Statute of limitations on debt in New York

In New York, the time to file a lawsuit on a consumer debt is set by the sections below. When that time has run, a collector’s ability to win a suit is what has expired — if the dates were measured correctly, and if New York law is the law that applies. The debt does not vanish. A collector may still request payment. A United States credit report can still show the item under 15 U.S.C. §1681c.

Verified New York limitation periods
Kind of debt	Years	Statute
Written contract	6	N.Y. C.P.L.R. 213(2)
Oral contract	6	N.Y. C.P.L.R. 213(2)
Credit card	3	N.Y. C.P.L.R. 214-i

Not printed, because this site has not verified a period: Open account / store account, Promissory note. Those rows are not guesses.

Written contract. General contractual obligation. Consumer credit transactions use the shorter period below.

Credit card. Consumer Credit Fairness Act, L. 2021, ch. 593. There are two sections numbered 214-i. This is the consumer-credit one. Payments after the period expires do not revive it.

Revival and acknowledgment

For a consumer credit transaction where the debtor is the defendant, the three-year period in 214-i controls, and later payment or affirmation does not revive it. Other contracts can still be six years under 213(2).

The reporting clock is not this table

How long a collection may appear on a United States credit report is a federal file rule. Read how long a debt stays on your credit report and what paying a collection changes.

Walk the decision

Lawsuit deadline and credit-report period are different clocks. This is not a ruling.

State whose law you think applies Kind of debt Month of last payment or written acknowledgment, if you know it

What the collector sent

A first collection notice, within 30 days A collection notice, but the 30-day window has passed Calls or letters I want stopped An offer to pay if they stop reporting the item A lawsuit threat, or papers from a court Nothing yet — I am trying to decide whether to pay

The lawsuit clock may have run. The reporting clock is a different clock.

Texas lists 4 years for credit card under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004(a)(3). Counting months from the date you entered, that period looks expired. That is not a ruling. Accrual, choice of law, and revival can move the date. For a debt buyer, Texas Finance Code § 392.307 says a payment or agreement that the debt is owed does not revive the limitations period. That section is about debt buyers. It is not a general rule for every original creditor. How long the item stays on a United States credit report is 15 U.S.C. §1681c, generally seven years plus up to 180 days from the delinquency, even after you pay.

Write a debt validation letter

State lawsuit-deadline notes · How long a debt stays on a credit report

Questions

What is the statute of limitations on debt in New York?

Written contract: 6 years (N.Y. C.P.L.R. 213(2)). Oral contract: 6 years (N.Y. C.P.L.R. 213(2)). Credit card: 3 years (N.Y. C.P.L.R. 214-i).

Does paying restart the clock?

Does that mean the collection comes off my credit report?

No. 15 U.S.C. §1681c is a file rule. A time-barred debt can still appear for the rest of the reporting period.

Sources

N.Y. C.P.L.R. 213(2) — New York statute, last verified 2026-10-28
N.Y. C.P.L.R. 213(2) — New York statute, last verified 2026-10-28
N.Y. C.P.L.R. 214-i — New York statute, last verified 2026-10-28
N.Y. C.P.L.R. 214-i — New York revival / tolling note, last verified 2026-10-28
Can debt collectors collect a debt that’s several years old? — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
12 C.F.R. § 1006.26 — Collection of time-barred debts — Regulation F, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau