State file — Tennessee
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 · Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-109(a)(3) From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it Statute text (via Justia, not the official TCA site this pass): actions 'on contracts not otherwise expressly provided for' must be commenced within 6 years - Tennessee does not split written vs. oral/open contracts for limitations purposes. UCC sale-of-goods claims are 4 years (§ 47-2-725), not the card-debt rule. |
| If the clock has run out | Signing a written statement that the debt is yours — or a signed promise to pay — can restart it. Paying alone cannot. Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-1-111 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it A new promise or acknowledgment revives only if in a writing signed by the party to be charged; a bare payment alone is not the statutory revival mechanism described in secondary sources. |
| Deadline to answer a lawsuit | Serve an answer within 30 days after service of the summons and complaint (circuit/chancery; General Sessions practice differs) · Tenn. R. Civ. P. 12.01 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your paycheck (wage garnishment) | Follows the federal cap. Follows the federal CCPA formula - lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the excess over 30 times the federal minimum wage - plus a Tennessee add-on: the debtor keeps an additional $2.50 per week for each dependent child under 16. Tenn. Code Ann. § 26-2-106 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your bank account (a levy) | Tennessee's $10,000 personal-property exemption works as a wildcard the debtor can apply to bank deposits, but it must be claimed by filing a written list of exempt property with the clerk - file before the judgment becomes final or it does not protect against executions already issued. Exempt benefit sources are separately protected when traceable. Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 26-2-103, 26-2-111, 26-2-114 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? | No equivalent statute found. The federal FDCPA binds third-party collectors and debt buyers in Tennessee, and federal law still bans deceptive practices by the bank itself. |
| How long a judgment lasts | 10 years — Enforceable 10 years; the judgment creditor may renew by filing a motion within the 10-year period under Tenn. R. Civ. P. 69.04 · Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-110; Tenn. R. Civ. P. 69.04 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
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6 years under Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-109(a)(3). 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).
Signing a written statement that the debt is yours — or a signed promise to pay — can restart it. Paying alone cannot. (Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-1-111).
Serve an answer within 30 days after service of the summons and complaint (circuit/chancery; General Sessions practice differs) (Tenn. R. Civ. P. 12.01). Most of these cases are lost by default — by never answering at all.
Follows the federal CCPA formula - lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the excess over 30 times the federal minimum wage - plus a Tennessee add-on: the debtor keeps an additional $2.50 per week for each dependent child under 16. (Tenn. Code Ann. § 26-2-106).