Getting Sued for Debt in the US: What to Do When You’re Served Papers (2026)
The envelope is sitting on the kitchen table. You’ve been staring at it for three days. It has a court seal on it and your full name printed on the front, and you already know what it is because you’ve been avoiding this phone number for six months. You’re being sued for a debt.
Between 2 and 4.7 million debt collection lawsuits are filed every year in the United States. Somewhere between 70% and 90% of them end in default judgment — not because the defendant didn’t have options, but because they didn’t respond. Don’t be in that group. The papers in your hand are not the end of this. What you do in the next 20 to 30 days determines almost everything that happens next. See your full debt picture before you decide what to do →
What You’ve Actually Been Served
The package typically contains two documents. The Summons is the official court notice — it tells you who is suing you, which court the case is filed in, the case number, and most critically, your deadline to respond. The Complaint lists the specific claims being made against you: the amount owed, the original creditor, and the legal basis for the lawsuit. Read both carefully. Write the deadline on your calendar immediately. This date is non-negotiable.
The deadline to file a written response — called an Answer — is usually 20 to 30 days from the date you were served, but it varies by state. Some states give you 21 days, others 30. Missing this deadline is the one thing you must not do. Once it passes, the plaintiff files for a default judgment and wins automatically, without presenting any evidence and without you having any say.
What a Default Judgment Does to You
A default judgment is a court order confirming you owe the amount claimed. Before judgment, a debt collector can only call and send letters. After judgment, they have enforcement tools that can reach directly into your paycheck and your bank account.
Wage garnishment allows a creditor to order your employer to withhold a portion of your pay before you receive it — under federal law, up to 25% of your disposable earnings, or the amount by which your weekly income exceeds 30 times the federal minimum wage, whichever is less. Some states limit this further; a few (like Texas and Pennsylvania) prohibit wage garnishment for consumer debt entirely. A bank levy is different and more immediate — the creditor sends a court order directly to your bank, which freezes your account and seizes funds to satisfy the judgment, sometimes with no advance warning. You can log in one morning and find your balance gone. Property liens can also be placed on real estate you own, complicating any future sale or refinancing until the judgment is satisfied. See what debt collectors can and cannot legally do to you →
Filing Your Answer — What It Actually Involves
Filing an Answer does not mean you’re claiming you definitely don’t owe the money. It means you’re showing up, which forces the plaintiff to actually prove their case rather than walking away with an automatic win. Most debt lawsuits are filed by debt buyers — companies that purchased your debt for pennies on the dollar — and many of them lack complete documentation to prove the chain of ownership from the original creditor. When defendants show up, cases settle or get dismissed far more often than the lawsuit count suggests.
Your Answer needs to respond to each numbered claim in the Complaint — admit, deny, or state you lack information to respond. File the original with the court clerk, mail a copy to the plaintiff or their attorney, and keep a copy for yourself. Include a certificate of service confirming you sent it. Most states have self-help forms at the courthouse or online that walk you through this. The court clerk can tell you where to get the right forms and the filing fee (many courts have fee waivers for low-income filers).
Defenses Worth Raising in Your Answer
Even if you believe you owe the underlying debt, there may be legitimate legal defenses that change the outcome significantly. The most powerful ones:
Statute of limitations — every state sets a time limit on how long a creditor can sue you after you stopped paying, typically three to ten years. If the debt is time-barred, you can raise this as an affirmative defense and the case may be dismissed. Check your state’s limit and when your last payment was made.
Lack of standing — the company suing you must prove it has the legal right to collect the debt. Debt buyers often cannot produce the full chain of documentation showing they own the account, especially for older debts that changed hands multiple times. Requiring them to prove standing is a legitimate defense.
Wrong amount — the balance being claimed may include interest, fees, or collection costs that weren’t properly disclosed or aren’t legally permitted. Deny any amount you can’t verify from your own records.
Identity or account errors — if the account isn’t yours or contains errors, deny it explicitly and state that clearly in your Answer. Know your rights under the FDCPA if collectors have violated the law →
Negotiating a Settlement
Once you’ve filed your Answer, you’re in a stronger negotiating position than you were before. Debt buyers purchased your debt for a fraction of what’s claimed — sometimes 10 to 20 cents on the dollar for old accounts. They have room to settle for less than the full amount, and many will take 40 to 60% in a lump sum rather than pursue a contested case through the courts. Any settlement must be in writing, signed by both parties, before you pay a single dollar. Get confirmation in writing that the settlement is in full satisfaction of the debt and that they will not pursue further collection.
If You Genuinely Cannot Pay
Filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy triggers an automatic stay the moment the petition is filed — this immediately halts all collection activity including any pending lawsuit, wage garnishment, or bank levy. If you have significant unsecured debt you cannot manage, bankruptcy is worth understanding as an option before a judgment strips your paycheck. Get advice from a nonprofit credit counsellor through NFCC.org, who can assess whether bankruptcy or another option makes more sense for your situation. See every US debt relief option available to you →
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I just ignore the lawsuit?
The court enters a default judgment in the creditor’s favour — automatically, without a hearing, without reviewing whether the debt is even valid. They then have legal tools to garnish your wages, levy your bank account, and place liens on property. Ignoring is the single worst option available to you.
Do I need a lawyer to respond to a debt lawsuit?
No. You can file an Answer yourself using court forms and self-help resources — most courthouses have them, and many state court websites have online guides specifically for debt lawsuits. A consumer rights attorney is worth consulting if the debt is large, if you believe your rights were violated, or if you have a strong defense to raise, but it’s not required to respond.
Can they garnish my Social Security?
Not for most consumer debts. Social Security benefits are generally protected from garnishment by private debt collectors, even after a judgment. Federal benefits directly deposited to a bank account also carry automatic protection — the bank must leave the equivalent of two months’ worth of these payments untouched even during a levy.
The debt is really old — can they still sue me?
Possibly not. Every state has a statute of limitations for debt lawsuits, typically three to ten years from your last payment. If that period has passed, the debt is time-barred and you can raise the statute of limitations as a defense in your Answer. Note: making a payment, even a small one, on an old debt can restart the clock in some states — don’t pay anything on old debt without checking your state’s rules first.
What if the debt isn’t mine?
Deny it explicitly in your Answer, state clearly the account isn’t yours, and dispute it with all three credit bureaus. If a collector is pursuing a debt that isn’t yours, that may also be a violation of the FDCPA — you may have grounds for a counterclaim.
This article is for general educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Debt lawsuit procedures vary significantly by state. For free, independent guidance on managing debt lawsuits and other debt problems, contact the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) at nfcc.org.