Robocall Guide · Answers
How much can I get for spam texts?
The law sets a fixed value per illegal text: $500 to $1,500 each. Because the texts stack, even a short campaign can add up to a real claim.
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Short answer
Each illegal text is worth $500, and up to $1,500 if the conduct was willful, like texting after you replied STOP. The amounts stack, so the number you might recover depends on how many unlawful texts you got. Ten texts could mean $5,000 at the base amount, or $15,000 at the higher one. The law sets the value, not whether the texts cost you anything out of pocket.
How spam text damages add up
- $500 per text as the base amount.
- $1,500 per text if the conduct was willful, such as ignoring STOP.
- The texts stack, and every message is its own violation.
- Your out-of-pocket loss doesn’t matter; the law fixes the value.
The per-text math
Spam text damages aren’t a guess or a negotiation from zero. The law puts a fixed figure on each violation. A text sent in violation of the TCPA is worth $500. If the sender acted willfully, meaning it knew or should have known it was breaking the rules, which is common when it texts after you’ve said stop, that figure rises to $1,500.
The key word is per. Each unlawful text is counted on its own. So the value of a claim grows with the number of texts. A handful of messages and a months-long barrage are different claims, even though the rate per text is the same. To see how this same math has played out in real cases, read our guide to robocall settlements.
Why texts stack into real money
Because every message counts, the total can climb quickly. Picture a marketer that sends one promotional text a day for two weeks. That’s fourteen potential violations. At $500 each, that’s $7,000; if the sender ignored a STOP reply along the way, the later texts could be valued at $1,500 apiece. None of that depends on you having lost a dime. The law sets the amount so people can act on annoying, low-dollar violations.
This is also why saving every text matters. The count is what drives the number, so a clean record of each message, including date, time, content, and sender, directly affects what a claim is worth. Don’t delete the thread, even after you opt out.
Willful is what changes the number
The gap between $500 and $1,500 is willfulness, and it’s worth understanding because it can triple a claim. A text is willful, roughly, when the sender knew or should have known it was breaking the rules. The clearest example is texting you after you replied STOP. You made a documented request, and they did it anyway. That’s hard to write off as an accident.
So two campaigns with the same number of texts can be worth very different amounts depending on the conduct. Marketing texts sent without consent might land at the $500 figure; texts that kept coming after your opt-out push toward $1,500 each. This is also why your STOP reply and the messages after it are worth saving carefully, since they’re often what moves a claim into the higher tier. Calls show the same pattern; see calls after you said stop.
What your claim is actually worth
The honest answer is that it depends on your facts: how many texts, whether you opted in, whether you told them to stop, and who’s behind the messages. No one can give you a real number without looking. What we can tell you is the rate, $500 to $1,500 per text, and that the texts stack.
A free review with Max Morgan, Esq., a real TCPA attorney, turns that rate into an honest estimate for your situation. He works on contingency: no fee unless you recover, nationwide. Every case is different, and the review costs you nothing. See past settlements for what these claims have produced in the real world.
Related: Settlements · Can I sue for spam texts? · I replied STOP and they kept texting · Do I qualify?
Real results, real citations
Actual TCPA recoveries Max has helped secure.
Wrong-number prerecorded debt-collection calls.
Lucas v. Synchrony Bank (N.D. Ind.)
Telemarketing to Do-Not-Call list & after opt-out.
Campbell v. Everything Breaks (D. Nev.)
385 wrong-number calls at $1,500 each.
Higgs v. Golden Title Loans (W.D. Tenn.)
Prerecorded calls to cell phones without consent.
Key v. Miracle Faith Center (N.D. Fla.)
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different.
More on what spam texts are worth
What’s the difference between $500 and $1,500 per text?
$500 is the base amount for an illegal text. $1,500 applies when the conduct was willful, for example texting you after you replied STOP.
Do I only recover if the texts cost me money?
No. The law sets a fixed amount per text regardless of any out-of-pocket loss, so you can recover even if the texts cost you nothing but annoyance.
How many texts do I need to make it worth pursuing?
Because the amounts stack, even a few texts can be worth pursuing. A free review can tell you whether your count adds up to a real claim.
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