Regulation F in plain English: what the 7-in-7 rule means for your collections calls
What Regulation F is
Regulation F is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule, at 12 CFR part 1006, that implements the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). It sets federal rules for how debt collectors communicate with consumers, including how often they may call about a debt and which times are presumed inconvenient. The current rule took effect on November 30, 2021.
The rule's own text says it "is issued by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection pursuant to sections 814(d) and 817 of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act" (12 CFR 1006.1). The CFPB describes it as rules "governing the activities of debt collectors, as that term is defined in the FDCPA" (CFPB, Debt Collection Practices (Regulation F)). The final rule published in the Federal Register states: "This rule is effective November 30, 2021" (Federal Register, document 2020-24463).
For a collection agency, an accounts receivable team or a lender's collections team, the parts of Regulation F that shape day-to-day phone work are the call frequency presumption, often called the 7-in-7 rule, and the rules on inconvenient times. This guide explains both in plain English and quotes the rule text for each point.
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The 7-in-7 rule, explained
The 7-in-7 rule is a presumption in 12 CFR 1006.14(b)(2): a debt collector is presumed to comply with the ban on repeated or harassing calls if it calls a person about a particular debt no more than seven times in seven consecutive days, and not within seven days after a phone conversation with that person about that debt.
The rule has two prongs. Under 12 CFR 1006.14(b)(2)(i), a debt collector is presumed to comply if it places a telephone call to a particular person about a particular debt neither:
"(A) More than seven times within seven consecutive days; nor (B) Within a period of seven consecutive days after having had a telephone conversation with the person in connection with the collection of such debt."
The rule adds that "The date of the telephone conversation is the first day of the seven-consecutive-day period."
The other side is in 1006.14(b)(2)(ii). A debt collector "is presumed to violate" the rule if it places calls to a particular person about a particular debt "in excess of either of the telephone call frequencies" in the first prong.
In plain terms: an eighth call about the same debt within seven consecutive days, or a further call about that debt within seven days of a conversation with the person, falls outside the presumption of compliance.
It counts per debt, not per person
The limit is tied to each debt. The rule defines the term this way: "particular debt means each of a consumer's debts in collection" (1006.14(b)(4)). Student loans are the exception. For them, the term covers "all student loan debts that a consumer owes or allegedly owes that were serviced under a single account number at the time the debts were obtained by a debt collector."
It is a presumption, not a fixed safe harbor
The 7-in-7 numbers are presumptions, and either one can be rebutted. The CFPB's official interpretation says that to rebut the presumption of compliance, "it must be proven that a debt collector who did not place a telephone call in excess of either of the telephone call frequencies... nevertheless placed a telephone call or engaged a person in telephone conversation repeatedly or continuously with intent to annoy, abuse, or harass any person at the called number."
The reverse also holds: the presumption of a violation can be rebutted too. Staying under seven calls doesn't settle every question, and going over doesn't decide every case.
What counts as a call, and what doesn't
Under the 7-in-7 rule, a call counts when it connects to the dialed number, even if nobody answers. Calls that never connect, calls made with the person's prior consent within the allowed window, and calls to certain people such as the consumer's attorney are excluded from the count.
The official interpretation is specific about connection. A call "connects to the dialed number if, for example, the telephone call is answered, even if it subsequently drops; if the telephone call causes a telephone to ring at the dialed number but no one answers it; or if the telephone call is connected to a voicemail or other recorded message, even if it does not cause a telephone to ring and even if the debt collector is unable to leave a voicemail" (comment 14(b)(3)(ii)).
A call "does not connect to the dialed number if, for example, the debt collector receives a busy signal or an indication that the dialed number is not in service."
The rule lists three exclusions in 1006.14(b)(3).
The first exclusion is consent. Calls "Placed with such person's prior consent given directly to the debt collector and within a period no longer than seven consecutive days after receiving the prior consent, with the date the debt collector receives prior consent counting as the first day of the seven-consecutive-day period."
The second is calls "Not connected to the dialed number", described above.
The third is calls "Placed to the persons described in § 1006.6(d)(1)(ii) through (vi)". That list, in 12 CFR 1006.6(d)(1), is "The consumer's attorney", "A consumer reporting agency, if otherwise permitted by law", "The creditor", "The creditor's attorney" and "The debt collector's attorney."
