Debt relief that starts with your state's rules
Your state's debt collection rules, how long creditors have to sue, what can be garnished, and the ways out of debt, with free calculators and a free match with debt relief providers.
Your rights depend on where you live
Federal law sets the floor for how debt collectors must treat you, but your state decides a lot of what matters most:
- How long a creditor has to sue you. Anywhere from three to ten years, depending on the state and the kind of debt.
- How much of your paycheck can be taken. Some states protect more than federal law does, and a few don't allow wage garnishment for credit card debt at all.
- What else is protected. Your home, car, retirement savings and part of your bank account are usually shielded, up to limits your state sets.
- Who collectors answer to. Many states license debt collectors and take complaints against them.
Start with debt help in your state. Each page sums up those rules in plain language, with links to the laws and to the state office that takes complaints.
Ways out of debt
- Nonprofit credit counseling and a debt management plan can cut card interest rates and roll your payments into one, without a new loan.
- A debt consolidation loan or balance transfer card can lower your rate if your credit is still good. Check the fees first with our consolidation calculator.
- Debt settlement can reduce what you owe if you're already behind, but it hurts your credit and can create a tax bill.
- Bankruptcy wipes out or restructures debts under court protection, and your state's exemptions decide what you keep.
Not sure which fits? Tell us about your debts and we'll connect you with providers who can help. It's free, and there's no obligation.
Guides
- Debt relief guide: choosing a way out that fits your stateA step-by-step way to choose between consolidation, a debt management plan, settlement and bankruptcy, and the state rules that change which one makes sense.
- Debt settlement: what to check before you sign upHow debt settlement works, the federal fee rule, state rules on settlement companies, lawsuits and garnishment while you save, taxes on forgiven debt, and how to settle a debt yourself.
- Debt management plan or bankruptcy: how to chooseHow a nonprofit debt management plan compares with Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy on cost, time, credit and what you keep, and how your state's exemptions change the answer.
- Debt consolidation: loans, balance transfers and home equity comparedHow balance transfer cards, consolidation loans, home equity, 401(k) loans and nonprofit debt management plans compare, how to check the math, and what to know before you borrow against your home.
Debt calculators
- Debt Payoff CalculatorHow long your cards take to pay off, and the payment that clears them by your date.
- Minimum Payment CalculatorWhat paying only the minimum costs you, in years and interest.
- Debt Consolidation CalculatorWhether one loan beats paying your debts as you do now, fees included.
- Balance Transfer CalculatorWhether a 0% transfer card saves money after the fee.
- Snowball vs. AvalancheWhich debt to pay first, and your debt-free date either way.
- Home Equity Consolidation CalculatorYour debts as they are, compared with paying them off with a home equity line.
- Debt-to-Income CalculatorYour debt-to-income ratio the way lenders work it out.