Iowa credit and debt laws

Iowa statute of limitations on debt

• Written contracts. Claims for rent under a written contract get 5 years instead (Iowa Code 614.1(5)(b)).

Time limits to sue vs. time on your credit report

The Iowa 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?

A contract claim is revived by a written admission, signed by you, that the debt is unpaid, or by a similar written new promise to pay it (Iowa Code 614.11).

Does Iowa limit lawsuits on old debt?

Iowa law adds no rule of its own on suing over old debt. The federal Regulation F ban applies, and Iowa's debt collection law separately bars any action, or threat of action, that the chapter or any other law prohibits (Iowa Code 537.7103(1)(f)).

Medical debt on credit reports in Iowa

Iowa has no law of its own limiting medical debt on credit reports, so the national rules decide what shows. The three bureaus leave off paid medical collections and any under $500, and an unpaid one can't appear until it is a year old.

Compare every state in medical debt laws by state.

Marriage and debt

Iowa 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?

Iowa has no statewide law limiting employer credit checks. Federal FCRA consent and adverse action rules apply.

Do debt collectors need a Iowa license?

Iowa uses notification rather than a license. Debt collectors covered by the Iowa Consumer Credit Code that pass a yearly collection threshold must file a notification with the administrator, the Attorney General, within 30 days of starting business in Iowa and again by January 31 each year (Iowa Code 537.6201, 537.6202, 537.6103).

In Iowa, complaints about debt collectors and credit reporting can go to Iowa Attorney General (administrator of the Iowa Consumer Credit Code), as well as to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

More to know in Iowa

Iowa gives written debts 10 years, double the 5 years it allows on unwritten contracts. A signed card agreement or loan contract therefore gives a creditor a long window. Revival in Iowa runs through paper. The statute revives a contract claim when you sign a written admission that the debt is unpaid or a new written promise to pay, so be careful with any form, settlement offer or payment plan a collector asks you to sign on an old account. Iowa's debt collection law bars a collector from falsely telling a credit bureau that you are willfully refusing to pay a just debt, and it treats a failure to negotiate a dispute in good faith as part of that rule. A collector can still tell you it may report the debt and can report it to a credit bureau. Iowa has no state medical debt credit reporting law and no employer credit check law.

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.