State file — Indiana
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 | 6 years · Ind. Code §34-11-2-9; §34-11-2-7 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it Six years for a written contract for the payment of money, and six years for accounts and contracts not in writing. The 10-year period in §34-11-2-11 covers only written contracts NOT for the payment of money, so it does not fit card debt. |
| If the clock has run out | Paying part of it, or signing a written statement that the debt is yours, can restart it. Ind. Code §§34-11-9-1, 34-11-9-3 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it A signed written acknowledgment or new promise restarts the clock, and Indiana law expressly says the revival chapter does not lessen the effect of any payment — so a part payment also counts. |
| Deadline to answer a lawsuit | 20 days after service of the summons and complaint (3 extra days if served by mail) · Ind. Trial Rules 6(C), 6(E), 12(A) From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your paycheck (wage garnishment) | Follows the federal cap. Indiana follows the federal formula — the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage — but the court may cut the percentage for good cause, though not below 10%. Ind. Code §24-4.5-5-105 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your bank account (a levy) | Only $450 of intangible personal property — which includes bank deposits and cash — is exempt, one of the lowest bank-account protections in the country. Indiana's larger $12,100 exemption covers tangible belongings only, so it does not help a bank balance. Ind. Code §34-55-10-2(c)(2)–(3) From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it Federal benefits deposited directly get an automatic two-month shield everywhere (31 CFR Part 212). |
| Original creditor calling? | Partially — Indiana has no FDCPA-style collection act. The Deceptive Consumer Sales Act reaches 'suppliers' in consumer transactions — including original creditors — and lists deceptive debt-collection acts (§24-5-0.5-3(b)(20)), but it is a general consumer-protection law, not a collection code. The Collection Agencies Act (Ind. Code art. 25-11) only licenses agencies. (Ind. Code ch. 24-5-0.5 (§24-5-0.5-3)) |
| How long a judgment lasts | 20 years — No renewal step — a judgment is considered satisfied after 20 years. · Ind. Code §34-11-2-12 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
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6 years under Ind. Code §34-11-2-9; §34-11-2-7. 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. (Ind. Code §§34-11-9-1, 34-11-9-3).
20 days after service of the summons and complaint (3 extra days if served by mail) (Ind. Trial Rules 6(C), 6(E), 12(A)). Most of these cases are lost by default — by never answering at all.
Indiana follows the federal formula — the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage — but the court may cut the percentage for good cause, though not below 10%. (Ind. Code §24-4.5-5-105).