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Medical debt laws in Minnesota

MINNESOTA · STATUTE-SOURCED · MAINTAINED — LAST REVIEWED AUG 2026 · FREE, NO ACCOUNT

In Minnesota, the statute of limitations on medical debt is 6 years (Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(1) (contracts, 6 years); Minn. Stat. § 541.053 (consumer debt, 6 years, no revival)). Medical debt is a consumer debt for personal/family/household purposes, so the dedicated 6-year consumer-debt statute Minn. Stat. § 541.053 controls (matching the general 6-year contract period of § 541.05, subd. 1(1)); the 2024 Debt Fairness Act's Minn. Stat. § 332C.02(19) expressly makes it a prohibited practice to sue on medical debt outside the § 541.053 period. That clock decides whether a collector can win a lawsuit against you — which changes what you should do next, so check the dates on the bill before you do anything else.

Minnesota — statute of limitations on debt
Written contracts6 years
Oral agreements6 years
Open accounts (credit cards)6 years
Medical debt6 years
SOURCE: Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(1) (contracts, 6 years); Minn. Stat. § 541.053 (consumer debt, 6 years, no revival)

What the time limit actually means

The statute of limitations does not erase a debt — it limits how long a collector can successfully sue over it. A time-barred debt can still be requested, reported (within credit-reporting time limits), and settled. But if a collector sues after the period has run and you raise the statute of limitations as a defense, the case should be dismissed. The defense is not automatic: you must respond to the lawsuit to use it.

Careful: No — for consumer debt (including medical debt), Minn. Stat. § 541.053 expressly provides the limitations period is NOT revived by a payment on the account, a bankruptcy discharge, or an oral or written reaffirmation of the debt.

Minnesota protections for medical debt

  • Medical debt credit-reporting ban (Debt Fairness Act) (Minn. Stat. § 332C.03 (eff. Oct. 1, 2024)) — Collecting parties may not report medical debt to consumer reporting agencies, and consumer reporting agencies may not include medical debt in consumer reports.
  • Medical-debt collection practice limits (Minn. Stat. § 332C.02) — Prohibits 21 practices in medical-debt collection, including implying that medically necessary care will be denied over unpaid debt, using auto-dialers, contacting third parties, collecting unauthorized interest/fees/charges, and suing outside the § 541.053 limitations period; enforceable by the AG and private suits with statutory damages up to $1,000 per violation (§ 332C.05).
  • Attorney fees for prevailing patients (Minn. Stat. § 332C.04) — A debtor who successfully defends a medical-debt collection action must be awarded costs and reasonable attorney fees.
  • End of automatic spousal liability for medical debt (Minn. Stat. § 519.05, as amended by the 2024 Debt Fairness Act) — Medical debt is no longer automatically the liability of the patient's spouse during life or after death.
  • Income-based wage garnishment limits (2024 Debt Fairness Act amendments to Minnesota garnishment law (eff. Apr. 1, 2025)) — Sliding income-based limits reduce or eliminate wage garnishment for lower-income debtors, including those with medical-debt judgments.
  • Charity care is federal law. Nonprofit hospitals must maintain a written Financial Assistance Policy and publicize it (IRS §501(r)). If your bill is from a nonprofit hospital, ask for the FAP application before paying anything. How to apply →
  • Surprise out-of-network bills. The federal No Surprises Act bans most out-of-network balance billing for emergency care and for out-of-network providers at in-network facilities. When a bill is illegal →
  • Credit reporting. The national bureaus no longer report paid medical collections, medical collections under $500, or those less than a year old.

Rules Minnesota sets for collectors

Beyond the federal FDCPA, Minnesota has its own collection statute — the Minnesota Collection Agencies Act (plus the Medical Debt Collection chapter 332C) (Minn. Stat. §§ 332.31–332.44 (see § 332.37, prohibited practices); Minn. Stat. ch. 332C (medical debt)). The Collection Agencies Act licenses agencies and debt buyers and bars a list of prohibited collection practices (§ 332.37), with enforcement by the Department of Commerce and the AG; the 2024 Debt Fairness Act added chapter 332C imposing stricter rules specifically on medical-debt collection with private remedies.

