment of principal or interest (§ 516.340).

Law

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.110(1) (action on any writing for the payment of money: 10 years); § 516.120(1) (other contracts: 5 years); §§ 516.320, 516.340

Official text

Read the law

The time limit is the statute of limitations. Once it runs out, the debt is “time-barred”: a collector must not sue or threaten to sue you, but the debt still exists. Read more about time-barred debt.

Is my debt too old? Check Missouri's time limit

Every state limits how long a creditor or collector has to sue you over a debt. This is the statute of limitations. Choose your state, the type of debt and the date of your last payment to see the limit and an estimated end date. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Wage garnishment and bank accounts in Missouri

Wage limit

For most people the federal limit applies (25% of take-home pay, or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage, whichever is less). If you are the head of a family and a Missouri resident, no more than 10% can be taken. These limits don't apply to support orders, bankruptcy orders, or state or federal taxes.

Head of household

Head of a family who lives in Missouri: garnishment capped at 10% of weekly earnings after required withholding (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 525.030(2)(1)(c)). A head of family may also claim $1,250 plus $350 per dependent child in other property, but 10% of wages is not covered by that exemption (§ 513.440).

Law

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 525.030(2); § 513.440

Federal benefits such as Social Security, SSI and VA benefits that were directly deposited are protected in your bank account up to two months' worth (31 CFR 212.6). A creditor usually needs a court judgment before it can garnish your wages or bank account.

Property you can keep in Missouri

Home: $15,000 of value now; rises to $40,000 on January 1, 2027 (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 513.475, as amended by H.B. 1870 (2026)). Motor vehicles: up to $5,000, and up to $10,000 of the unused household-goods exemption can be moved to a vehicle (§ 513.430.1(5)). Household goods up to $15,000; any other property up to $1,700 (§ 513.430.1(1), (3)).

Collector licensing in Missouri

License required

No statewide license

Who licenses

No state license for collection agencies was found. The Missouri Division of Finance licenses lenders and requires a bond only for debt adjusters, not collectors.

If you are sued in Missouri

Time to answer

Associate circuit court (most debt cases): you do not have to file a written answer, but any affirmative defenses or counterclaims must be filed in writing by the return date and time on the summons, and you should be in court then (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 517.031).

If you don't answer

If you don't appear on the return date, the court can enter a default judgment against you.

Don't ignore court papers. Read what to do if a debt collector sues you.

Where to complain in Missouri

• Missouri: Missouri Attorney General, Consumer Protection · 1-800-392-8222
• Federal: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau takes complaints about debt collectors at consumerfinance.gov/complaint · (855) 411-2372.
• You can also report a collector to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Free help in Missouri

• Missouri Attorney General Consumer Protection Hotline · 1-800-392-8222

Good to know in Missouri

• Missouri gives heads of family extra wage protection: only 10% can be garnished (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 525.030).
• Missouri's homestead exemption jumps from $15,000 to $40,000 on January 1, 2027 (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 513.475).

Changes in 2024–2026

2026: H.B. 1870 (merged with S.B. 835 & 1111) raises the homestead exemption to $40,000, effective January 1, 2027.

Free letters to send a collector

Questions about debt collection in Missouri

Other states