State file — Idaho
Every number below names the law it comes from (its statute citation), checked October 18, 2026. Where a number comes from a secondary source instead of the official text, this page says so — double-check it before you rely on it.
| How long they have to sue you — credit-card debt | 5 years (written contract) / 4 years (open account) · Idaho Code §§5-216, 5-217 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it Five years on a contract founded on a writing; four years on an unwritten or open account. Most card cases are filed under the 5-year written-contract period. (§5-216 itself was read on legislature.idaho.gov; the §5-217 figure is from consistent secondary sources.) |
| If the clock has run out | Paying part of it, or signing a written statement that the debt is yours, can restart it. Idaho Code §5-238 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it An acknowledgment or promise counts only if it is in writing and signed — but any payment of principal or interest is treated by the statute as the same as a new written promise to pay the rest. |
| Deadline to answer a lawsuit | 21 days after service of the summons and complaint · Idaho R. Civ. P. 12(a) From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your paycheck (wage garnishment) | Follows the federal cap. Idaho follows the federal cap: the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which weekly disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage. Idaho Code §11-207 |
| Taking your bank account (a levy) | Idaho gives no exemption for bank-account money. Its $1,500 wildcard covers only tangible personal property (Idaho Code §11-605(10)), so a bank balance is exposed — except money from exempt benefits such as Social Security, unemployment and disability, which are protected under §11-604. Idaho Code §§11-604, 11-605 Federal benefits deposited directly get an automatic two-month shield everywhere (31 CFR Part 212). |
| Original creditor calling? | No equivalent statute found. The federal FDCPA binds third-party collectors and debt buyers in Idaho, and federal law still bans deceptive practices by the bank itself. |
| How long a judgment lasts | 11 years — Renewable by court motion filed before the judgment lien expires (Idaho Code §10-1111); renewal restarts the 11-year period for an action on the judgment and continues the lien for 10 more years. A writ of execution issues as of right only within the first 5 years (§11-101). · Idaho Code §§5-215, 10-1110, 10-1111 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
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5 years (written contract) / 4 years (open account) under Idaho Code §§5-216, 5-217. The clock usually starts at the first missed payment that was never made up. Debt collectors may still call after it runs out, but Regulation F (12 CFR 1006.26(b)) bars them from suing — or threatening to sue — over a debt that is too old (time-barred).
Paying part of it, or signing a written statement that the debt is yours, can restart it. (Idaho Code §5-238).
21 days after service of the summons and complaint (Idaho R. Civ. P. 12(a)). Most of these cases are lost by default — by never answering at all.
Idaho follows the federal cap: the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which weekly disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage. (Idaho Code §11-207).