Florida credit and debt laws

Florida statute of limitations on debt

• Promissory notes. Florida's version of the commercial paper code sends note deadlines to Chapter 95, and a signed note is a written instrument under 95.11(2)(b).
• Store accounts and goods sold on account. The four-year paragraph covers contracts not founded on a written instrument and names store accounts and the sale and delivery of goods.
• Hospital medical debt. Covers debt for services from a facility licensed under Chapter 395, such as a hospital. The three years run from the date the facility refers the debt to a third party for collection.

Time limits to sue vs. time on your credit report

The Florida deadlines above control how long a creditor or collector can win a lawsuit. They don't change how long an account stays on your credit report. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act limits most negative items to 7 years in every state, counted from the date of first delinquency, and a payment doesn't restart that reporting clock. See how long negative items stay for both clocks side by side.

Can a payment restart the clock?

Two separate rules apply. A payment on any part of the principal or interest of a debt founded on a written instrument tolls the limitations period (Fla. Stat. 95.051(1)(f)), and a promise to pay or an acknowledgment of a debt that is already time-barred only counts if it is in writing and signed by you (Fla. Stat. 95.04).

Does Florida limit lawsuits on old debt?

No Florida statute specifically bans suing on time-barred debt. The Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act does bar any person collecting a consumer debt from asserting a legal right it knows does not exist (Fla. Stat. 559.72(9)), on top of the federal Regulation F ban on suing or threatening suit over time-barred debt.

Medical debt on credit reports in Florida

Florida's hospital billing law lists reporting adverse information to a credit bureau as an "extraordinary collection action." A Chapter 395 facility can't take that step before it screens you for financial assistance, sends an itemized bill, bills your insurer and lets the claim be decided, and gives 30 days of written notice by certified mail or other traceable delivery. It also can't report during a pending grievance or claim appeal, while you negotiate the final bill in good faith, or while you keep up with a payment plan. The same 2024 law set a 3-year deadline to sue on hospital debt and added a $10,000 vehicle exemption and a $10,000 personal property exemption against that debt. The law: Fla. Stat. 395.3011; Fla. Stat. 95.11(4); Fla. Stat. 222.26 (ch. 2024-183, HB 7089). In effect since July 1, 2024.

Compare every state in medical debt laws by state.

Marriage and debt

Florida is not a community property state. Each spouse keeps a separate credit report, and a debt generally belongs to the people who signed for it.

Can employers check your credit?

No Florida statute limits private employers' use of credit reports in hiring, so the federal FCRA rules on written consent and adverse action notices are the main protection.

Do debt collectors need a Florida license?

Yes. A consumer collection agency must register with the Florida Office of Financial Regulation before collecting in Florida and renew every year (Fla. Stat. 559.553). Original creditors, Florida Bar members, banks and some other businesses are exempt from registering, but the conduct rules in Fla. Stat. 559.72 still apply to them.

In Florida, complaints about debt collectors and credit reporting can go to Florida Office of Financial Regulation, as well as to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

More to know in Florida

The Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act reaches further than the federal FDCPA. Its list of banned conduct opens with "In collecting consumer debts, a person may not," so original creditors and in-house collectors are covered, not only third-party agencies. A consumer can sue within 2 years of a violation for actual damages, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages, court costs and attorney's fees (Fla. Stat. 559.77). Florida also shields a lot from collectors who win a judgment. The homestead is protected by Article X, Section 4 of the state constitution, and a head of family who provides more than half the support for a child or other dependent keeps all disposable earnings up to $750 a week from garnishment, with more above that protected unless the person waived it in a separate signed form (Fla. Stat. 222.11). A creditor that wins a Florida court judgment has 20 years to bring an action on it. Florida is not a community property state, though married couples can opt into a community property trust under the Florida Trust Code.

Guides that go deeper

• The statute of limitations on debt, and how a payment can reset itA statute of limitations limits when a collector can sue, not whether it can ask you to pay. How the clock starts, how it can restart, and what Reg F bans.
• How zombie debt and illegal re-aging bring old debts backZombie debts are old, paid, or wrong debts that resurface after a sale. Re-aging is reporting a newer delinquency date. How to spot and fight both.
• Sued by a debt collector? What to do in the first 2 weeksA debt lawsuit you ignore usually ends in a default judgment. What to read on the summons, how to respond on time, and where to find free legal help.
• Which states ban medical debt on credit reports? The 2026 listFifteen states have laws keeping medical debt off credit reports. The statute, start date and reach of each, plus the bureau rules that apply everywhere.
• Medical debt on credit reports: the rules in force in 2026The federal medical debt ban was struck down in 2025. What still protects you in 2026: bureau policies, newer scores, state laws and hospital aid rules.