State file — Missouri
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 | 10 years (written contract) / 5 years (open account) · Mo. Rev. Stat. §§516.110, 516.120 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it §516.110 gives 10 years for actions on a writing for the payment of money; §516.120 gives 5 years for contracts and open accounts not in that category. Contested: Creditors argue a signed cardholder agreement is a 'writing for the payment of money' worth 10 years under §516.110; Missouri courts and most analyses treat a revolving credit-card account as an open account / ordinary contract under §516.120 (5 years). Which period applies to a given card claim is genuinely litigated. |
| If the clock has run out | Paying part of it, or signing a written statement that the debt is yours, can restart it. Mo. Rev. Stat. §§516.320, 516.340 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it An acknowledgment or new promise restarts the period only if in a writing subscribed by the party chargeable (§516.320), but §516.340 provides that rule does not 'alter, take away or lessen the effect of a payment of any principal or interest' — so part payment also restarts. |
| Deadline to answer a lawsuit | 30 days after service of the summons and petition · Mo. R. Civ. P. 55.25(a); Mo. Rev. Stat. §509.260 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your paycheck (wage garnishment) | More protective than the federal cap. Garnishment of earnings is limited to the least of: 25% of disposable earnings, the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage, or — if the employee is head of a family and a Missouri resident — 10% of disposable earnings. Mo. Rev. Stat. §525.030.2 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
| Taking your bank account (a levy) | No bank-account-specific exemption. The practical shield for a small balance is the §513.430.1(3) wildcard — $600 of any property — plus an extra $1,250 for a head of family and $350 per child under 21 under §513.440, which debtors apply to funds on deposit. (2026 legislation, HB 1870, raises several §513.430 amounts; effective dates were not confirmed in this pass.) Mo. Rev. Stat. §§513.430.1(3), 513.440 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? | Partially — Missouri has no collection-specific mini-FDCPA. The MMPA prohibits deception, fraud, and unfair practices 'in connection with' the sale of merchandise, and Missouri courts have applied it to loan servicing and collection conduct beyond the original contracting parties — so a creditor's own deceptive collection practices can be reached, but there are no FDCPA-style validation/communication rules for original creditors. (Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.020) |
| How long a judgment lasts | 10 years — A judgment is presumed paid after 10 years; it may be revived by court order on the judgment creditor's motion filed within 10 years of entry or of the last revival, and the judgment lien runs with the same 10-year period. · Mo. Rev. Stat. §516.350; Mo. Sup. Ct. R. 74.08, 74.09 From a secondary source — double-check before you rely on it |
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10 years (written contract) / 5 years (open account) under Mo. Rev. Stat. §§516.110, 516.120. 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. (Mo. Rev. Stat. §§516.320, 516.340).
30 days after service of the summons and petition (Mo. R. Civ. P. 55.25(a); Mo. Rev. Stat. §509.260). Most of these cases are lost by default — by never answering at all.
Garnishment of earnings is limited to the least of: 25% of disposable earnings, the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage, or — if the employee is head of a family and a Missouri resident — 10% of disposable earnings. (Mo. Rev. Stat. §525.030.2).