State file — Hawaii
Every number below names the law it comes from (its statute citation), checked October 18, 2026. Where a number comes from a secondary source instead of the official text, this page says so — double-check it before you rely on it.
| How long they have to sue you — credit-card debt | 6 years · HRS §657-1 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it Six years for contract and account debt, written or not; card debt falls under the same section. |
| If the clock has run out | Paying part of it, or signing a written statement that the debt is yours, can restart it. HRS ch. 657 (annotations to §657-1) From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it No stand-alone revival statute found. Hawaii case law treats a part payment, or an express promise or admission of the debt, as a new promise that starts a fresh period. |
| Deadline to answer a lawsuit | 20 days after service of the summons and complaint · Haw. R. Civ. P. 12(a)(1) |
| Taking your paycheck (wage garnishment) | More protective than the federal cap. Hawaii uses its own wage formula instead of the federal one: only 5% of the first $100 of monthly pay after required withholdings, 10% of the next $100, and 20% of anything over $200 can be taken. The federal cap also applies, and whichever protects the worker more controls. HRS §652-1 |
| Taking your bank account (a levy) | Hawaii has no general bank-account exemption and no wildcard. A creditor with a judgment can garnish the account under HRS ch. 652; only money that traces to exempt sources — Social Security, unemployment, workers' compensation, public benefits — is protected. HRS §651-121; HRS ch. 652 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it Federal benefits deposited directly get an automatic two-month shield everywhere (31 CFR Part 212). |
| Original creditor calling? | Yes — the Hawaii Collection Practices law (HRS ch. 480D (§§480D-2, 480D-3)) applies FDCPA-style rules to original creditors. Unusual definition: a 'debt collector' is a person who in the regular course of business collects consumer debts owed or due TO the collector — so an original creditor collecting its own debts is covered by the banned-practices list. Licensed collection agencies are regulated separately under HRS ch. 443B. |
| How long a judgment lasts | 10 years — May be extended on motion filed within the first 10 years, but no judgment may be extended beyond 20 years from the date it was entered. · HRS §657-5 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
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6 years under HRS §657-1. The clock usually starts at the first missed payment that was never made up. Debt collectors may still call after it runs out, but Regulation F (12 CFR 1006.26(b)) bars them from suing — or threatening to sue — over a debt that is too old (time-barred).
Paying part of it, or signing a written statement that the debt is yours, can restart it. (HRS ch. 657 (annotations to §657-1)).
20 days after service of the summons and complaint (Haw. R. Civ. P. 12(a)(1)). Most of these cases are lost by default — by never answering at all.
Hawaii uses its own wage formula instead of the federal one: only 5% of the first $100 of monthly pay after required withholdings, 10% of the next $100, and 20% of anything over $200 can be taken. The federal cap also applies, and whichever protects the worker more controls. (HRS §652-1).