Sued in Mississippi? Find your deadline today

Circuit, county and chancery court: 30 days after you are served.

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

Count your answer deadline in Mississippi

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.

Mississippi guides by topic

How to answer in Mississippi

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

Default judgment in Mississippi

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

After a judgment in Mississippi

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

Which court hears debt cases in Mississippi

Justice Court

Cases up to $3,500

Small claims civil cases of $3,500 or less.

Law: Mississippi Judiciary, Justice Court page

County Court (in counties that have one)

Cases up to $200,000

In counties that have a county court, it hears civil cases up to $200,000 (not counting costs and interest), shared with circuit court, and anything Justice Court can hear.

Law: Miss. Code § 9-9-21(1) (as amended by 2013 H.B. 142)

Circuit Court

No dollar limit stated

Hears larger civil cases, including debt suits above the Justice Court limit, and cases above $200,000 in counties with a county court.

Law: Miss. R. Civ. P. 1

How to answer in Mississippi

How to answer

Circuit and county court: serve a written answer on the plaintiff and file it with the circuit or county clerk. Justice Court: appear on the date in your summons; any paper you file must be signed and show your name, address and phone number.

If you can't pay the fees

Pauper's Affidavit and Motion to Proceed In Forma Pauperis: https://courts.ms.gov/Legal/Pauper's%20Affidavit.pdf and https://courts.ms.gov/Legal/Motion%20to%20Proceed%20IFP.pdf

Law: Miss. Code §§ 11-53-17, 11-53-19; M.R.C.P. 3(c)

How you must be served

Justice Court: the constable hands you the summons and complaint. If you cannot be found with reasonable effort, the constable may leave it with your spouse or a family member over 16 at your home and mail a copy, or post it on your door and mail a copy; service is then complete 10 days after the mailing. If the constable does not return the papers, the clerk can send them to the sheriff, or the plaintiff can use a process server 18 or older. Other courts follow Miss. R. Civ. P. 4.

Law: Rules of Justice Court 14(c)-(g); Miss. R. Civ. P. 4

Law: Miss. R. Civ. P. 12(a); Rules of Justice Court 14(b), 15

Defenses to know in Mississippi

Defenses in Mississippi law

Defenses go in your answer under Miss. R. Civ. P. 8. In Justice Court, a default judgment requires a factual basis for the claim and cannot exceed the amount asked for in the complaint.

Law: Rules of Justice Court 23(a)

If you missed the deadline in Mississippi

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

Justice Court: if you were properly notified of the trial date and do not come, the judge can enter a default judgment if there is a factual basis for the claim. Circuit and county court: if you do not answer in time, the clerk enters your default and the plaintiff asks the court for a default judgment.

How to set it aside (cancel it)

Justice Court: unless an appeal has been perfected, ask the judge to set aside the default judgment; after a hearing the judge can do so for good cause, weighing your reasons, whether your defense has merit, and harm to the plaintiff. Circuit and county court: the court can set aside an entry of default for good cause, and a default judgment under Rule 60(b): within 6 months for fraud, accident or mistake, or new evidence (counted from the date the judgment was entered); within a reasonable time if the judgment is void.

Law: Rules of Justice Court 23(a), 23(e); Miss. R. Civ. P. 55(c), 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.

If there is a judgment in Mississippi

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

A judgment on a sale or contract carries the same interest rate as the contract. Other judgments carry a yearly rate the judge sets, starting on a date the judge finds fair, but not before the complaint was filed.

How long it lasts

A judgment lasts 7 years from when it was entered or last renewed. Before it expires, the creditor can renew it by filing a Notice of Renewal with the clerk of the court that entered it (the clerk mails you notice), by a motion in that court, or by a new lawsuit on the judgment.

Law: Miss. Code §§ 75-17-7, 15-1-43; Bhana v. Patel, No. 2022-IA-01264-SCT (Miss.)

Garnishment, bank levy and exemptions in Mississippi

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)

At least the federal limit applies, up to 25% of your disposable earnings, or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage ($217.50 a week), whichever is less.

Law: 15 U.S.C. § 1673

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

In Justice Court, no collection action can start until 10 days after the judgment is entered. Federal benefits such as Social Security are protected from bank garnishment.

Law: Rules of Justice Court 24, 25

Free help in Mississippi

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.

Good to know in Mississippi

  • Justice Court hears small claims up to $3,500 (Mississippi Judiciary).
  • Mississippi's Rule 60(b) does not list excusable neglect; the 6-month grounds are fraud, accident or mistake, and new evidence (Miss. R. Civ. P. 60(b)).
  • In Justice Court, collection cannot begin until 10 days after judgment (Rules of Justice Court 24).

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 Mississippi

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

Circuit, county and chancery court: 30 days after you are served. Justice Court: your summons gives the date and time by which you must appear and defend; go to court on that date.

How do I answer a debt lawsuit in Mississippi?

Circuit and county court: serve a written answer on the plaintiff and file it with the circuit or county clerk. Justice Court: appear on the date in your summons; any paper you file must be signed and show your name, address and phone number.

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

Pauper's Affidavit and Motion to Proceed In Forma Pauperis: https://courts.ms.gov/Legal/Pauper's%20Affidavit.pdf and https://courts.ms.gov/Legal/Motion%20to%20Proceed%20IFP.pdf

What happens if I don't answer in Mississippi?

Justice Court: if you were properly notified of the trial date and do not come, the judge can enter a default judgment if there is a factual basis for the claim. Circuit and county court: if you do not answer in time, the clerk enters your default and the plaintiff asks the court for a default judgment.

Can I cancel a default judgment in Mississippi?

Justice Court: unless an appeal has been perfected, ask the judge to set aside the default judgment; after a hearing the judge can do so for good cause, weighing your reasons, whether your defense has merit, and harm to the plaintiff. Circuit and county court: the court can set aside an entry of default for good cause, and a default judgment under Rule 60(b): within 6 months for fraud, accident or mistake, or new evidence (counted from the date the judgment was entered); within a reasonable time if the judgment is void.

How much interest does a judgment add in Mississippi?

A judgment on a sale or contract carries the same interest rate as the contract. Other judgments carry a yearly rate the judge sets, starting on a date the judge finds fair, but not before the complaint was filed.

How long does a judgment last in Mississippi?

A judgment lasts 7 years from when it was entered or last renewed. Before it expires, the creditor can renew it by filing a Notice of Renewal with the clerk of the court that entered it (the clerk mails you notice), by a motion in that court, or by a new lawsuit on the judgment.

Can my wages be garnished in Mississippi?

At least the federal limit applies, up to 25% of your disposable earnings, or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage ($217.50 a week), whichever is less.

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

In Justice Court, no collection action can start until 10 days after the judgment is entered. Federal benefits such as Social Security are protected from bank garnishment.

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Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.

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