Guide · updated November 12, 2026

What debt collectors can and can’t do

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the CFPB’s Regulation F set the ground rules for debt collectors. Here is what they mean day to day.

Who has to follow these rules

Collection agencies, debt buyers and law firms that regularly collect consumer debts for others. The original lender or store collecting its own debt usually isn’t covered by the FDCPA, though some state laws cover them too, and other federal laws still apply.

Calls

Not before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. your local time, unless you agree.
The 7-in-7 limit. A collector is presumed to be harassing you if it calls about a debt more than seven times in seven days, or calls within seven days after having a phone conversation with you about that debt.
Not at work if the collector knows or has reason to know your employer doesn’t allow it. Telling them is enough.
Not at times or places you say are inconvenient, and not through a phone number, email address or other channel you have asked them not to use.

Email, texts and social media

Every email or text from a collector has to include a simple way to opt out. Collectors can’t post about your debt publicly on social media, and if they send you a private message on a social platform they must say who they are. They generally can’t email you at a work address.

Who they can talk to

A collector can contact other people only to find your address, phone number or workplace, and it can’t tell them you owe a debt. It can talk to your spouse, your lawyer, and (for a minor) your parent or guardian. It can’t discuss your debt with your employer, except in limited cases such as carrying out a court-ordered garnishment.

What they must tell you

That they are a debt collector, in the first contact and in later ones.
A validation notice, in the first contact or within five days, showing the amount, the creditor, how the balance was calculated, and a date by which you can dispute. How validation works.

What they can’t do

Harass you: threats of violence, obscene language, or calling over and over to annoy you.
Lie: about the amount, about being a lawyer or a government agency, or about what will happen if you don’t pay.
Threaten arrest or jail. Not paying a consumer debt is not a crime.
Threaten things they can’t or won’t do, such as a lawsuit they don’t intend to file, or garnishment without a court judgment.
Sue or threaten to sue on a time-barred debt. About old debt.
Add fees the original agreement or the law doesn’t allow.
Report a debt to the credit bureaus before contacting you, or report a debt you disputed without marking it as disputed.

Telling a collector to stop

If you tell a collector in writing to stop contacting you, it has to stop, except to confirm it is stopping or to tell you about a specific step such as a lawsuit. You can also just limit contact. Write a cease or limit-contact letter.

If a collector breaks the rules

Write down every contact: date, time, who called, what was said. Save voicemails, letters, texts and emails.
Complain to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint and to your state attorney general.
You can sue within one year of the violation for your actual damages, up to $1,000 in extra damages, and your attorney fees. Many consumer lawyers take these cases at no upfront cost.

This guide explains federal law in general terms. State laws add protections, and every case is different, so it isn’t legal advice. For help with a lawsuit, contact a local legal aid office or a consumer attorney.