Sued in Alaska? You have 20 days to answer

District Court and small claims: 20 days.

Count my answer deadlineHow to answerI missed it / default

Checked against official sources: Oct 24, 2026. · Free letters and forms ↓

Count your answer deadline in Alaska

Pick your court and the day you were served (got the court papers). We show the last day to answer and what to do next.

The date is counted in your browser.

The court's name is at the top of your summons.

An estimate from our state data, not legal advice. Court holidays and local rules can change a deadline. File early, and ask the court clerk if you are not sure.

Alaska guides by topic

How to answer in Alaska

Your deadline by court, the official form, fees and defenses.

Default judgment in Alaska

What a default means and how to set it aside, with a calculator.

After a judgment in Alaska

Wage garnishment, bank levies and how to claim an exemption.

Debt buyer lawsuits in Alaska

What a debt buyer must prove, and old debts as a defense.

Which court hears debt cases in Alaska

District Court (formal civil debt collection case)

Cases up to $100,000

Most debt collection lawsuits are filed here as a formal civil case under the Rules of Civil Procedure. The limit is $100,000 per defendant, not counting costs, interest and attorney fees. In a district court debt case, the plaintiff must serve you the court's 'Answer & Counterclaim to Complaint to Collect a Debt' form (CIV-481) with the complaint.

Law: AS 22.15.030(a)(1); Alaska District Court Civil Rule 1(a)(1)(B)

District Court, Small Claims

Cases up to $10,000

An informal process for claims up to $10,000. You can answer with the Small Claims Answer form (SC-3), or check a box on form CIV-481 to move the case to the formal district court process.

Law: AS 22.15.040(a)

Superior Court

No dollar limit stated

Hears debt cases over $100,000.

Law: AS 22.15.030(b)

How to answer in Alaska

How to answer

Fill out the answer form, make 2 copies, mail or hand one copy to the plaintiff's lawyer (or the plaintiff), fill in the Certificate of Service, and file the original with the court location named on the summons.

Official answer form
Answer & Counterclaim to Complaint to Collect a Debt (CIV-481); in small claims, Small Claims Answer (SC-3)
Fee to answer

The court's fee page says there are no additional fees once a case has been opened (other than copies and similar services), and the fee schedule lists no fee for filing an answer.

Law: Admin. Rule 9

If you can't pay the fees

Request for Exemption from Payment of Fees (TF-920): https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/courtfees.htm

How you must be served

The summons and complaint must be delivered to you personally by a peace officer, process server or other authorized person, or mailed to you by registered or certified mail, restricted delivery, return receipt requested. Mail service is complete when you sign the return receipt.

Law: Alaska R. Civ. P. 4(c), 4(d), 4(h)

Law: Alaska R. Civ. P. 6(a), 12(a); Alaska District Court Civil Rule 12(a); Alaska Admin. Rule 9

Defenses to know in Alaska

Defenses in Alaska law

The court's answer form lists common defenses you can check: not your debt; wrong amount; the plaintiff cannot prove it owns the debt (debt buyer); the 3-year statute of limitations for contracts has run; the debt was already decided in another case; bankruptcy; improper sale of collateral; payday lender skipped required steps before suing; bounced-check notice not given; and active military service. You can also bring a counterclaim, for example under the Alaska Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act or the federal FDCPA.

Law: AS 09.10.053; AS 45.29.610, 45.29.614; AS 06.50.550; AS 09.68.115; AS 45.50.531(a)

Debt buyer lawsuits
In a district court debt case, the plaintiff must name a person authorized to discuss the case (with phone, mail and email) in the complaint, and must serve you the court's answer form CIV-481 with the complaint. Debt buyer lawsuits in Alaska: the full rules
Time limit to sue (written contract)
3 years · More on old debts at Debt Collector Map

If you missed the deadline in Alaska

A default judgment means the court decides against you because you didn't answer. You may be able to ask the court to set it aside (cancel it), but time limits are short.

What happens

If you are properly served and do not file an answer within 20 days, the plaintiff can ask for a default judgment. The plaintiff then gets what it asked for without the court hearing your side, and can collect from your bank account, Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) or paycheck.

How to set it aside (cancel it)

If the default was entered recently and the creditor has not started collecting, file a Motion, Affidavit & Order to Set Aside Default & Accept Late Filed Answer (CIV-858) together with your answer (CIV-481) and show 'good cause'. Otherwise, file a Motion and Affidavit to Set Aside Judgment or Order (SHC-1548) under Civil Rule 60(b). A motion based on mistake, excusable neglect, newly discovered evidence or fraud must be filed within a reasonable time and no more than 1 year after the judgment.

