Dealing With Debt Collectors in New Hampshire (2026)
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · New Hampshire · Last updated August 13, 2026
This page explains how New Hampshire law protects you when a debt collector calls, on top of your federal rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). New Hampshire sets a three-year statute of limitations on most personal actions, including ordinary contract and consumer debt, under RSA 508:4. The state also has its own collection statute, the Unfair, Deceptive or Unreasonable Collection Practices Act, RSA 358-C, which unlike the FDCPA also applies to creditors collecting their own debts and ties violations to the Consumer Protection Act, RSA 358-A. A standout feature is that New Hampshire gives wages exceptionally strong protection: under the trustee process rules in RSA 512, a creditor generally cannot garnish future wages at all, making ongoing wage garnishment for consumer debt effectively unavailable.
What is the statute of limitations on debt in New Hampshire?
Most New Hampshire consumer debt, including credit cards and ordinary contracts, is subject to a three-year statute of limitations under RSA 508:4. That is the window a creditor or collector has to sue you. A different rule, RSA 508:5, gives 20 years for court judgments and contracts under seal, which are uncommon in consumer debt.
Can my wages be garnished for consumer debt in New Hampshire?
Almost never on an ongoing basis. Under the trustee process rules in RSA 512:21, wages you earn after the collection writ is served are exempt, and only limited amounts already earned can be reached, mainly on a New Hampshire court judgment. In practice New Hampshire offers little or no continuing wage garnishment for consumer debt.
How do I stop a debt collector from calling me in New Hampshire?
Send a written cease-communication letter. Under the FDCPA (15 U.S.C. 1692c) a collector must stop contact once it receives your letter. New Hampshire adds RSA 358-C, which bars unfair, deceptive, or unreasonable collection and, unlike the FDCPA, also applies to a creditor collecting its own debt.
What can a debt collector not do under New Hampshire law?
Under RSA 358-C:3 a collector or creditor cannot collect in an unfair, deceptive, or unreasonable way, cannot reveal your debt to third parties who are not liable for it, and cannot use threats or harassment. A violation is also an unfair or deceptive act under RSA 358-A, which can support enhanced damages.
How New Hampshire regulates debt collectors
New Hampshire pairs the federal FDCPA with its own collection statute, the Unfair, Deceptive or Unreasonable Collection Practices Act, RSA 358-C. Its most important feature is scope: unlike the federal FDCPA, which mainly reaches third-party collectors, RSA 358-C also applies to creditors collecting their own consumer debts, so an original creditor is bound too. RSA 358-C:3 lists prohibited acts, including communicating the debt to third parties who are not liable for it, and RSA 358-C:4 makes any violation an unfair or deceptive act under the Consumer Protection Act, RSA 358-A, which can carry enhanced or treble damages and attorney's fees. New Hampshire does not maintain a general licensing regime for ordinary third-party collection agencies; the New Hampshire Banking Department instead licenses related consumer-credit businesses such as debt adjusters under RSA 399-D. The state's signature protection, though, is on wages: under the trustee process in RSA 512:21, wages earned after the writ is served are exempt, so a creditor cannot set up a continuing garnishment and must return to court for any amount already earned. New Hampshire also protects home equity through the homestead exemption in RSA 480:1, raised to $400,000 per owner effective January 1, 2026. The New Hampshire Department of Justice, Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau, takes complaints at 1-888-468-4454 or (603) 271-3641.
Relevant Laws
New Hampshire Statute of Limitations, RSA 508:4
Sets a three-year limitations period for most personal actions, which covers ordinary contract and consumer debt in New Hampshire, including credit cards and open accounts. A creditor generally must sue within three years after the cause of action accrues. A separate 20-year rule under RSA 508:5 applies to judgments and contracts under seal.
Unfair, Deceptive or Unreasonable Collection Practices Act, RSA 358-C
New Hampshire's own collection statute. RSA 358-C:3 prohibits unfair, deceptive, or unreasonable collection, including revealing the debt to third parties not liable for it. Unlike the FDCPA it also applies to creditors collecting their own debts, and RSA 358-C:4 makes any violation an unfair or deceptive act under RSA 358-A.
New Hampshire Trustee Process Exemptions, RSA 512:21
Lists the exemptions in New Hampshire's trustee process, the mechanism used to reach wages and property. Wages earned after the writ is served are exempt, and wages already earned are largely protected except in limited actions on a New Hampshire judgment, so ongoing wage garnishment for consumer debt is effectively unavailable.
Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), 15 U.S.C. 1692
The federal statute governing third-party debt collectors. It bars harassment (1692d), false representations (1692e), and unfair practices (1692f), creates the 30-day debt validation right (1692g), and lets you demand that a collector cease communication (1692c). It works alongside New Hampshire law.
Regional Variances
New Hampshire statute of limitations by debt type
Written contract
Generally three years under RSA 508:4, which sets the limitations period for most personal actions, including ordinary written contracts. The longer 20-year period in RSA 508:5 applies only to contracts under seal and to judgments, which are uncommon in consumer credit.
Oral contract
Three years under RSA 508:4. New Hampshire does not create a shorter or longer period for oral consumer contracts; they fall within the general three-year limit for personal actions.
Open account / credit card
Generally three years, treated as ordinary contract debt under RSA 508:4. Credit card and open-account balances are subject to the three-year limitations period, running from when the debt became due or the last account activity.
