Statute of Limitations on Debt by State.

Each state sets its own time limit for suing on a consumer debt, typically three to six years and often longer depending on the state and the type of debt, and a state-by-state breakdown is provided for reference.

The credit report clock is separate: under 15 USC 1681c most negative items leave your report seven years after the first missed payment (counted from 180 days after it), whether or not a lawsuit is still possible. If an old collection is in your hand or on your report, you are asking two different questions, and two different laws answer them.

How long can a debt collector sue you in your state?

The CFPB’s 2026 guidance gives a range of three to six years for suing on a debt, and some states set longer periods. The number turns on the type of debt, the state you live in, and the state law named in your credit agreement.

Two states show the spread.

A licensed attorney can confirm which period applies to your debt.

Does the seven-year credit reporting clock match the lawsuit time limit?

No. Your state sets the lawsuit limit, while federal law sets the reporting limit: 15 USC 1681c starts the seven years 180 days after the delinquency that led to the collection (U.S. Code, 2026).

So a debt can be past the lawsuit limit and still be on your report. It can also be off your report and still open to a suit, if your state’s limit is longer. A sale or transfer of the debt does not restart the delinquency date. Chapter 7 bankruptcy runs ten years instead of seven.

An accurate item stays until its reporting period ends. A dispute fits an item that is inaccurate, incomplete, unverifiable or too old to be reported, so confirm the item type and its dates first.

What can a debt collector still do on a time-barred debt?

Once a debt is time-barred, a collector can still call or write to ask for payment, but Regulation F (12 CFR 1006.26(b)) bars it from suing or threatening to sue. The debt itself does not legally disappear.

Regulation F does not require proof that the collector knew the debt was time-barred. The one carve-out is a proof of claim filed in a bankruptcy case.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act still applies. A collector cannot call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. your time, threaten actions it is not authorized to take, or misstate the legal status of the debt. You can ask the collector to prove the debt is yours, the amount is right, and it has the right to collect.

What restarts the statute of limitations on an old debt?

In many states, a small payment, a written acknowledgment or a promise to pay can restart the clock on an old debt. A time-barred debt then becomes suable again.

Say, hypothetically, a collector asks for a $25 payment on an account from years back. That one payment could be the thing that gives the collector a fresh lawsuit window.

Paying an invalid or unverifiable debt can also waste money without helping your credit. Get the debt validated and talk to an attorney before you pay or sign anything.

What date starts the clock on an old debt?

The reporting clock starts at the date of first delinquency, when you first fell behind, and a sale or transfer of the debt does not restart it. The lawsuit clock follows state law; in Michigan it begins on the date the contract was breached.

Find the first-delinquency date on your report. Furnishers must report the correct one, and a wrong date is a disputable error. A collector that reports a newer date than the day you first fell behind is re-aging the debt, which is illegal. Your own records, such as old statements, help show the true date.

Which debts have no statute of limitations?

As the CFPB’s 2026 guidance says, federal student loans carry no statute of limitations. The state limits do not apply to them.

Every other consumer debt you are weighing has a limit, and that limit can restart. If a collector says your debt has no limit, ask for the debt type in writing. Then take it to an attorney or a nonprofit credit counselor.

What should you do first when a collector contacts you about an old debt?

Write down the date you first fell behind, then ask the collector to validate the debt in writing. A validation request is an FDCPA matter, and you send it within 30 days of the validation notice.

Keep a copy of every letter you send and receive. Do not ignore court papers, even if you think the debt is too old. For lawsuit and time-limit questions, an attorney or a nonprofit credit counselor is the right call.

Two clocks answer two questions about an old debt

Your state’s limit tells you whether a lawsuit is still possible. The date you first missed a payment tells you when the report must let go. Neither one erases a debt you owe, and a payment can restart the lawsuit clock without touching the reporting one. When an item has outlasted its seven years, the credit report is where you push back.

What do dispute tools cost, and which bureaus do they reach?

A time-barred debt can still sit on a credit report, and the tools below differ in price, in the bureaus they reach and in who drafts and mails the letters. CreditRefresh reaches all three bureaus for $49.99 a month, while Dovly and Credit Karma reach TransUnion only.

Every price is that company’s own published rate, read off that company’s own site on September 15, 2026. Trustpilot scores and review counts as published on October 5, 2026.

