Debt statute of limitations by state

* Figures not checked against an official copy of the statute.

Shortest and longest deadlines

For credit-card debt the deadline runs from 3 years (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia) to 10 years (Rhode Island). 20 states set a different period for a written contract than for a credit card, so the kind of debt can change the answer by several years.

Where a late payment does not bring a debt back

In these states the statute itself says that once the period has run, paying something or promising to pay does not revive the debt (for Texas and Connecticut, against a debt buyer):

• Maryland — A payment, a written or oral promise, or any other activity on the debt after the limitations period has run does not revive or extend it (Md. Cts. & Jud. Proc. Code § 5-1202(b)).
• New York — Once the 3-year period for consumer-credit debt has run, a later payment, a written or oral promise, or other activity on the debt does not revive or extend it (N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214-i).
• Nevada — A payment or promise made after the period has expired does not revive it, although a payment made before it expires starts the period again from that payment (§ 11.200(1)) (Nev. Rev. Stat. § 11.200(2)).
• Texas — A debt buyer cannot revive a time-barred consumer debt through a payment, a promise to pay, or any other activity on it (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307(d)).
• Washington — An acknowledgment or promise made after the period has expired does not restart, revive or extend it; before then, an acknowledgment must be a signed writing (Wash. Rev. Code § 4.16.280).
• Minnesota — Once the consumer-debt period expires, it is not revived by a payment, a bankruptcy discharge, or an oral or written reaffirmation of the debt (Minn. Stat. § 541.053).
• Connecticut — A debt buyer may not sue on a consumer debt it knows or should know is past the limitations period, and a payment or affirmation after that does not extend the period for the buyer (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 36a-814(b)–(c)).
• Maine — Once the period runs, a payment, a written or spoken affirmation, or other activity on the debt does not revive or extend it, and an acknowledgment counts only if it is express, written and signed (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 32, § 11013(8); tit. 14, § 860).
• Wisconsin — When the limitations period on a Wisconsin claim runs out, the right itself is extinguished, not just the ability to sue (Wis. Stat. § 893.05).

States with their own rules on suing over expired debt

• California — In California, once the § 337 period has run, no one may sue or start arbitration or another legal proceeding to collect the debt, and that period can be extended only under § 360. (Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 337(d))
• California — In California, a debt collector's written attempt to collect a time-barred debt must include a specific notice that the collector will not sue on the debt. (Cal. Civ. Code § 1788.14(d))
• California — In California, a debt buyer may not sue or start arbitration or another legal proceeding to collect a consumer debt once the statute of limitations on its claim has expired. (Cal. Civ. Code § 1788.56)
• Connecticut — A creditor or collection agency that bought a consumer debt may not sue on it if it knows or should know the limitations period has expired, and a payment or affirmation after expiry does not extend the period for that debt buyer. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 36a-814(b)-(c))
• Connecticut — When a Connecticut consumer collection agency collects a debt that is past the statute of limitations, its first communication must include a required disclosure that the owner will not sue on the debt. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 36a-805(a)(14))
• Illinois — Illinois law requires debt buyers that sue on consumer debt to file within the applicable statute of limitations period. (205 ILCS 740/8.6(a))
• Maryland — A creditor or collector may not file a consumer debt collection lawsuit after the statute of limitations has expired. (Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-1202(a))
• Maine — After the collector deadline expires, a payment, a written or spoken affirmation, or other activity on the debt does not revive or extend the limitations period. (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 32, § 11013(8))
• Minnesota — Once the consumer-debt limitations period expires, it is not revived by collecting a payment, a bankruptcy discharge, or an oral or written reaffirmation of the debt. (Minn. Stat. § 541.053)
• North Carolina — In North Carolina, a collection agency that is or acts for a debt buyer may not sue, start arbitration, or otherwise try to collect a debt it knows or should know is time-barred. (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-70-115(4))
• Nevada — In Nevada, once the limitations period has expired, a payment, affirmation, or other activity by the debtor on the debt does not revive it. (Nev. Rev. Stat. § 11.200(2))
• New York — In New York, once the limitations period on a consumer credit debt expires, a later payment, written or oral affirmation, or other activity on the debt does not revive or extend it. (N.Y. C.P.L.R. 214-i)
• Oregon — In Oregon, a debt collector may not file a lawsuit to collect a debt if it knows, or with reasonable diligence would know, that the statute of limitations bars collection. (Or. Rev. Stat. § 646.639(2)(r))
• Texas — In Texas, a debt buyer may not sue or start arbitration to collect a consumer debt after the applicable limitations period has expired. (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307(c))
• Washington — In Washington, a licensed collection agency may not sue or start arbitration on a claim it knows or should know is barred by the statute of limitations. (Wash. Rev. Code § 19.16.250(23))
• Wisconsin — In Wisconsin, when the limitations period on a Wisconsin claim has expired, the right itself is extinguished, not just the ability to sue. (Wis. Stat. § 893.05)
• West Virginia — In West Virginia, a debt collector collecting a debt that is past the statute of limitations must include a required disclosure in all written communications telling the consumer the owner cannot sue for it. (W. Va. Code § 46A-2-128(f))

What “time-barred” means

Once the period runs, a creditor can still ask you to pay but should lose a lawsuit if you raise the deadline. Whether a later payment or a signed promise brings the debt back depends on the state — the last column above, and each state page, say what that state’s statute provides.