Statute of Limitations on Debt Checker

What the result means

• Likely still within the time limit. A collector can still sue, and a court can still order you to pay.
• Close to the limit. The window ends within about 6 months. Be careful what you say or pay, and see the warnings in your result.
• May be past the limit, depending on the court. In some states, courts disagree on which limit applies. The shorter one has passed, but the longer one hasn't.
• Likely past the time limit. This is called a time-barred debt. In most cases a collector can't win a lawsuit over it, and federal rules bar collectors from suing or threatening to sue on it. You may still owe the debt. Collectors can still ask you to pay, and it can still show on your credit report until its 7-year date.

Three things that can change the answer

1. Which state's law applies. It's usually the state where you live now, or where you lived when you took out the debt. Some credit card agreements say another state's law applies. The checker flags this when it may matter.

2. When the clock started. Most states start it from your last payment or the date you defaulted. If you're not sure, use the date of your last payment. Your old statements or your credit report will show it.

3. Whether something restarted it. In some states, a payment of any size, or a written promise to pay, can restart the clock. Other states don't allow that. That's why the checker asks if you've paid or signed anything since you fell behind.

Example: Your state's limit for credit card debt is 4 years, and you last paid in March 2022. The limit likely ran out in March 2026. Then a collector talks you into a $25 "good faith" payment. In a state where payments restart the clock, that one payment can give the collector four more years to sue.

Debts this checker doesn't cover

• Federal student loans have no statute of limitations. The government can collect, including from your tax refund and wages, no matter how old the loan is. Start at StudentAid.gov.
• Federal tax debt has a separate 10-year collection period, and many things can pause it. Talk to the IRS or a tax professional.
• Court judgments last much longer than the limit for suing, often 10 years or more, and many can be renewed. See debt lawsuits.

If a collector contacts you about an old debt

1. Don't pay anything yet, and don't agree to pay. Check the debt's age first.
2. Send a dispute letter. Our debt validation letter generator builds one. It asks for the original creditor and an itemized balance, and doesn't admit the debt.
3. Use the dates in the reply. The collector's notice and the verification should show when the debt went delinquent.
4. If you're sued, show up. In most courts the time limit is a defense you have to raise. If you don't answer, the collector can get a judgment even on a time-barred debt.

What to do next

• The debt is still within the limit: look at what you can afford before you talk to the collector. Build a free debt plan, or compare paying it off yourself with a debt management plan.
• Several old debts and a collector is suing: a legal aid office or a consumer attorney can tell you whether the time limit protects you. See bankruptcy courts and legal aid.
• The debt is past the limit: you get to decide whether to pay it. Paying could restart the clock in your state, so read the warnings in your result first.

Want every state on one page? See the statute of limitations on debt by state.

Questions people ask

Related

Collections help: Dealing with debt collectors · Debt validation letter generator · Debt lawsuits · Debt relief by state · Debt glossary

Other tools: ReliefGuardian Debt Plan · All debt calculators