Under federal law, debt collectors can call you between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. in your local time zone, and no more than seven times about the same debt in any seven-day period. After they actually speak with you by phone, they have to wait at least a week before calling again about that debt. These limits come from the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and a 2021 rule known as Regulation F.
The 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Window
A collector may not contact you at an unusual time or a time it knows, or should know, is inconvenient. Without other information about your schedule, the law treats 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. as the only acceptable window.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1692c – Communication in Connection with Debt Collection
The clock runs on your local time, not the collector’s. A call center in New York that dials you in California at 6:00 a.m. Pacific is breaking the rule, even though it’s 9:00 a.m. where the caller is sitting.
These restrictions apply to third-party debt collectors, meaning companies whose business is collecting debts owed to someone else. The covered debts have to be personal, family, or household in nature, so business debts generally aren’t included. An original creditor collecting its own account in its own name usually isn’t bound by these rules. If that creditor uses a different name to make it look like a separate collection agency is calling, it becomes subject to the same limits as any other collector.2Federal Trade Commission. Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
Seven Calls in Seven Days
Even inside the legal hours, a collector can’t dial you as often as it wants. Regulation F presumes harassment if a collector places more than seven calls within any seven consecutive days about the same debt. A separate cooling-off rule kicks in after any actual telephone conversation: at least seven days must pass before the collector may call you again about that debt.3eCFR. 12 CFR Part 1006 – Debt Collection Practices (Regulation F)
Two things to know about how the cap works. It runs per debt, not per person. If two separate accounts of yours were placed with the same agency, the collector could make up to seven calls a week on each one. And “placing a telephone call” includes leaving a ringless voicemail. It does not include text messages or emails, which fall under their own rules.
Calls you invited by giving prior consent don’t count toward the seven.
Making the Window Smaller
You can tighten the calling hours by telling the collector when a call would be inconvenient. No formal language is required. Federal guidance treats a plain statement like “I can’t be disturbed on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” or “you can only reach me between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays,” as enough.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 1006.6 Communications in Connection with Debt Collection
Once the collector has that information, whether you gave it directly or it came from the original creditor’s file, calling outside those hours is a violation. This is worth using if you work nights, have small children asleep in the morning, or simply want a narrower window than the default one.
Calls to Your Workplace
A collector can’t call you at work once it knows, or has reason to know, your employer prohibits those calls.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1692c – Communication in Connection with Debt Collection Telling the collector over the phone or in writing that your employer doesn’t allow personal calls of this kind is enough to activate the protection. Any workplace call after that point is a violation.
The same principle extends to your work email. A collector must not send messages to an email address it knows your employer provided, unless you used that address to reach out first or gave direct consent.3eCFR. 12 CFR Part 1006 – Debt Collection Practices (Regulation F)
Texts, Emails, and Social Media
Debt collectors aren’t limited to the phone. Regulation F lets them contact you by email, text message, and even social media, and each channel has its own guardrails.
Every electronic message must include a clear way to opt out of further messages through that channel. The collector can’t charge a fee to process your opt-out or demand extra personal information beyond your preference.3eCFR. 12 CFR Part 1006 – Debt Collection Practices (Regulation F)
Social media messages have to be private. A collector may send you a direct message, but nothing visible to the public, your friends, or your followers. The message must identify the sender as a debt collector and give you a simple way to opt out of further contact on that platform.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Can a Debt Collector Contact Me Through Social Media?
After you opt out of a channel, the collector may send one electronic acknowledgment of your request. Nothing else through that channel after that.
Cutting Off Contact Entirely
You have the right to stop the calls altogether. Send a written notice telling the collector you refuse to pay the debt or that you want all communication to stop.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1692c – Communication in Connection with Debt Collection The law doesn’t require certified mail, but sending it certified with a return receipt gives you proof of the date the collector received it, which matters if you later have to enforce your rights.
Include the agency’s name and address, your account number if you have one, and a direct statement that you want communication to stop. Once the collector has your notice, it may contact you only in three narrow situations:6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1692c – Communication in Connection with Debt Collection
- To confirm once that it is ending collection efforts.
- To notify you that it or the creditor may pursue a remedy it ordinarily uses, such as credit reporting.
- To notify you that it or the creditor intends to take a specific action, such as filing a lawsuit.
A cease notice stops the contact, not the debt. The collector can still report the account to credit bureaus, sell the debt to another collector (which is then bound by the same notice once informed), or sue you.
When a Collector Ignores the Rules
Beyond timing and frequency, federal law bans threats of violence, obscene language, and repeated calls meant to harass.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1692d – Harassment or Abuse If a collector crosses any line, including the calling-hour and frequency limits, you have two ways to push back.
You can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which supervises debt collection and can pursue enforcement.8Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Contact Us The CFPB forwards complaints to the company and generally works to get a response within 15 days.
You can also sue. A successful FDCPA case can recover your actual damages, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages per case, plus attorney’s fees and court costs. Class action statutory damages for members other than named plaintiffs are capped at the lesser of $500,000 or one percent of the collector’s net worth.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1692k – Civil Liability The filing deadline is one year from the date of the violation.
Documentation makes or breaks these cases. Log every call with the date, time, the number that appeared, and what was said. Save voicemails, texts, and emails. If you sent a cease notice, keep the return receipt. That paper trail is what turns a rules violation into a case you can win.