What hours can a debt collector legally call me?

Last updated: 2026-07-10 · Educational content; not legal advice.

Short answer

Under SEC Memorandum Circular 18 (2019), a collector for an SEC-registered lending or financing company may not contact you before 6:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m. — unless your account is more than 15 days past due, or you gave express consent to be reached at other times. Contact outside that window, or repeated calls meant to annoy, abuse, or harass, is an unfair debt-collection practice you can report to the SEC. LabanPH logs the call times into a complaint-ready record for you.

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Frequently asked

So can they call me at midnight if I'm past due?

The 6 a.m.–10 p.m. limit lifts only where the account is more than 15 days past due or you consented — but even then the contact cannot be repeated, obscene, threatening, or otherwise abusive, which SEC MC 18 separately prohibits regardless of the hour.

How many times a day can they call?

SEC MC 18 does not set a fixed maximum number, but calls made repeatedly with intent to annoy, abuse, or harass are themselves prohibited. Log the frequency, times, and numbers — a pattern of relentless calls is documentable harassment.

What if they keep calling after I ask them to stop?

Send a written cease-contact demand and keep the timestamped record. Continued harassing contact after your demand strengthens an SEC complaint and can support the suspension of the lender's Certificate of Authority.