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Arizona debt collection: deadlines, wages and medical bills

By · Creator and editor · Editorial review: September 7, 2026

Educational information for US consumers. Xavier is not a licensed attorney. This guide links sources and helps you prepare questions; it does not decide your legal rights or represent you.

Arizona has separate protections for the time a creditor has to sue, the income a judgment creditor can reach, and interest on a qualifying medical bill. Knowing which question you need answered helps you use the right records and avoid treating one rule as a solution to every debt.

Which filing period applies?

A.R.S. 12-548 sets a six-year period from accrual for the covered written-contract category and specifically includes credit-card debt. Credit cards are not automatically moved to a shorter category because a collector has not sent a signed card agreement. A.R.S. 12-543 sets three years for specified non-written debts and stated or open accounts. Its account rules have qualifications.

Identify the actual claim, contract terms and relevant due dates before calculating a deadline. Keep the agreement, statements, payment history and any lawsuit together. In an already-barred action, section 12-508 addresses a signed written acknowledgment; it does not say every payment automatically revives every expired account. Ask legal aid how a proposed payment or agreement affects your particular claim.

Proposition 209: what to check on a medical bill

A.R.S. 44-1201 caps interest on covered medical debt at the lower of 3% a year or the specified one-year Treasury yield for the week before the consumer first received a bill. The cap also applies to judgments on covered medical debt. A flat 3% is therefore not always the correct maximum.

Ask for an itemized bill, the first billing date, the interest rate and how it was selected. Keep a separate record of insurance decisions and financial-assistance applications. The medical-bill guide can help you prepare those questions. The medical-interest rule does not establish that the bill is valid or set its lawsuit deadline.

Wages and property after a judgment

For covered ordinary-debt proceedings, A.R.S. 33-1131 limits weekly withholding to the smaller of 10% of disposable earnings or the amount above 60 times the highest applicable federal, state or local minimum hourly wage. Disposable earnings are earnings after deductions required by law. Support and tax matters have different rules.

Proposition 209 also increased several property exemptions. The Arizona courts' explanation identifies the affected protections. Certain amounts adjust for inflation, including the homestead exemption. Do not use the original $400,000 figure as a fixed 2026 amount. For a levy, gather the writ, pay statements, bank statements and evidence identifying protected income; ask how to claim the exemption in that proceeding.

If court papers arrive

Record the court, case number, date and method of service, required response and hearing date. Use the Arizona Judicial Branch Self-Service Center to locate the correct court resources and fee-waiver information. The procedure can differ by court and type of case; a collection dispute letter is not a court answer. Settlement conversations do not cancel a court date.

Prepare a one-page timeline: when you opened the account, when payments became due, what was paid, when the collector contacted you and when court papers arrived. Mark any dates you cannot confirm rather than guessing. AZ Law Help provides local legal resources; availability and eligibility vary. For an ordinary notice, start with our debt-validation guide.

Does a collection-law violation erase the debt?

A complaint about collection conduct and the underlying debt are separate issues. Preserve letters, dates and call details for review. This guide does not predict a damages award, a dismissal or a particular settlement percentage.