Under federal law, debt collectors can call you between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in your local time zone. Any call outside that window presumptively violates the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), which also caps how often a collector can call and gives you a way to stop the calls entirely. These rules apply to third-party collection agencies, not to the original company you owed, which is where a lot of confusion starts.
The 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Rule
The FDCPA treats 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. as the presumptively convenient window for collection calls, measured by your local time, not the collector’s.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – 1692c Communications in Connection With Debt Collection A collector sitting in California cannot call someone in New York at 9:30 p.m. Eastern just because it’s still 6:30 p.m. where they are.
Even within that 13-hour window, a call can still break the law. The statute also bars contact at any time or place the collector knows or should know is inconvenient for you.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – 1692c Communications in Connection With Debt Collection If you work nights and sleep until 2 p.m., a 10 a.m. call is illegal once the collector knows your schedule. You do not need any magic words. Telling the collector the time does not work for you is enough.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1006.6 Communications in Connection With Debt Collection
These time restrictions cover text messages and other electronic contact as well as phone calls. Collectors who reach out electronically must also give you a simple, free way to opt out of that channel.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1006.6 Communications in Connection With Debt Collection
How Many Times a Collector Can Call
The CFPB’s Regulation F sets a hard number: no more than seven calls within seven consecutive days about a particular debt. If you actually pick up and have a conversation, the collector must wait at least seven full days before calling again about that same debt.3eCFR. 12 CFR 1006.14 Harassing, Oppressive, or Abusive Conduct
The limit is per debt. A collector pursuing two separate accounts could technically make seven calls per week on each. A collector who blows past the seven-call cap is presumed to be harassing you, which makes proving a violation much easier.
Calls at Work
A debt collector cannot call you at work if they know or have reason to know your employer does not allow personal calls of that kind.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – 1692c Communications in Connection With Debt Collection A single phone conversation is enough to trigger this protection. Tell the collector you cannot receive their calls at your job and they are legally required to stop. Verbal notice works here; nothing has to be in writing.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1006.6 Communications in Connection With Debt Collection
Still, write it down. Note the date, time, and the name of the person you spoke with. If a call comes to your workplace after that conversation, you have evidence of a clear FDCPA violation.
Which Callers These Rules Cover
The FDCPA applies to third-party debt collectors, not to the original company you owe. If your credit card issuer’s own in-house collections department is calling, the federal calling-hour rules generally do not apply to them.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Laws Limit What Debt Collectors Can Say or Do The protections kick in once the creditor hands your account to a collection agency or sells the debt to a buyer who then tries to collect.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is an Original Creditor and What Is the Difference Between an Original Creditor and a Debt Collector
The law also only covers debts incurred for personal, family, or household purposes. Business and commercial debts fall outside its scope entirely.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. CFPB Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Procedures If the calls are about an unpaid commercial lease for your business, the calling-hour limits and harassment protections in the FDCPA do not apply.
How to Stop the Calls Completely
You can cut off contact by sending the collector a written notice stating that you want all communication to stop. For a full cease-communication request, the statute requires written notice; a verbal request is not enough.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – 1692c Communications in Connection With Debt Collection Include your name and any account number so the collector can match your letter to the right file.
Send it by certified mail with a return receipt. The receipt proves the date the collector received the notice, which is what you’ll need if they keep calling.
Once they’ve received your letter, the collector can only contact you for three narrow reasons: to confirm they are stopping collection efforts, to notify you they may pursue a specific legal remedy, or to tell you they intend to take a specific action such as filing suit.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – 1692c Communications in Connection With Debt Collection Anything else is a violation.
One thing to be clear about: stopping the calls does not make the debt go away. The collector can still report the debt to credit bureaus and can still sue you. You’ve silenced the phone, not resolved the obligation.
What to Do If a Collector Calls Outside Legal Hours
A call at 6 a.m., a text at 11 p.m., or an eighth call in a week gives you real options.
File a Complaint
Report the violation to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau through its online complaint portal at consumerfinance.gov/complaint or by calling 855-411-2372.7Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Submit a Complaint The CFPB forwards complaints to the collector and requires a response. You can also report scam-like collection tactics to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Sue the Collector
The FDCPA gives you a private right of action. If you win, you can recover any actual damages you suffered, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages per case, plus your attorney’s fees and court costs.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – 1692k Civil Liability The fee-shifting provision is what makes these cases viable in practice. Few consumers would hire a lawyer over a $1,000 cap, but because the collector pays the legal fees when you win, consumer attorneys regularly take FDCPA cases on contingency.
In a class action, damages for the group can reach up to $500,000 or 1 percent of the collector’s net worth, whichever is less.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – 1692k Civil Liability
Document Everything
Save voicemails. Screenshot call logs showing the time, date, and number. Keep copies of any letters and note the details of every conversation. Evidence is what turns an annoying pattern of late-night calls into a provable FDCPA violation, and it’s what a consumer attorney will ask for the moment you call.