Nevada
Nevada Debt Collection Laws: The Two-Tier Garnishment Cap, Bank Protections, and Repo Rules
No collector can garnish a Nevada paycheck on a threat alone. Before wages can be touched for ordinary consumer debt, the creditor must sue, win a judgment, and get a writ of garnishment from the court. Most Nevada garnishments start with a default judgment entered because the summons was never answered, so answering the lawsuit is the single most valuable step you can take.
Nevada's Two-Tier Wage Garnishment Formula
Most states use one garnishment formula for everyone. Nevada splits debtors into two tiers based on gross weekly pay at the time the writ of garnishment issued. If your gross weekly wage was $770 or less, 82% of your disposable earnings is exempt, leaving at most 18% garnishable. If your gross weekly wage exceeded $770, 75% is exempt, leaving at most 25% garnishable. On top of both tiers sits a floor: if 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage ($362.50 per week at the $7.25 rate) protects more of your pay than the percentage does, the larger protection wins.
That 50-times multiple is worth pausing on. The federal baseline most states copy protects only 30 times the minimum wage ($217.50 per week); Nevada's floor is substantially higher, and its 82% tier for lower earners is one of the more protective ordinary-debt rules in the country.
Disposable earnings means what remains after legally required deductions such as taxes and Social Security. Child support runs on its own track with higher federal tiers, and Nevada law gives child support writs first priority over other garnishments (NRS 31.249).
On job security, NRS 31.298 makes it unlawful for an employer to discharge or discipline an employee exclusively because the employer must withhold earnings under a writ of garnishment. The provision's text does not carry the one-debt limit that federal law has, though how far Nevada courts extend it across multiple garnishments is not settled ground; the federal one-debt protection applies at a minimum.
Automatic Bank Account Protections
Nevada is one of the states that protects bank balances automatically, before you file anything. Under NRS 21.105, when a writ hits a personal account, the bank must leave untouched: $2,000 (or the full balance if less) if the account received federally exempt payments such as Social Security, VA benefits, federal retirement, or military pay by electronic deposit within the preceding 45 days; otherwise $400 (or the full balance if less). The $400 baseline does not apply when the writ enforces a support obligation. Money above those amounts can still be frozen, and you can claim additional exempt funds through the court under NRS 21.112.
Federal law adds its own layer for benefit recipients: banks must automatically protect an amount equal to the last two months of directly deposited federal benefits, independent of the Nevada figures.
How Long Can You Be Sued Over a Debt in Nevada?
Nevada gives written contracts 6 years (NRS 11.190(1)(b)) and oral contracts 4 years. Open accounts for goods sold and delivered are expressly listed at 4 years. Promissory notes run 6 years from the due date, or 6 years from demand for demand notes, under NRS 104.3118. Whether a credit card account is treated as a written contract (6 years) or an open account (4 years) can be contested, and Nevada case law does not settle it cleanly, so do not assume an old card debt is time-barred at 4 years without checking how the claim is pleaded.
Nevada is firmly a payment-revival state. Under NRS 11.200, the clock runs from the last transaction or last payment, and any payment of principal or interest made after the debt comes due restarts the limitation period from the date of that payment. No signed writing is needed. A small payment on an old account can hand the collector a fresh 4 or 6 year window to sue, which is why the first step with any old debt is dating the clock, not negotiating a payment.
An expired limitation period does not erase the debt. Collectors may still request payment, and the account can stay on your credit report for up to 7 years on a separate clock. What no collector may do is sue or threaten suit on a time-barred debt; federal Regulation F prohibits that outright.
Medical Debt: What SB 248 Actually Does
Nevada's 2021 medical debt law, Senate Bill 248, is often misdescribed online as a garnishment cap. It is not. SB 248 amended the collection agency chapter (NRS chapter 649) and regulates how collection agencies pursue medical debt, most notably requiring a 60-day written notice before taking collection action on medical debt and limiting the fees that can be added. If a medical creditor wins a judgment, garnishment of that judgment still runs under the ordinary NRS 21.090 formula, including the 82% tier and the $362.50 floor.
Repossession: Licensing, Police Reports, and the 60-Day Accounting
Nevada enacted the standard self-help rule at NRS 104.9609: after default, a secured lender may repossess a vehicle without a court order as long as it proceeds without breach of the peace. Nevada adds guardrails most states lack. Repossessors must be licensed through the state's Private Investigator's Licensing Board under NRS chapter 648. And if a vehicle is taken without the owner present, NRS 482.518 requires the repossessor to notify local police or the sheriff immediately.