Yes — collection agencies, individual debt collectors, and debt buyers must be licensed by the Minnesota Department of Commerce under Minn. Stat. §§ 332.31–332.44 (see § 332.33), and correspondence must disclose the Commerce license.

Under the FDCPA, within five days of first contacting you a collector must send a written validation notice (15 U.S.C. §1692g). If you dispute the debt in writing within 30 days of that notice, the collector must stop collection activity until it mails you verification. There is no legal deadline for the collector to respond — but until it does, it cannot lawfully keep collecting.

If a collector is calling: the first 24 hours

  1. Do not confirm the debt is yours on the phone, and do not make a payment yet — get everything in writing first.
  2. Ask for the collector’s company name, mailing address, and the amount claimed. Write down the date and time.
  3. Check the dates: if the last activity on the bill is older than 6 years, the debt may be time-barred in Minnesota.
  4. Send a written validation request within 30 days. Generate the letter free →
  5. If the bill is from a hospital, request an itemized bill and ask about financial assistance — billing errors are common and assistance is often retroactive.

Where to complain in Minnesota

Minnesota Attorney General's Office — Consumer Protection (Consumer Assistance) handles collection complaints at the state level. Federally, file with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — complaints become part of the public record collectors are judged on.

Common questions

How long can a debt collector pursue medical debt in Minnesota?

The statute of limitations on medical debt in Minnesota is 6 years (Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1(1) (contracts, 6 years); Minn. Stat. § 541.053 (consumer debt, 6 years, no revival)). Medical debt is a consumer debt for personal/family/household purposes, so the dedicated 6-year consumer-debt statute Minn. Stat. § 541.053 controls (matching the general 6-year contract period of § 541.05, subd. 1(1)); the 2024 Debt Fairness Act's Minn. Stat. § 332C.02(19) expressly makes it a prohibited practice to sue on medical debt outside the § 541.053 period. After that period, a lawsuit to collect can be challenged as time-barred, though collectors may still ask you to pay voluntarily.

Can I be sued for a medical bill after 6 years in Minnesota?

A collector can still file a lawsuit after the limitations period, but the statute of limitations is a defense: if you raise it, a time-barred case should be dismissed. It is not automatic — you must respond to the lawsuit and assert it. Never ignore a court summons.

Does making a small payment restart the clock in Minnesota?

No — for consumer debt (including medical debt), Minn. Stat. § 541.053 expressly provides the limitations period is NOT revived by a payment on the account, a bankruptcy discharge, or an oral or written reaffirmation of the debt.

Does unpaid medical debt go on my credit report?

Since 2023, the three national credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) do not report paid medical collections, medical collections under $500, or medical collections less than a year old. Larger, older unpaid medical collections can still appear.

Do hospitals in Minnesota have to offer financial assistance?

Every nonprofit hospital in the United States is required by federal law (IRS Section 501(r)) to have a written Financial Assistance Policy and to tell patients about it. Minnesota adds its own protections on top — see the list on this page.

How do I dispute a medical bill that went to collections?

Send the collector a written debt validation request. Under the federal FDCPA (15 U.S.C. §1692g), if you dispute the debt in writing within 30 days of their first notice, the collector must stop collecting until it mails you verification of the debt. You can generate that letter free on this site — no account needed.

Where do I complain about a debt collector in Minnesota?

File with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office — Consumer Protection (Consumer Assistance) (https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Complaint.asp) and with the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. Complaints are free and create a record.

Keep reading

Legal information, not legal advice. Statutes change and courts interpret them — for advice on your situation, talk to a lawyer or your state’s legal aid office. Last reviewed AUG 2026.

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