State file — Minnesota
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 · Minn. Stat. §541.05, subd. 1(1) Six years for actions on a contract or obligation, express or implied; card debt (written agreement or open account) falls under the same 6-year subdivision. |
| If the clock has run out | Paying part of it, or signing a written statement that the debt is yours, can restart it. Minn. Stat. §541.17 Verbatim from the Revisor: 'No acknowledgment or promise shall be evidence of a new or continuing contract... unless contained in some writing signed by the party to be charged thereby; but this section shall not alter the effect of a payment of principal or interest' — so a signed written acknowledgment or a part payment can restart the clock. |
| Deadline to answer a lawsuit | 21 days after service of the summons (amended from 20 days effective January 1, 2020 — older roundups saying 20 are outdated) · Minn. R. Civ. P. 12.01 |
| Taking your paycheck (wage garnishment) | More protective than the federal cap. Graduated state cap (Debt Fairness Act, for causes of action commenced on or after June 1, 2025): garnishment may not exceed the lesser of (a) a tier percentage of disposable earnings — 10% if weekly income is over 40x but not over 60x the greater of the Minnesota or federal minimum wage, 15% if over 60x-80x, 25% if over 80x — or (b) the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 40 times that greater minimum wage. Earnings at or below the 40x floor are fully protected. The old flat '25% / 40x federal wage' formulation in most roundups is superseded. Minn. Stat. §571.922 |
| Taking your bank account (a levy) | No general dollar exemption for bank balances — a proposed $5,000 bank-account exemption in the 2024 Debt Fairness Act was dropped before enactment. Need-based government assistance remains exempt and stays exempt for 60 days after deposit in a financial institution (traced first-in, first-out; debtor bears the burden of tracing). Minn. Stat. §550.37, subd. 14 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 Minnesota, and federal law still bans deceptive practices by the bank itself. |
| How long a judgment lasts | 10 years — The judgment survives, and its lien continues, for 10 years after entry (§548.09, subd. 1). There is no affidavit/administrative renewal for ordinary money judgments (the §548.091 renewal mechanism is child-support only); the creditor must bring an action on the judgment within the 10 years (§541.04) to obtain a new judgment. · Minn. Stat. §§548.09, 541.04 |
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6 years under Minn. Stat. §541.05, subd. 1(1). 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. (Minn. Stat. §541.17).
21 days after service of the summons (amended from 20 days effective January 1, 2020 — older roundups saying 20 are outdated) (Minn. R. Civ. P. 12.01). Most of these cases are lost by default — by never answering at all.
Graduated state cap (Debt Fairness Act, for causes of action commenced on or after June 1, 2025): garnishment may not exceed the lesser of (a) a tier percentage of disposable earnings — 10% if weekly income is over 40x but not over 60x the greater of the Minnesota or federal minimum wage, 15% if over 60x-80x, 25% if over 80x — or (b) the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 40 times that greater minimum wage. Earnings at or below the 40x floor are fully protected. The old flat '25% / 40x federal wage' formulation in most roundups is superseded. (Minn. Stat. §571.922).