One more definition matters for dialers. For these call limits, "placing a telephone call" includes "conveying a ringless voicemail but does not include sending an electronic message (e.g., a text message or an email)" (official interpretation of 1006.14(b)). Texts and emails don't count toward the 7-in-7 limits, though the rule notes elsewhere that the combined effect of calls and other messages can still matter.
Calling hours and inconvenient times
Regulation F presumes that calls before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m., local time at the consumer's location, are inconvenient, unless the debt collector knows of circumstances to the contrary.
The rule, at 12 CFR 1006.6(b)(1)(i), says a debt collector must not communicate or attempt to communicate with a consumer "At any unusual time, or at a time that the debt collector knows or should know is inconvenient to the consumer. In the absence of the debt collector's knowledge of circumstances to the contrary, a time before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. local time at the consumer's location is inconvenient."
Two details are easy to miss. The clock that matters is local time at the consumer's location, not your office's. And the 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. times apply "In the absence of the debt collector's knowledge of circumstances to the contrary", alongside the separate bar on times the debt collector "knows or should know" are inconvenient.
Do Reg F call limits apply to AI voice calls?
The 7-in-7 presumption counts telephone calls that a debt collector places. The sections quoted in this guide don't set up a separate category for calls based on the technology used to place them, and they expressly include ringless voicemail. Ask your counsel how they apply to your own setup.
With AutoCall the outbound side is simple to describe: your agents place the outbound calls, using AutoCall's dialer. AutoCall's AI works on the inbound side. It answers calls that account holders make to you, can take payments, handles most of what a person at the desk can and transfers the caller to a person on your team during operating hours when wanted.
For the federal telemarketing and autodialer rules that sit alongside Regulation F, see AutoCall's TCPA features.
How AutoCall helps teams work within the rule
AutoCall is debt collection software built on one platform: a dialer for your agents and voice AI for inbound calls. Three of its dialer features help your team operationalize its own calling policy:
Call attempt limits per account, tied to the debtor's account number. You set how many attempts the dialer may place on an account, and it holds further calls once that limit is reached.
Calling hour windows. You choose the hours when outbound calls may be placed, and the dialer keeps calls inside them.
Blocks triggered by inbound calls or requests. When an account holder calls in or makes a request, a block can stop further outbound calls to them.
You decide the numbers and hours to use, based on your policy and your counsel's advice. The features apply what you set.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check with your compliance counsel before changing how your team calls.
A US collections company using AutoCall's voice AI on inbound calls collects US$150,000 to $200,000 in a typical month. Its best month topped $235k, with call abandonment under 1%.
Questions teams ask about Regulation F
What is Regulation F?
Regulation F is the CFPB rule at 12 CFR part 1006 that implements the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. It sets federal rules for how debt collectors communicate with consumers, including call frequency and inconvenient times, and it took effect on November 30, 2021.
What is the 7-in-7 rule?
It is the call frequency presumption in 12 CFR 1006.14(b)(2). A debt collector is presumed to comply if it calls a person about a particular debt no more than seven times within seven consecutive days, and not within seven consecutive days after a phone conversation with that person about that debt.
Does the 7-in-7 limit count unanswered calls?
Yes, if the call connects. The CFPB's official interpretation says a call connects if it rings at the dialed number but no one answers, or if it reaches voicemail. Calls that get a busy signal or a not in service message do not connect and don't count.
Is the limit per person or per debt?
Per debt. The rule defines "particular debt" as "each of a consumer's debts in collection", so each debt has its own count. Student loan debts serviced under a single account number when the debt collector obtained them count as one particular debt.
What hours can collectors call?
Unless the debt collector knows of circumstances to the contrary, a time before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. local time at the consumer's location is presumed inconvenient under 12 CFR 1006.6(b)(1)(i). The rule also bars times the debt collector knows or should know are inconvenient.
Can a dialer enforce the limit?
A dialer can apply the limits you set. AutoCall offers call attempt limits per account, calling hour windows and blocks triggered by inbound calls or requests. This is general information, not legal advice, so check your settings with your compliance counsel.
See the call limit settings on a live demo
Book a 30 minute demo and we'll show where call attempt limits, calling hour windows and inbound triggered blocks sit in AutoCall's dialer, and how AI answers the calls that come back.
Book a 30 minute demo, or call AutoCall on (888) 882-2918 in the US or 1800 403 307 in Australia. The US line is answered by AutoCall's AI, so you can hear the inbound model for yourself.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check with your compliance counsel before changing how your team calls.