Debt collector laws in Wisconsin

The Wisconsin debt collection law

State law

Wisconsin Consumer Act (debt collection, Wis. Stat. ch. 427)

Law

Wis. Stat. ch. 427

Covers original creditors

Yes

Official text

Read the law

Only 22 of our 48 state guides, Wisconsin among them, apply the state law to original creditors too.

Extra Wisconsin protections

• The law applies to everyone collecting a consumer credit debt, including a store or lender collecting its own debt. (Wis. Stat. ch. 427, per Wisconsin DFI)
• Calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. Central Time, or calls so frequent they become harassing, are prohibited. (Wis. Stat. § 427.104, per Wisconsin DFI)
• Collectors may contact your employer only in limited cases, such as to verify employment, or after a court judgment. (Wis. Stat. § 427.104(1)(d), per Wisconsin DFI)
• Collectors cannot tell others about a debt you reasonably dispute without saying it is disputed. (Wis. Stat. § 427.104, per Wisconsin DFI)

Suing a collector in Wisconsin

Yes. You can sue for actual damages (including emotional distress, without needing a physical injury), plus a penalty (DFI describes it as twice the finance charge, up to $1,000), and to recover collateral you were pressured to give up. (Wis. Stat. § 427.105, per Wisconsin DFI)

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).

Licenses for collection agencies in Wisconsin

License required

Yes

Who licenses

Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), Division of Banking, Licensed Financial Services (Wis. Stat. § 218.04)

Check a license

Official license lookup

Wisconsin is one of 28 states in our 48 state guides that require a license.

In nearby states

• Minnesota: Yes
• Iowa: No statewide license
• Illinois: Yes
• Michigan: Yes

Reporting a collector in Wisconsin

• Wisconsin: Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Wisconsin Consumer Act unit · (800) 452-3328 (in Wisconsin); (608) 264-7969
• 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.

If a collector breaks the rules in Wisconsin

1. Keep a record

   Keep letters, voicemails, emails and texts, and a log of every call.

2. Check the collector

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

3. Put your request in writing

   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 Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Wisconsin Consumer Act unit. You can also complain to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.

5. Know your right to sue in Wisconsin

   Under Wisconsin law: Yes. You can sue for actual damages (including emotional distress, without needing a physical injury), plus a penalty (DFI describes it as twice the finance charge, up to $1,000), and to recover collateral you were pressured to give up.

Questions about collector laws in Wisconsin

Keep reading about Wisconsin

• Wisconsin: every collection right on one page
• Sued by a debt collector in Wisconsin: date on the summons
• “Is my debt too old?” checker for Wisconsin
• Dispute a debt and ask for proof (validation letter)
• Tell a collector to stop or limit contact
• Debt collector licensing by state
• Guide: how to dispute a debt
• Guide: how to stop collector calls