Maine debt: six years from your last activity, and nothing restarts it
Maine has a time limit written specifically for debt collectors: six years from your last activity on the debt, and after that nothing you pay or say can bring it back. Debt buyers also have to prove they own the debt, with the full chain of owners, before they can collect.
The check is free. If a dispute letter will help, it costs $29 ($19 for military, veterans, seniors and people with disabilities) with three follow-ups.
Who is asking you to pay?
Look at the company name at the top of the letter or in the caller ID.
Maine at a glance
- Collector lawsuits
- 6 years from last activity
- After the limit
- No revival by payment or promise
- Known time-barred suits
- Banned (11013(7))
- Debt buyers must hold
- Chain of ownership since charge-off
- Judgment for a debt buyer
- Only if the complaint alleges it
- Wages protected
- At least 75%
General information about Maine law, with sources below. Not legal advice.
A six-year limit written for collectors
A debt collector may not start a collection lawsuit more than six years after the consumer's last activity on the debt, whatever any other time limit says, unless Maine law gives a shorter one (32 M.R.S. 11013(8)). Once that period expires, no later payment, written or spoken affirmation, or other activity on the debt revives or extends it (32 M.R.S. 11013(8)). A debt collector may not start a collection action when it knows or reasonably should know the action is time-barred (32 M.R.S. 11013(7)).
Civil actions must generally be brought within six years (14 M.R.S. 752), but the collector rule above is the one that protects you against agencies and debt buyers.
Our guide on how to dispute a debt with a collector applies in Maine, with a free sample letter.
National collectors active in Maine include Enterprise Recovery Systems and Harris & Harris; our guides list their official dispute addresses.
What a debt buyer must prove in Maine
Since 2017, a debt buyer may not collect a debt unless it holds specific documentation, including the name of the owner and every owner after charge-off with the date of each sale (32 M.R.S. 11013(9)). A court may not enter judgment for a debt buyer unless its complaint alleges that documentation, that it is the current owner, and that the suit is within the time limit.
That is exactly what a dispute letter asks for. A written dispute inside the validation period also makes the collector stop until it mails verification.
Compare the 6-year limit with every other state in our statute of limitations on debt by state table.
Limits vary a lot between states: by comparison, Montana sets 5 years and Pennsylvania sets 4 years for similar debts.
A Maine summons has a short deadline. Our debt lawsuit guide covers answering it, defenses such as the time limit, and settling.
Garnishment in Maine
Wage garnishment in Maine goes through post-judgment disclosure proceedings, and at least 75% of disposable earnings, or 40 times the federal minimum wage a week, is protected.
Already facing a garnishment in Maine? Our wage garnishment guide covers exemption claims, hardship and how long a garnishment lasts.
Questions people ask about debt in Maine
What is the statute of limitations on debt in Maine?
A debt collector cannot sue more than six years after your last activity on the debt (32 M.R.S. 11013(8)), and civil actions generally have six years (14 M.R.S. 752).
Can a payment revive an old debt in Maine?
No. Once the period expires, a payment, a promise or any other activity does not revive or extend it.
What does a debt buyer need to collect in Maine?
Specific documentation, including the name of the owner and every owner after charge-off with the date of each sale.
Can a debt buyer win a lawsuit without that paperwork?
A court may not enter judgment for a debt buyer unless its complaint alleges the documentation, that it is the current owner and that the suit is timely.
How much of my wages can be garnished in Maine?
At least 75% of disposable earnings, or 40 times the federal minimum wage a week, is protected, and garnishment goes through post-judgment disclosure proceedings.