State file — Maryland
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 | 3 years · Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §5-101 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it Three years for civil actions generally, including card debt. Contracts under seal get 12 years (§5-102) and promissory notes 6 years (Commercial Law §3-118), but a card agreement is neither. |
| If the clock has run out | Nothing restarts it. Paying, or promising in writing, after the deadline does not bring the claim back. Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §5-1202(b) Maryland flatly bars revival of a consumer debt after the deadline: no payment, written or oral affirmation, or other activity after expiration revives or extends the period, and §5-1202(a) also bars suing on a time-barred consumer debt at all. A separate written payment plan signed before the deadline is unaffected. |
| Deadline to answer a lawsuit | 15 days after service to file a Notice of Intention to Defend in District Court, where most card cases are heard; 30 days in Circuit Court, and longer periods apply if served outside Maryland · Md. Rule 3-307(b); Md. Rule 2-307 |
| Taking your paycheck (wage garnishment) | More protective than the federal cap. Since Oct. 1, 2020 the exempt amount is the greater of 75% of disposable wages or 30 times the Maryland minimum hourly wage for each week worked (at the $15 state minimum wage, a $450 weekly floor), plus any amount the employer deducts for medical insurance. Older pages quoting a $145 floor or county carve-outs reflect pre-2020 law. Md. Code, Commercial Law §15-601.1 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your bank account (a levy) | $500 in a bank account is protected automatically, with no claim needed. In addition, the debtor may exempt up to $6,000 in cash or property in total (the $500 counts toward the $6,000, not on top of it), but that election must be made within 30 days after the writ is served on the bank. Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §11-504(b) Federal benefits deposited directly get an automatic two-month shield everywhere (31 CFR Part 212). |
| Original creditor calling? | Yes — the Maryland Consumer Debt Collection Act (Md. Code, Commercial Law §§14-201 to 14-204) applies FDCPA-style rules to original creditors. One of the broadest state acts: a 'collector' is any person collecting or attempting to collect an alleged debt arising out of a consumer transaction — no exception for original creditors and no 'regularly collects' threshold. Section 14-202 also makes a violation of the federal FDCPA's main conduct sections (§§804–812) a violation of Maryland law. |
| How long a judgment lasts | 12 years — Renewable for successive 12-year periods by filing a notice of renewal before the current period expires. · Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §5-102(a)(3); Md. Rules 2-625, 3-625 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
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Card agreements often pick another state's law (Delaware for Chase, Bank of America, Discover, Barclays; South Dakota for Citi and Wells Fargo). A court may use the shorter of the two deadlines, under a rule called a borrowing statute — the free checker works out both clocks for you.
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3 years under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §5-101. 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).
Nothing restarts it. Paying, or promising in writing, after the deadline does not bring the claim back. (Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. §5-1202(b)).
15 days after service to file a Notice of Intention to Defend in District Court, where most card cases are heard; 30 days in Circuit Court, and longer periods apply if served outside Maryland (Md. Rule 3-307(b); Md. Rule 2-307). Most of these cases are lost by default — by never answering at all.
Since Oct. 1, 2020 the exempt amount is the greater of 75% of disposable wages or 30 times the Maryland minimum hourly wage for each week worked (at the $15 state minimum wage, a $450 weekly floor), plus any amount the employer deducts for medical insurance. Older pages quoting a $145 floor or county carve-outs reflect pre-2020 law. (Md. Code, Commercial Law §15-601.1).