Debt Collection Laws in Washington
If you're dealing with debt collection in Washington, here's what actually protects you: a cap on how much of your paycheck can be garnished, a base amount of home equity and bank funds creditors can't touch, and a deadline after which a debt lawsuit generally can't succeed. Current as ofJuly 2026 — sourcing for each section is linked below.
How much of my paycheck can be garnished in Washington?
Washington doesn't use the federal formula at all — it runs its own, more protective schedule that scales with the state's minimum wage, which at $17.13/hour is the highest in the country. For ordinary consumer debt specifically, you keep the greater of 80% of your disposable earnings or 35 times the state minimum wage, under RCW 6.27.150 — a floor of roughly $599.55 a week.
Other debt types get different numbers: general judgments protect the greater of 75% of disposable earnings or a much smaller federal-minimum-wage-based floor, while private student loan debt gets an even higher protected floor tied to the highest local minimum wage in the state. Support orders follow a flat 50% cap regardless of any of this.
Tier: Meaningfully stricter than the federal formula — see the full 20-state ranking.
Can a creditor take money from my bank account in Washington?
Washington's general 'wildcard' personal property exemption is $3,000 (not counting wages), under RCW 6.15.010 — the figure that typically covers a modest bank account balance against a judgment creditor.
That number sits alongside narrower category-specific exemptions — for clothing and jewelry, a private library, tools of your trade, and a motor vehicle — which don't combine into cash but matter if you're weighing your overall exposure beyond just a bank account.
Is my home protected from creditors in Washington?
Washington protects home equity up to the greater of $125,000 or your county's median sale price for a single-family home in the preceding calendar year, under RCW 6.13.030 — meaning the real protection in an expensive county like King County runs far above the $125,000 floor.
Courts use data from the Washington Center for Real Estate Research (or its designated successor) to set each county's specific figure, so the actual dollar amount you're protected by depends on where in the state you live, not a single statewide number.
How long can a debt collector sue me in Washington?
In Washington, a creditor has 6 years to sue you over a written contract like a credit card agreement, under RCW 4.16.040, and just 3 years for an oral or unwritten contract under RCW 4.16.080.
| Debt type | Statute of limitations |
|---|---|
| Credit card / written contract | 6 years |
| Oral contract | 3 years |
Neither statute names credit cards specifically — classification as written versus oral usually turns on whether there's a signed cardholder agreement behind the debt, which is nearly always the case for a revolving credit account.
See how Washington's 6 years deadline compares to all 20 states.
Does Washington have its own debt collection law beyond the federal FDCPA?
Washington requires third-party collection agencies and debt buyers to be licensed and bonded under the Collection Agency Act (RCW 19.16), and — notably — an unlicensed agency generally can't even bring or maintain a lawsuit in Washington courts to collect a debt.
That licensing requirement is a genuinely useful defense if you're sued by an unlicensed debt buyer: proving the plaintiff lacks a valid Washington license and bond can be enough to defeat the suit outright. Original creditors collecting their own debts are exempt from this licensing requirement, similar to how the federal FDCPA treats them.
Where can I find free or low-cost legal help in Washington?
If you're dealing with a debt lawsuit, garnishment, or collector dispute in Washington, a good starting point is the state bar's lawyer referral service or one of the legal aid organizations below — both can point you to self-help court resources even if you don't qualify for free representation.