Is my medical debt too old to collect?

It may be. Each state sets a statute of limitations for collecting on contract debts, and once that period passes the debt becomes 'time-barred' — a collector generally cannot sue to collect it. The period depends on your state and on whether the bill is treated as a written contract or an open account. Use the decoder to estimate where your debt falls, then confirm with the statute or an attorney.

What happens when a debt is time-barred?

A time-barred debt still exists, but the collector loses the ability to win a lawsuit to force payment — and under the CFPB's Regulation F a collector may not sue or threaten to sue on it. The collector can still ask you to pay voluntarily, and the debt may still appear on some records. Importantly, making a payment can restart the clock in many states.

Does this site cost anything or require sign-up?

No. The decoder, the state guides, and all three letter templates are free and require no account or email. Nothing you enter is logged.

Is this legal advice?

No. MedDebtSOL is an information resource, not a law firm. The decoder gives an estimate from a state's general statute-of-limitations period and cannot account for the facts that decide a real case. For your specific situation, consult a licensed consumer-law attorney.

Medical-debt statute of limitations · all 50 states + DC

Is your medical debt past the statute of limitations?

Pick your state, enter a date, and get a calm, statute-cited estimate of whether an old medical bill is still legally collectible — plus private FDCPA and time-barred-debt letter drafts. Free, no sign-up, nothing logged.

Check your debt Browse all states

50 states + DC, statute-citedRuns in your browser

1 · Your state2 · Date the clock most likely startedUsually the date of the most recent payment or activity — not always the date of service.

Select your state and a date to see an estimate of whether the debt is within your state's limitations window.

Methodical, not panicked

One clear answer, then a calm next step.

Knowing whether a debt is time-barred changes what you should — and shouldn't — do next. We show the rule, cite the statute, and flag the one mistake that quietly restarts the clock.

Why trust this

Built for a stressful topic, the right way

Primary-source citations

Every state entry links to the controlling statute with a last-verified date — not a recycled aggregator summary.

Private by construction

The decoder and letter generator run in your browser. Your name, address, and account numbers never reach our servers.

Calm, not alarmist

No countdown timers, no scare tactics. Plain-English answers for a stressful topic, with the caveats stated honestly.

Letters grounded in law

FDCPA validation, cease, and time-barred-debt drafts — each tied to 15 U.S.C. § 1692* and your state's verified SOL.

How it works

Four calm steps, no account required

No sign-up, no email, no countdown timers. The whole tool runs in your browser.

Step 1

Pick your state

Statute-of-limitations periods for medical debt range widely — from a few years to a decade — and turn on whether the bill is a written contract or an open account. We start with your state's verified rule.

Step 2

Enter the date

The clock usually runs from the most recent payment or activity, not always the date of service. Enter that date and the decoder estimates how much of the window has passed.

Step 3

Read the estimate — with caveats

You get a calm, plain-English read: likely within the window, borderline, or likely time-barred — plus the controlling statute, a last-verified date, and the rules that can restart the clock.

Step 4

Draft a letter, privately

If it helps, generate an FDCPA validation, cease-communication, or time-barred-debt letter. Everything you type stays in your browser — nothing is sent to us.

Consumer-law review in progress

We are recruiting a licensed consumer-law attorney or debt-defense paralegal to review every state entry and letter template before this site applies for advertising. Until that review is complete and attributed here by name, treat all content as informational only.

Common questions