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What is the Deadline for a Defendant's Answer to Avoid a Default Judgment?

George Simons | March 22, 2023

Summary: Deadlines to file an Answer in court range from 14-35 days. Use our deadline calculator to determine your deadline. If you've been sued for a debt, use SoloSuit to respond in just 15 minutes and win your case.

Getting served with a debt collection lawsuit is typically a stress and anxiety-inducing event for many people. Your mind may be inundated with questions and concerns. One of the first questions you may be asking yourself is, “what is the deadline to respond to the debt collector's Complaint?” This page provides valuable information concerning the deadlines in each of the 50 states to file your Answer to a debt collector's Complaint.

You can use our deadline calculator to determine your deadline.

Deadline Calculator

Select your state.

Select the day you were served.


Your deadline

This calculator is for educational purposes only. It does not factor in weekends or holidays, so your actual deadline may be some days later.


SoloSuit can help file an Answer in all 50 states.

The deadline to respond to the Summons in a debt collection lawsuit varies by state

Generally, most courts give the defendant 20-30 days to respond to Summons for debt collection, but the deadline varies. Below is an overview of the deadline to file an Answer in each of the 50 states.

As you will see, there is no uniform response time. This list does not document the nuances in each state such as certain case types or other factors. Keep in mind that laws are constantly changing, so make sure to double check your Summons document for your deadline.

Deadlines to Respond to Debt Lawsuit in all 50 State

State

Days

Source

Alabama

14 - Small claims cases

30 - Circuit court cases

Alabama Legal Help; Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure

Alaska

20

Alaska Court System Self Help Center

Arizona

20 - Service of Summons happened in Arizona

30 - Service of Summons happened outside of Arizona

Arizona Judicial Branch; CaseText Arizona Rules

Arkansas

30

CaseText Arkansas Rules

California

30 (including weekends and court holidays)

California Judicial Branch

Colorado

21

CaseText Colorado Rules

Connecticut

30

Connecticut Judicial Branch

Delaware

20

Delaware Judicial Branch

District of Columbia

21

DC Courts

Florida

20

CaseText Florida Rules

Georgia

30

Georgia Consumer Protection Division

Hawaii

20

CaseText Hawaii Rules

Idaho

20

Idaho Judicial Branch

Illinois

30

CaseText Illinois Rules

Indiana

20

Indiana Rules of Court

Iowa

20

CaseText Iowa Rules

Kansas

21

Kansas Legislature

Kentucky

20

Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure

Louisiana

15

Louisiana State Legislature

Maine

20

Maine Rules of Civil Procedure

Maryland

30

CaseText Maryland Rules

Massachusetts

20

Mass.gov

Michigan

21

Michigan Rules of Civil Procedure

Minnesota

20

Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure

Mississippi

30

CaseText Mississippi Rules

Missouri

30

Missouri Judicial Branch

Montana

21

Montana Rules of Civil Procedure

Nebraska

30

Nebraska Judicial Branch

Nevada

20

Supreme Court of Nevada Law Library

New Hampshire

30

New Hampshire Judicial Branch

New Jersey

35

New Hampshire Judicial Branch

New Mexico

30

New Mexico Judicial Branch

New York

20

NYCourts.gov

North Carolina

30

North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure

North Dakota

20 - Small claims cases

21 Regular civil cases

North Dakota Courts District; North Dakota Courts Small Claims

Ohio

28

CaseText Ohio Rules

Oklahoma

20

Justia Oklahoma Rules

Oregon

30

Oregon Courts

Pennsylvania

20

Pennsylvania Code

Rhode Island

20

CaseText Rhode Island Rules

South Carolina

30

South Carolina Legal Services

South Dakota

30

South Dakota Legislature

Tennessee

21

Tennessee Courts

Texas

14 - Justice Court cases

20 - District Court cases

Texas Appleseed

Utah

21

Utah Courts

Vermont

21 - Regular civil cases

30 - Small claims cases

Vermont Law Help

Virginia

21

CaseText Virginia Rules

West Virginia

20 - Self-represented defendants

30 - Defendant is represented by an attorney notifies the court

West Virginia Rules of Civil Procedure

Wisconsin

20

Wisconsin State Legislature

Wyoming

20 - Service of Summons happened in Wyoming

30 - Services of Summons happened outside of Wyoming

Wyoming Rules of Civil Procedure




Here's a map depicting the table above, showing the time frame you have to respond to a debt collection lawsuit before losing by default. The darker the color, the quicker you need to respond.

Why You Want to Avoid a Default Judgment

If you fail to file your Answer within the relevant filing deadline, the debt collector will likely file a motion with the court asking it to enter a “default judgment” against you. Once a default judgment is entered, the debt collector is empowered to garnish your wages, seize your property, and even access the funds in your bank accounts. As you can see, this is not what you want to have happen when being pursued by a debt collector. You should take affirmative steps to respond to the Complaint.

SoloSuit makes it easy to avoid a default judgment.

What is SoloSuit?

SoloSuit makes it easy to respond to a debt collection lawsuit.

How it works: SoloSuit is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your answer. Upon completion, you can either print the completed forms and mail in the hard copies to the courts or you can pay SoloSuit to file it for you and to have an attorney review the document.

Respond with SoloSuit

"First time getting sued by a debt collector and I was searching all over YouTube and ran across SoloSuit, so I decided to buy their services with their attorney reviewed documentation which cost extra but it was well worth it! SoloSuit sent the documentation to the parties and to the court which saved me time from having to go to court and in a few weeks the case got dismissed!" – James


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>>Read the FastCompany article: Debt Lawsuits Are Complicated: This Website Makes Them Simpler To Navigate

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Important Takeaways on Responding to a Debt Collection Lawsuit

Here are some key points on what you need to do if you are served with a debt collection lawsuit:

  • Do not ignore the Complaint
  • File your Answer with the Clerk of Court before the expiration of the filing deadline.
  • Review the 50 State summary provided by SoloSuit to confirm how many days you have to file your response.

Best of Luck!

How to answer a summons for debt collection in your state

Here's a list of guides for other states.

All 50 states.

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah; File a Motion to Satisfy Judgment
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

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