Are Debt Collectors Allowed to Text You? Rules, Limits, Opt-Out

Yes, debt collectors can text you. Since the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Regulation F took effect on November 30, 2021, third-party debt collectors have been formally allowed to use text messages, along with email and other electronic communications, to reach you about a debt.¹ The permission comes with conditions. What the text can say, when it can arrive, and how easily you can shut it off are all governed by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and, when an automated dialing system is involved, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

Which Collectors These Rules Cover

The FDCPA applies to third-party debt collectors: companies whose main business is collecting debts owed to someone else, or anyone who regularly collects debts for another party.² If a collection agency bought or was assigned your debt and is now texting you, every rule below applies.

If your original creditor texts you directly, such as your credit card company or a hospital’s own billing department, the FDCPA does not apply. The TCPA’s autodialer restrictions still do, but the broader FDCPA protections around disclosures, harassment, and cease-communication rights do not. Some states extend debt collection rules to original creditors, so check your state attorney general’s website for local protections.

When a Collector Can Text You

Consent works differently under each of the two federal laws. The TCPA requires prior express consent before a collector sends autodialed texts to your cell phone. That consent doesn’t have to be in writing for non-marketing debt collection messages, and giving your cell number on a credit application or loan agreement typically counts.³ Consent can transfer: if you gave your number to the original creditor, a collector who later acquires the account can generally rely on that same consent. You can revoke consent at any time.

Timing is fixed regardless of consent. Collectors generally cannot contact you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. in your time zone.⁴ They also cannot contact you at a time or place they know is inconvenient for you. If you tell a collector that texts during work hours cause problems, they are supposed to stop.⁵

What Every Collection Text Must Include

Text messages don’t qualify for the “limited-content message” exception that some voicemails use. Every text from a debt collector is treated as a full communication under Regulation F, so each one has to include the required FDCPA disclosures, including that the sender is a debt collector.⁶

Every text must also carry a clear and conspicuous opt-out instruction that gives you a reasonable, simple way to stop future texts at that number. The collector cannot charge a fee to opt out or demand any information beyond your opt-out preference and the number you want removed.⁷

What Collectors Cannot Do by Text

The FDCPA’s substantive prohibitions apply to texts just as they do to calls and letters. A collector cannot:

Threaten violence, criminal prosecution, or use language designed to intimidate.
Misrepresent the amount owed, falsely claim to be an attorney or government official, or suggest that nonpayment is a crime when it is not.
Deliberately expose your debt information to third parties.

Social media contact deserves special attention. Under Regulation F, a debt collector cannot message you on a social platform if the message would be visible to your connections or the public.⁵ Private messages are allowed, but they must carry the same disclosures and opt-out language as any other electronic communication.

Is There a Limit on How Many Texts They Can Send

Regulation F set a specific frequency presumption for phone calls: no more than seven calls within seven consecutive days per debt, and no calls within seven days after an actual phone conversation.⁸ That cap does not apply to text messages.⁴

There is no numeric ceiling on texts, but the FDCPA’s broader ban on communicating repeatedly with the intent to annoy, abuse, or harass still applies. A collector who sends you twenty messages a day is not violating a bright-line rule, yet a court can still find that pattern harassing. Save the messages. The record itself becomes the evidence.

How to Stop the Texts

Two tools, and using both is stronger than either alone.

Start with the opt-out mechanism the text is required to contain. Replying “STOP” or following the instructions in the message should halt further texts to that number. Under the TCPA, a collector may send one final confirmation message within five minutes of your opt-out, but nothing after that.³

Then send a written cease-communication request under the FDCPA. This is broader than an opt-out because it can cover every method of contact, not only texts. Once the collector receives your written notice, they must stop communicating, with three narrow exceptions: a final message confirming they are stopping contact, notice that they or the creditor may pursue a specific legal remedy, and notice that they intend to take a specific action such as filing a lawsuit.⁹ Send it by certified mail with return receipt so you have proof of delivery.

A cease-communication request does not erase the debt. The collector can still sue. What it does is silence the contact.

Validate the Debt Before You Respond

When a collector first contacts you, by any method, they must provide validation information: the creditor’s name, the amount owed, and a statement of your right to dispute. If they don’t include this in the first communication, they have five days to send it.¹⁰

Validation notices can be delivered electronically, including through links in text messages, and can offer fillable fields to submit a dispute online.¹⁰ If you dispute the debt in writing within 30 days, the collector must pause collection until they send verification. Don’t skip this step, especially if the debt is unfamiliar.

Spotting Scam Texts

Fake debt collection texts are a growing problem. Losses to text scams overall reached $470 million in 2024.¹¹ A legitimate collector will give you their name, company name, mailing address, and phone number on request. If a text demands payment but the sender refuses to provide these basics, treat it as a scam.¹²

Watch for:

Threats of arrest. Legitimate collectors don’t send those, and a text message is not how criminal process works.
Demands for bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, or card details before you have independently verified who is contacting you.
Pressure to click a link right away. Look up the company yourself and reach out through a number you find on your own.

Suspicious texts can be forwarded to 7726 (SPAM) to help your carrier block similar messages, and reported at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.¹¹

Be Careful With Old Debts

Every state sets a statute of limitations on debt, after which a collector can no longer sue you for payment. If a text arrives about a very old debt, responding carelessly can restart that clock. In many states, making even a small payment or acknowledging in writing that you owe the money resets the statute of limitations and gives the collector a fresh window to file suit. The safer response to a text about an unfamiliar or old debt is to request written validation before saying anything else.

When a Collector Breaks the Rules

Document everything. Screenshot each text with the date, time, and phone number.

You can file complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau through its complaint portal¹³ and with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.¹⁴

You can also sue. A debt collector who violates the FDCPA is liable for any actual damages you suffered, plus statutory damages of up to $1,000 per lawsuit, plus your attorney’s fees and court costs.¹⁵ The $1,000 cap is per case, not per violation. Actual damages, such as emotional distress or lost wages tied to the harassment, have no cap. Most consumer protection attorneys take FDCPA cases on contingency or expect fees to come from the defendant under the statute, so hiring counsel is often possible with no money out of pocket.

1
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Debt Collection Practices (Regulation F) – Withdrawal of Proposal to Delay Effective Date
2
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1006.2 – Definitions
3
Consumer Action. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act – Your Rights Against Unwanted Calls and Texts
4
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. When and How Often Can a Debt Collector Call Me on the Phone?
5
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1006.6 – Communications in Connection With Debt Collection
6
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Limited-Content Message?
7
eCFR. 12 CFR 1006.6 – Communications in Connection With Debt Collection
8
eCFR. 12 CFR 1006.14 – Harassing, Oppressive, or Abusive Conduct
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1692c – Communication in Connection With Debt Collection
10
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1006.34 – Notice for Validation of Debts
11
Federal Trade Commission. New FTC Data Show Top Text Message Scams of 2024
12
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Tell if a Debt Collector Is Legitimate or a Scam?
13
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Submit a Complaint About a Financial Product or Service
14
Federal Trade Commission. How to File a Complaint With the Federal Trade Commission
15
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1692k – Civil Liability