Promissory note
Typically three years under RSA 508:4 as a contract action, unless the instrument qualifies as a specialty under seal, which carries 20 years under RSA 508:5.: confirm whether a negotiable promissory note falls under RSA 382-A:3-118 (UCC Article 3) rather than RSA 508:4.
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Confirm the debt is not past the three-year New Hampshire limitations period
Before making any payment or promise days after startingFind the date the debt became due or your last payment, then compare it against the three-year limit in RSA 508:4. A payment or written acknowledgment can restart the clock, so verify the dates before you settle, pay, or promise to pay a potentially time-barred debt.
Send a written debt validation letter
Within 30 days of the collector's validation notice days after startingIf you do not recognize the debt or the amount looks wrong, mail a written dispute and request for verification within the 30-day window under 15 U.S.C. 1692g. This forces the collector to stop collecting until it mails you proof of the debt.
Keep a call log to document any RSA 358-C violation
Ongoing days after startingRecord the date, time, and caller for each contact and save all letters, emails, and texts. Because RSA 358-C bars unfair, deceptive, or unreasonable collection and ties violations to RSA 358-A, a clear record of misconduct supports both a complaint and any claim for enhanced damages.
Send a cease-and-desist letter if you want contact to stop
As soon as you decide to stop contact days after startingUnder 15 U.S.C. 1692c(c), a written cease-communication letter requires the collector to stop contacting you once received, except to confirm it is stopping or to state it may pursue a specific remedy. In New Hampshire, RSA 358-C also binds a creditor collecting its own debt. Keep proof of mailing.
File a complaint with the New Hampshire DOJ or CFPB
Promptly after a violation days after startingSubmit a complaint to the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau, at doj.nh.gov, 1-888-468-4454, or (603) 271-3641, and to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. Because a RSA 358-C violation is also a RSA 358-A unfair or deceptive act, an attorney can advise on enhanced damages and fees.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm the debt is not past the three-year New Hampshire limitations period | Find the date the debt became due or your last payment, then compare it against the three-year limit in RSA 508:4. A payment or written acknowledgment can restart the clock, so verify the dates before you settle, pay, or promise to pay a potentially time-barred debt. | - | Before making any payment or promise |
| Send a written debt validation letter | If you do not recognize the debt or the amount looks wrong, mail a written dispute and request for verification within the 30-day window under 15 U.S.C. 1692g. This forces the collector to stop collecting until it mails you proof of the debt. | debt-validation-letter | Within 30 days of the collector's validation notice |
| Keep a call log to document any RSA 358-C violation | Record the date, time, and caller for each contact and save all letters, emails, and texts. Because RSA 358-C bars unfair, deceptive, or unreasonable collection and ties violations to RSA 358-A, a clear record of misconduct supports both a complaint and any claim for enhanced damages. | - | Ongoing |
| Send a cease-and-desist letter if you want contact to stop | Under 15 U.S.C. 1692c(c), a written cease-communication letter requires the collector to stop contacting you once received, except to confirm it is stopping or to state it may pursue a specific remedy. In New Hampshire, RSA 358-C also binds a creditor collecting its own debt. Keep proof of mailing. | cease-and-desist-letter | As soon as you decide to stop contact |
| File a complaint with the New Hampshire DOJ or CFPB | Submit a complaint to the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau, at doj.nh.gov, 1-888-468-4454, or (603) 271-3641, and to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. Because a RSA 358-C violation is also a RSA 358-A unfair or deceptive act, an attorney can advise on enhanced damages and fees. | - | Promptly after a violation |
Frequently Asked Questions
Credit card debt in New Hampshire is generally treated as ordinary contract debt subject to the three-year limitations period under RSA 508:4. After three years from when the debt became due or your last activity, a lawsuit to collect is generally time-barred. Making a payment or acknowledging the debt in writing can restart the three-year clock, so check your dates carefully.
In practice, rarely for consumer debt. Under the trustee process in RSA 512:21, wages you earn after the collection writ is served are exempt, so a creditor cannot set up an ongoing garnishment that takes each paycheck. Only limited wages already earned can be reached, mainly on a New Hampshire court judgment, which makes wage garnishment here largely impractical.
Yes. Unlike the federal FDCPA, which mainly covers third-party collectors, New Hampshire's Unfair, Deceptive or Unreasonable Collection Practices Act, RSA 358-C, also applies to creditors collecting their own consumer debts. So an original creditor in New Hampshire, not just an outside agency, must avoid unfair, deceptive, or unreasonable collection conduct, and a violation is also actionable under RSA 358-A.
New Hampshire does not maintain a general state licensing regime for ordinary third-party collection agencies the way some states do. The New Hampshire Banking Department instead licenses related consumer-credit businesses, such as debt adjusters under RSA 399-D. Regardless of licensing, any collector operating in New Hampshire must still follow the federal FDCPA and the state's RSA 358-C.
A collector or creditor that collects in an unfair, deceptive, or unreasonable manner is liable to the debtor for damages under RSA 358-C, and the violation is also an unfair or deceptive act under the Consumer Protection Act, RSA 358-A:2. The RSA 358-A route can support enhanced damages and attorney's fees, and the Attorney General may also enforce it.
Other New Hampshire guides
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