Law: Alaska R. Civ. P. 55(e); Alaska R. Civ. P. 60(b)

Count your deadline to set aside a default

The date is counted in your browser.

The court's name is at the top of the judgment.

An estimate from our state data, not legal advice. Court holidays and local rules can change a deadline. File early, and ask the court clerk if you are not sure.

Mediation and settlement in Alaska

The Anchorage District Court offers free mediation by trained volunteers in small claims cases, on the morning the case is set for trial. In formal cases, the judge may ask whether the parties want mediation or a settlement conference.

If there is a judgment in Alaska

A judgment is the court's decision that you owe money. Then the creditor can ask the court to take money from your pay or bank account.

Interest after the judgment

3 percentage points above the 12th Federal Reserve District discount rate in effect on January 2 of the year the judgment is entered. If the judgment is based on a written contract with a stated interest rate (no higher than the legal rate), the contract rate applies if it is written in the judgment.

How long it lasts

A creditor has 10 years to bring a new lawsuit on the judgment. If 5 years pass after the judgment without a writ of execution being issued, the creditor needs a court order to get one; the court grants it if there are just and sufficient reasons for the delay.

Law: AS 09.30.070(a); AS 09.10.040(a); AS 09.35.020

Garnishment, bank levy and exemptions in Alaska

Exempt means protected by law: money or property the creditor can't take. Often you must claim it yourself, fast.

Wage garnishment (taking part of your pay)

Alaska protects a dollar amount of your weekly take-home pay. The amount in effect by regulation is $473 a week (statute $350); the federal limit also applies and you keep whichever protects more. If your earnings alone support your household, you can file an affidavit to raise it to $743 a week (statute $550).

Law: AS 09.38.030; AS 09.38.050(b); 8 AAC 95.030

Bank levy (freezing and taking money in your bank account)

The creditor gets a writ of execution and has it served on your bank or other property holder; you get a Notice of Levy (CIV-510) with the creditor's affidavit. Only if you do not get regular weekly, semi-monthly or monthly pay, up to $1,890 a month in cash and liquid assets, including deposits, is protected (statute $1,400; 8 AAC 95.030). The creditor can also take part of your Permanent Fund Dividend.

How to claim an exemption

Property or bank account seized (levy): file a Claim of Exemptions (CIV-515) - and for property with value limits a Claim of Exemptions for Property Subject to Value Limits (CIV-537) - with the clerk of the court named on the Notice of Levy (CIV-510), in person or through TrueFiling, within 15 days after the seizure. Wage garnishment: file a Claim of Exemption from Garnishment (CIV-531) within 15 days after you receive the Notice of Garnishment and Notice of Right to Exemptions (CIV-530). Exemptions are not automatic: you must claim them. The court sets a hearing, and you must prove the exemption.

Exemption form
https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/civ-515.pdf

Law: AS 09.38.080(e)-(f); AS 09.38.085; forms CIV-510 (6/26), CIV-530, CIV-511

These garnishment limits are from our sister site, which checks them against official sources: Debt Collector Map: Alaska

Count your deadline to claim an exemption

The date is counted in your browser.

Read the notice you got from the court, your bank or your employer.

An estimate from our state data, not legal advice. Court holidays and local rules can change a deadline. File early, and ask the court clerk if you are not sure.

Free help in Alaska

Court self-help

Free letters and forms

Ask the plaintiff's lawyer for the debt documents

The contract, the chain of ownership and an itemization of what they claim.

Help filling in Alaska's official answer form

Link to the official form and what to write on it.

Exemption claim cover letter

A letter to the court clerk to file with your exemption claim form.

Good to know in Alaska

  • In a district court debt case, the plaintiff must serve you a blank court answer form (CIV-481) with the complaint, with check-box defenses and an 'Offer to Pay' section (District Court Civil Rule 1(a)(1)(B)).
  • Creditors can collect from your Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) after a judgment (Alaska Court System, Collecting a Debt).
  • Court clerks can notarize your signature on affidavit forms for free (Alaska Court System, Default Judgments).

