Credit Repair Business Requirements in Indiana (2026): Bond, AG Filing & IC 24-5-15

Last Updated: August 16, 2026

Indiana regulates credit repair under Ind. Code ch. 24-5-15, which requires a surety bond filed with the Attorney General before you do business. Before serving Indiana consumers, a credit repair business must satisfy every duty that law imposes — and the federal Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) on top. This guide answers every Indiana-specific question first, then links the full launch sequence.

Do I need a license to start a credit repair business in Indiana?

Indiana issues no credit repair license and has no registration statement, but Ind. Code § 24-5-15-8 requires a credit services organization, before doing business in Indiana, to obtain a $25,000 surety bond and file a copy with the Office of the Indiana Attorney General. That bond filing is the entry requirement, and it sits on top of the federal CROA.

The practical effect is the same as registration: no bond on file with the Attorney General means no lawful Indiana business. Get the bond issued and filed before you sign your first Indiana client, and keep proof of the filing with your corporate records.

Does Indiana require a surety bond for credit repair?

Yes. Ind. Code § 24-5-15-8(a) requires a $25,000 surety bond issued by a surety company authorized to do business in Indiana, in favor of the state for the benefit of any person damaged by a violation of the chapter, with a copy filed with the Attorney General before doing business. You pay an annual premium on the bond, not the $25,000 face amount.

Subsection (b) lets the Attorney General waive the bond and accept an irrevocable letter of credit for an equivalent amount instead, also filed before you do business. Confirm the current filing procedure and any waiver process with the Office of the Indiana Attorney General — the statute sets the amount, the office sets the paperwork.

What is the Indiana Credit Services Organizations statute?

Ind. Code ch. 24-5-15 is Indiana’s credit services organizations statute. It defines who is covered (§ 24-5-15-2), lists deceptive acts (§ 24-5-15-5), requires a written information statement to the buyer before contracting (§ 24-5-15-6), prescribes the contract and notice-of-cancellation form (§ 24-5-15-7), and sets the $25,000 bond filed with the Attorney General (§ 24-5-15-8).

Read the statute itself before you launch — credit services acts are short, and the contract and cancellation sections translate directly into your paperwork. Where this page and the statute ever disagree, the statute in force wins.

What must a Indiana credit repair contract include?

Start with the CROA baseline that applies everywhere: the services to be performed, the timeframe, the total cost, your business name and address, and a conspicuous three-business-day cancellation notice — plus the separate written consumer-rights disclosure delivered before signing. Then add every contract element Ind. Code ch. 24-5-15 requires on top.

Indiana § 24-5-15-7 governs the contract between the consumer and the credit services organization and requires a notice-of-cancellation form, and § 24-5-15-6 requires a separate written statement delivered before the contract is signed. Draft both from the statute text, not from a generic template.

A contract missing a required element is void under CROA — which means unrecoverable fees and liability exposure. Our guide to credit repair contracts under CROA walks through each required clause; read it alongside the state statute’s own contract section.

Do federal CROA and TSR rules still apply in Indiana?

Yes — always. The federal Credit Repair Organizations Act applies in all 50 states: written contract with required contents, a three-business-day cancellation right, no fees before services are performed, no guaranteed outcomes, and a mandatory consumer-rights disclosure. The Telemarketing Sales Rule adds an advance-fee ban when you sell credit repair by phone.

State statutes layer on top of this federal floor; they never replace it. When a state rule and a federal rule differ, follow the stricter one. The full federal picture is covered in credit repair laws every business owner must know and our practical CROA compliance guide.

What is the safest launch checklist for Indiana?

Read the statute and CROA, register your entity, complete any state licensing, registration, and bond filing, adopt contracts satisfying both state and federal requirements, set a fees-after-performance billing model, and only then market to Indiana consumers. Sequence matters: filings and contracts come before your first client, not after.

Read Ind. Code ch. 24-5-15 and the federal CROA together.
Register your entity and get an EIN — the full sequence is in our hub on how to start a credit repair business.
Obtain the $25,000 surety bond (or an approved irrevocable letter of credit) and file a copy with the Office of the Indiana Attorney General before you do any Indiana business.
Adopt CROA-plus-state compliant contracts and disclosures.
Set up billing that charges only after work is performed — see how to charge credit repair fees legally.
Run disputes, tracking, and billing on one system so compliance is enforced by workflow, not memory.

What if my clients live outside Indiana?

State credit services statutes protect that state’s residents — so the rules that matter are set by where your client lives, not where your desk sits. A Indiana-based business serving a client in another state should expect that state’s licensing, registration, bond, and contract rules to apply to the engagement.

Multi-state businesses typically satisfy the strictest state they serve or decline clients from states where they are not registered. CROA applies everywhere regardless. Check each state before you take the client in our credit repair business license, bond, and registration requirements by state hub.

Credit repair business requirements in other states

Every state sets its own registration, bond, and contract rules. The complete 50-state reference is the credit repair business license, bond, and registration requirements by state hub; the other deep-dive state guides are:

Indiana Credit Repair Business FAQ

Do I need a license to start a credit repair business in Indiana?

Indiana issues no credit repair license and requires no registration statement, but Ind. Code § 24-5-15-8 requires a $25,000 surety bond filed with the Office of the Indiana Attorney General before doing business in Indiana. Federal CROA rules apply on top. Confirm the current filing procedure with the Attorney General’s office.

Does Indiana require a surety bond for credit repair?

Yes. Ind. Code § 24-5-15-8(a) requires a $25,000 surety bond issued by a surety company authorized to do business in Indiana, in favor of the state for the benefit of anyone damaged by a violation of the chapter, with a copy filed with the Attorney General before doing business.

Can I file something other than a bond in Indiana?

Yes, at the Attorney General’s discretion. Ind. Code § 24-5-15-8(b) allows the Attorney General to waive the bonding requirement and accept an irrevocable letter of credit for an equivalent amount issued in favor of the state, which must also be filed before you do business in Indiana.

Can I charge Indiana clients before doing the work?

No. The federal Credit Repair Organizations Act prohibits charging or receiving fees before the contracted services are fully performed, in every state. Compliant models bill monthly for completed work or per deletion after the result. The Telemarketing Sales Rule adds a second advance-fee ban for telemarketed credit repair.

Where do I check the current Indiana requirements?

Read Ind. Code ch. 24-5-15 directly on the Indiana General Assembly site and confirm the current bond filing procedure with the Office of the Indiana Attorney General. Requirements change, so verify against the state source — not a third-party summary — immediately before you launch.

Official Indiana sources

Verify every requirement on this page against the state’s own publications before you launch:

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This guide is educational information, not legal advice. Statutes, bond amounts, and filing procedures change; verify current requirements with the state before launching, and consult a qualified attorney for guidance on your specific business.