After the vehicle is taken, NRS 482.516 controls what happens next: the lender must give at least 10 days' written notice of intent to sell or re-lease, during which you may redeem the vehicle by paying the full amount owed, and it must deliver an itemized accounting of charges and credits within 60 days of the repossession. Miss that accounting and the lender loses the right to collect a deficiency, the gap between the sale price and the loan balance. We could not verify any general pre-repossession right-to-cure notice in the Nevada statutes, so do not count on a warning before the truck arrives; a servicemember whose loan predates military service is the exception, since federal law requires a court order in that case.
If You Are Being Garnished or Sued in Nevada
Answer the summons before the deadline, even with a short denial; a default judgment surrenders every defense, including the statute of limitations. If a garnishment is running, check the math: confirm which tier applies based on your gross weekly wage when the writ issued, and confirm the $362.50 floor is being honored. If a bank account is frozen, the NRS 21.105 amounts should have been protected automatically; claim anything above them that traces to exempt sources under NRS 21.112. Do not pay anything on an old debt before dating the limitation period, because any payment restarts it. When judgments have stacked past what a budget can carry, bankruptcy's automatic stay halts garnishment while the case is pending; the guide to stopping wage garnishment walks the options in order.
Overwhelmed by debt? Get a free bankruptcy consultation
Bankruptcy can stop foreclosure, wage garnishment, and creditor calls, and which debts you can clear and what property you keep depend on your state's exemptions. Get a free, confidential consultation with a bankruptcy attorney to understand your options. There is no obligation.
Information last verified on 2026-08-12. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
Related Resources
- Debt Collection Laws by State
- Statute of Limitations on Debt
- How to Stop Wage Garnishment
- Car Repossession Laws
- Nevada Statute of Limitations
- Nevada Bankruptcy
Last updated: 2026-08-12.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of my paycheck can be garnished in Nevada?
At most 18% of disposable earnings if your gross weekly wage was $770 or less when the writ issued, and at most 25% above that. If protecting 50 times the federal minimum wage ($362.50 a week) leaves you more, that floor applies instead. Child support uses higher federal tiers.
How much money is automatically protected in my Nevada bank account?
Under NRS 21.105, $2,000 is automatically protected if federally exempt benefits were electronically deposited in the prior 45 days, and $400 otherwise (except for support writs). You can claim more through the court if the funds come from exempt sources.
What is the [statute of limitations on debt](/us-laws/debt-collection/statute-of-limitations-on-debt) in Nevada?
Six years for written contracts and promissory notes, 4 years for oral contracts and open accounts under NRS 11.190. Whether a credit card counts as written or open account can be contested.
Does a partial payment restart the statute of limitations in Nevada?
Yes. Under NRS 11.200, any payment of principal or interest after the debt is due restarts the limitation period from the payment date, with no writing required.
Can a repo company in Nevada sell my car without telling me?
No. NRS 482.516 requires at least 10 days' written notice of intent to sell, during which you can redeem by paying in full, plus an itemized accounting within 60 days of repossession. Without that accounting the lender cannot pursue a deficiency judgment.
Does Nevada's medical debt law stop garnishment for medical bills?
No. SB 248 (2021) regulates collection agencies handling medical debt, including a 60-day advance notice requirement, but it is not a garnishment cap. A medical-debt judgment is garnished under the same NRS 21.090 formula as any other judgment.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Sources and References
- Nev. Rev. Stat. Chapter 21, Section 21.090, Property Exempt From Execution (Garnishment Formula)(leg.state.nv.us).gov
- Nev. Rev. Stat. Chapter 11, Sections 11.190 and 11.200, Limitations of Actions and Effect of Payment(leg.state.nv.us).gov
- Nev. Rev. Stat. Chapter 31, Sections 31.249 and 31.298, Garnishment Priority and Employer Discharge Prohibition(leg.state.nv.us).gov
- Nev. Rev. Stat. Chapter 482, Sections 482.516 and 482.518, Repossessed Vehicles: Notice, Accounting, and Police Report(leg.state.nv.us).gov
- Nev. Rev. Stat. Chapter 648, Licensing of Repossessors (Private Investigator's Licensing Board)(leg.state.nv.us).gov