Medical debt and credit reports in Washington
Washington law bans medical debt from credit reports.
Medical debt may not appear on a credit report in Washington. Credit bureaus may not include it, hospitals and the doctors who work with them may not report it, and collection agencies may not report it.
Checked against official sources: October 30, 2026.
The rule in Washington
Full ban
Medical debt may not appear on a credit report in Washington. Credit bureaus may not include it, hospitals and the doctors who work with them may not report it, and collection agencies may not report it. If a person, provider, facility or collection agency reports a medical debt to a credit bureau, the debt becomes void and cannot be collected. Medical debt includes bills that are not past due and bills that have been paid.
Who the rule covers: Everyone: any person, health care provider, facility or collection agency may not send medical debt to a credit bureau, and credit bureaus may not include medical debt in a credit report
In effect since: July 27, 2025
It covers both paid and unpaid debt.
Law: RCW 70.54.475, 70.41.400(2), 19.182.040(1)(g), 19.16.250(28)(a)(iii), 19.16.100(11)
Other limits on collection in Washington
- Waiting rules
Wait before collections: 120 days after the first bill
A health care provider or facility may not sell or assign a medical bill to a collection agency until at least 120 days after it sent you the first bill. A hospital may not start collecting from you until it has made an initial check for insurance and charity care, and must wait for a final charity care decision if you may qualify. A collection agency may not collect a hospital bill while your charity care application or appeal is pending, once it has been told about it. A collection agency's first letter on a medical debt must tell you that you can ask for the original account number, the date of the last payment and a free itemized statement. On a hospital debt, it must also tell you that you may be eligible for charity care and give the hospital's contact information.
- Wage garnishment
For a judgment on consumer debt, you keep the greater of 80% of your weekly disposable earnings or 35 times the state minimum hourly wage each week. This is more protection than federal law.
- Selling the debt
A health care provider or facility may not sell or assign medical debt to a collection agency until at least 120 days after the first bill.
- Lawsuit rules
A licensed collection agency may not serve you with a summons and complaint unless they have already been filed with the court and show the court's case number.
Law: RCW 70.54.470, 19.16.250(21), (27), (28), (29), 19.52.010(2), 6.27.150(4); WAC 246-453-020
Is my debt too old in Washington?
| Kind of agreement | Time limit to sue |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 6 years |
| Open account | 6 years |
| Oral (spoken) agreement | 3 years |
A lawsuit on a written contract must be filed within 6 years. A lawsuit on an account receivable (a debt from the ordinary course of a business or profession) also has 6 years. A contract that is not in writing has 3 years.
- What can restart the clock
A payment made before the time limit runs out restarts the clock from that payment. A promise or acknowledgment counts only if it is in writing and signed by you. A payment, promise or acknowledgment made after the time limit has run out does not restart or revive it.
Law: RCW 4.16.040(1), (2), 4.16.080(3), 4.16.270, 4.16.280
A time limit to sue can differ by kind of agreement, and when it starts and what restarts it can differ; a court decides.
Where to complain in Washington
- Hospital bills and financial assistance: Washington State Department of Health, charity care program · 360-236-4210
A hospital is not following its charity care policy, unfairly denied you charity care, or refused to give you an application. - Hospital licensing: Washington State Department of Health, complaints about providers and facilities · 360-236-4700
Other complaints about a hospital or a licensed health care provider. - Health insurance: Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner · 1-800-562-6900
A surprise bill, ground ambulance bill or claim denial under a state-regulated health plan. - Attorney general: Washington State Attorney General, Consumer Protection · 1-800-551-4636
A collection agency or business broke consumer protection rules, including medical debt collection and credit reporting rules.
Questions about medical bills in Washington
Can medical debt be reported to credit bureaus in Washington?
Washington law bans medical debt from credit reports. Medical debt may not appear on a credit report in Washington. Credit bureaus may not include it, hospitals and the doctors who work with them may not report it, and collection agencies may not report it.
How long can a medical bill be collected or sued on in Washington?
A lawsuit on a written contract must be filed within 6 years. A lawsuit on an account receivable (a debt from the ordinary course of a business or profession) also has 6 years.