Time-Barred Debts

There’s no doubt about it: you are responsible for your debts. If you fall behind in paying your creditors — or if you dispute the legitimacy of a debt — a debt collector may contact you.

“Time-barred” debts are debts so old they are beyond the point at which a creditor or debt collector may sue you to collect. State law varies as to when a creditor or debt collector may no longer sue to collect: in most states, the statute of limitations period on debts is between 3 and 10 years; in some states, the period is longer. Check with your State Attorney General’s Office at www.naag.org to determine when a debt is considered time-barred in your state.

Federal law imposes limitations on how debt collectors can collect debts, including time-barred debts. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), a “debt collector” generally is any person or organization that regularly collects debts owed to others. The term includes lawyers who collect debts for others on a regular basis, but it does not include creditors collecting their own debts.