If you paid a tool and got no help, the reviews show you are not alone. Of Lexington Law’s 134 one- and two-star reviews in its latest 200, 79 say they paid for months and nothing changed. Jennifer C. gave Lexington Law one star on Trustpilot on March 20, 2024: “Their policy read they would initially charge $14.95 but $99 was withdrawn from my account.”

Credit Karma’s Direct Dispute stops at TransUnion. In its latest 200 reviews, 34 of its 197 one- and two-star reviews say nobody answers. A one-star Trustpilot review of Credit Karma from September 24, 2026, by Conqueso S., reads: “You cannot get ahold of a human being at this company.”

Dispute Beast’s tool is free, but paid monitoring comes with it. Ryan wrote in a one-star Trustpilot review of Dispute Beast on August 14, 2026: “they sell you beastcreditmonitoring and that monitoring is a rip off!”

How CreditRefresh drafts disputes for items too old to report, at $49.99 a month

An old debt can sit on your report after its lawsuit deadline, and an item that is inaccurate, incomplete, unverifiable or too old to be legally reported is a dispute ground. We read your reports from all three bureaus, flag those items, and draft a letter for each one that cites the specific issue and the legal grounds. We run disputes bureau by bureau, so each letter is aimed at the bureau where the item appears.

Refresh Monitoring costs $49.99 a month and includes CreditRefresh, with no setup fee, no per-dispute charge and no contract. You mail each letter yourself, or pay a small per-letter fee for RushMail to mail a round. Members rate us 4.6 across 22 Trustpilot reviews. Rory D. gave us five stars on September 20, 2026: “Found errors that I was unaware of in a very short time”

We are not a law firm, and our letters are not legal advice. We give no legal advice on lawsuits or limitation periods, so lawsuit questions go to a licensed attorney. Results vary and are not guaranteed, because the bureaus decide dispute outcomes and scores depend on the rest of your file. Rival terms can change, so confirm them with each provider.

Members who work the full program and see no bureau score rise above where they started can claim back every Refresh Monitoring payment under our 100% money-back guarantee. It is a refund promise, never a score promise, and the conditions are at creditrefresh.ai/guarantee. Every letter is reviewed and signed by you before anything is sent.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if I am sued over an old debt?

Respond by the date in the court papers, personally or through a lawyer. The CFPB’s 2023 guidance says responding does not mean you agree you owe the debt, and the collector has to prove to the court that the debt is valid. If you do not respond, the court can enter a default judgment, which can lead to wage garnishment, liens and bank account freezes. A licensed attorney can tell you whether your state’s time limit has passed.

Can I make a collector stop contacting me about an old debt?

Yes, in writing. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, once you tell a collector in writing that you refuse to pay or want contact to stop, it must stop, with a few exceptions such as saying its efforts are ending or that it may invoke a specified remedy. The letter does not erase the debt.

Can moving out of state or filing bankruptcy pause the clock?

Sometimes. Chapter 95 of the Florida Statutes (2026) lists absence from the state of the person to be sued as a reason a limitation period pauses. In bankruptcy, Regulation F’s ban on suing does not apply to a proof of claim a collector files in the case. Other states set their own rules, so ask an attorney.

Which state’s time limit applies if my card was issued in another state?

In Portfolio Recovery Assoc. v. King (2010), the New York Court of Appeals held that a card agreement’s choice-of-law clause did not bring in the chosen state’s limitations period, because the agreement did not expressly say so. The CFPB lists the state law named in your credit agreement as one factor in the period, so have an attorney confirm which state’s limit applies to you.

What does a collector have to tell me about an old debt?

Regulation F’s validation notice (12 CFR 1006.34) is a closed list. It includes the collector’s name and mailing address, the itemization date, the amount of the debt on that date, the current amount, and the names of the creditor on the itemization date and the current creditor. Regulation F sets no time-barred disclosure text of its own; it allows one on the front of the notice only if applicable law requires it or gives a safe harbor.

CreditRefresh scans all three of your reports for items that look inaccurate, incomplete, unverifiable or too old to be legally reported, and drafts each letter for you to review and sign. Backed by a 100% money-back guarantee.

See which old items on your reports can be disputed →