How we research our guides

Debt lawsuits are governed mostly by each state's court rules and statutes, with a few federal rules on top. This page explains where our information comes from and how the tools work.

Sources

Each state page is built from official state sources only: court rules, statutes on the legislature's website, court self-help pages and official court forms. Garnishment limits and the time limit to sue are copied from the fact-checked data of our sister site, Debt Collector Map, and say so. Federal facts come from the official text: 15 U.S.C. 1692i and 1692k, 15 U.S.C. 1673, 12 CFR 1006.26, 50 U.S.C. 3931, 31 CFR part 212 and IRS Topic No. 431. Each page lists its sources and the date it was checked.

How we check

  • Every state file is researched and then checked by a second, independent reviewer against the official text, with special care for answer deadlines, default set-aside rules, judgment rules and exemption deadlines.
  • A state page is published only after that check. Until then, the state appears on our map and in our tables as “not covered yet,” with a link to the state's court self-help page or LawHelp.org.
  • Where something could not be confirmed, we leave it out instead of guessing.

The calculators

The answer-deadline, set-aside and exemption calculators add the number of days, months or years in the state's rule to the date you enter. They count calendar or business days, and move a deadline off a weekend, only where the state's rule says so. Otherwise they count every calendar day and tell you to count carefully and ask the clerk. They never know court holidays, so file early.

The letters

The request for debt documents and the exemption claim cover letter fill a standard letter with what you type. They are made on your device in English, because courts and lawyers in the US work in English; on Spanish pages a Spanish translation is shown below them. When you download or copy a letter, we save the details you entered, as our privacy policy explains. The answer-form helper only explains how to fill in the state's official form; it is not a court form.

Report an error

Email us at [email protected] with a link to the official source and we'll check it.