State file — Wisconsin
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 · Wis. Stat. § 893.43(1) Primary text opened at docs.legis.wisconsin.gov: 'an action upon any contract, obligation, or liability, express or implied... shall be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues' - a single period, no written/open split (exception in sub. (2) is only for motor-vehicle insurance policies, 3 years). History line on the official page: 1979 c. 323; 2015 a. 133 - no 2019/2020 change to the 6-year contract period appears in the current official text. |
| If the clock has run out | Nothing restarts it. Paying, or promising in writing, after the deadline does not bring the claim back. Wis. Stat. § 893.43 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it Wisconsin is an extinguishment state in the secondary analysis: when the period expires the debt itself is extinguished, not merely rendered time-barred, so a later payment does not revive it and no signed-writing revival mechanism applies. Flagged secondary - the extinguishment doctrine is case-law based and was not re-. |
| Deadline to answer a lawsuit | Serve an answer within 20 days, exclusive of the day of service, after personal/substituted service of the summons (45 days only for state defendants, insurers, and tort claims) · Wis. Stat. § 801.09(2)(a)1 |
| Taking your paycheck (wage garnishment) | More protective than the federal cap. Earnings garnishment capped at the lesser of 20% of disposable earnings or the amount by which weekly disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage - and earnings are 100% exempt if the debtor's household income is below the federal poverty line. Wis. Stat. § 815.18(3)(d) From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your bank account (a levy) | Wisconsin exempts up to $5,000 in depository accounts under its personal-property exemption scheme (debtor must claim/designate exemptions; traceable exempt income such as benefits retains protection). No automatic bank-applied floor like Washington's was located. Wis. Stat. § 815.18(2)(k) 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? | Yes — the Wisconsin Consumer Act - Debt Collection (ch. 427) (Wis. Stat. §§ 427.102-427.105) applies FDCPA-style rules to original creditors. Chapter 427 defines 'debt collector' as any person engaging directly or indirectly in debt collection (§ 427.102(3), text seen in the official ch. 427 PDF), and Wisconsin DFI guidance as reported in secondary sources confirms the Act applies to original creditors collecting their own debts, not just third-party agencies. § 427.104 lists the prohibited practices. |
| How long a judgment lasts | 20 years — Execution may issue within 20 years (and an action on a judgment of a court of record lies within 20 years); note the judgment LIEN on real property lasts only 10 years from entry · Wis. Stat. §§ 815.04, 893.40, 806.15 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
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6 years under Wis. Stat. § 893.43(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).
Nothing restarts it. Paying, or promising in writing, after the deadline does not bring the claim back. (Wis. Stat. § 893.43).
Serve an answer within 20 days, exclusive of the day of service, after personal/substituted service of the summons (45 days only for state defendants, insurers, and tort claims) (Wis. Stat. § 801.09(2)(a)1). Most of these cases are lost by default — by never answering at all.
Earnings garnishment capped at the lesser of 20% of disposable earnings or the amount by which weekly disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage - and earnings are 100% exempt if the debtor's household income is below the federal poverty line. (Wis. Stat. § 815.18(3)(d)).