Federal rules in every state

  • Where a collector must sue. A debt collector that sues you over a consumer debt must file where you signed the contract or where you live when the suit starts. Law: 15 U.S.C. 1692i(a)(2)
  • Old debts. A debt collector must not sue you, or threaten to sue you, on a debt that is too old to sue on. Law: 12 CFR 1006.26(b)
  • Before a default judgment. Before the court gives the plaintiff a default judgment, the plaintiff must file a sworn statement saying whether you are in military service. Law: 50 U.S.C. 3931(b)(1)
  • Your pay. For an ordinary debt, a creditor can take at most 25% of your take-home pay, or the part above 30 times the federal minimum wage if that is less. Many states protect more. Law: 15 U.S.C. 1673(a)
  • Federal benefits in the bank. Your bank must protect up to two months of Social Security, SSI, VA and some other federal benefits that were paid into your account by direct deposit. You don't have to ask. Law: 31 CFR 212.5, 212.6

Questions about debt lawsuits in Alaska

How long do I have to answer a debt lawsuit in Alaska?

20 days after you are served with the summons and complaint (district court and small claims). Count every day. If the last day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, it is due the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday. A Friday deadline does not move.

How do I answer a debt lawsuit in Alaska?

Fill out the answer form, make 2 copies, mail or hand one copy to the plaintiff's lawyer (or the plaintiff), fill in the Certificate of Service, and file the original with the court location named on the summons.

Is there an official answer form in Alaska?

Answer & Counterclaim to Complaint to Collect a Debt (CIV-481); in small claims, Small Claims Answer (SC-3): https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/civ-481.pdf

Does it cost money to answer in Alaska?

The court's fee page says there are no additional fees once a case has been opened (other than copies and similar services), and the fee schedule lists no fee for filing an answer.

What if I can't afford the court fees in Alaska?

Request for Exemption from Payment of Fees (TF-920): https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/courtfees.htm

What happens if I don't answer in Alaska?

If you are properly served and do not file an answer within 20 days, the plaintiff can ask for a default judgment. The plaintiff then gets what it asked for without the court hearing your side, and can collect from your bank account, Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) or paycheck.

Can I cancel a default judgment in Alaska?

If the default was entered recently and the creditor has not started collecting, file a Motion, Affidavit & Order to Set Aside Default & Accept Late Filed Answer (CIV-858) together with your answer (CIV-481) and show 'good cause'. Otherwise, file a Motion and Affidavit to Set Aside Judgment or Order (SHC-1548) under Civil Rule 60(b). A motion based on mistake, excusable neglect, newly discovered evidence or fraud must be filed within a reasonable time and no more than 1 year after the judgment.

How much interest does a judgment add in Alaska?

3 percentage points above the 12th Federal Reserve District discount rate in effect on January 2 of the year the judgment is entered. If the judgment is based on a written contract with a stated interest rate (no higher than the legal rate), the contract rate applies if it is written in the judgment.

How long does a judgment last in Alaska?

A creditor has 10 years to bring a new lawsuit on the judgment. If 5 years pass after the judgment without a writ of execution being issued, the creditor needs a court order to get one; the court grants it if there are just and sufficient reasons for the delay.

Can my wages be garnished in Alaska?

Alaska protects a dollar amount of your weekly take-home pay. The amount in effect by regulation is $473 a week (statute $350); the federal limit also applies and you keep whichever protects more. If your earnings alone support your household, you can file an affidavit to raise it to $743 a week (statute $550).

Can a creditor take money from my bank account in Alaska?

The creditor gets a writ of execution and has it served on your bank or other property holder; you get a Notice of Levy (CIV-510) with the creditor's affidavit. Only if you do not get regular weekly, semi-monthly or monthly pay, up to $1,890 a month in cash and liquid assets, including deposits, is protected (statute $1,400; 8 AAC 95.030). The creditor can also take part of your Permanent Fund Dividend.

How do I claim an exemption in Alaska?

Property or bank account seized (levy): file a Claim of Exemptions (CIV-515) - and for property with value limits a Claim of Exemptions for Property Subject to Value Limits (CIV-537) - with the clerk of the court named on the Notice of Levy (CIV-510), in person or through TrueFiling, within 15 days after the seizure. Wage garnishment: file a Claim of Exemption from Garnishment (CIV-531) within 15 days after you receive the Notice of Garnishment and Notice of Right to Exemptions (CIV-530). Exemptions are not automatic: you must claim them. The court sets a hearing, and you must prove the exemption.

More help on our sister sites

Sources

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Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.

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Count my deadline