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Pennsylvania Debt Statute of Limitations Calculator (2026)

Enter your last payment or activity date to see when the Pennsylvania limitations period would run out for your debt type — credit-card debt runs 4 years, a written contract 4 years. Every result flags revival.

Cited to 42 Pa.C.S. §5525; 13 Pa.C.S. §3118Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Pennsylvania debt statute-of-limitations calculator

Debt statute of limitations · Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania rule applied to your dates
Limitations period
4 yr
Credit-card debt in Pennsylvania: 4 years. Four years. Pennsylvania puts contract actions — written (§5525(a)(8)) and oral or implied (§5525(a)(3)–(4)) — at 4 years, and credit cards fall in that bucket. A separate 20-year period applies only to instruments under seal (§5529(b)).
Period would run out
Enter your last payment or activity date to see the date.

These are the Pennsylvania figures applied to the date you entered — a plain summary of the period, not a determination that any debt is or is not time-barred.

A payment can restart the clock

Pennsylvania follows the common-law rule (not the statute): a clear written acknowledgment, or a voluntary partial payment, can restart the clock. An acknowledgment must identify the debt and show an intent to pay. A small payment on an old account can reopen the 4-year window.

The date above assumes no new activity. A statute of limitations does not erase the debt or remove it from your credit report — it is a defense you must raise if you are sued after the period runs. In many states a partial payment or a signed written acknowledgment can restart the clock entirely, so be careful before paying or signing anything on an old account. Revival rules are complex and this is informational only, not legal advice.

Informational only, not legal advice. The statute of limitations is complex, classification-dependent, and revival can reset it — this tool cannot decide your case. See the full breakdown and citations on the Pennsylvania debt statute-of-limitations reference, cited to 42 Pa.C.S. §5525; 13 Pa.C.S. §3118.

How the Pennsylvania debt clock works

Pennsylvania keeps all ordinary contract debt — written, oral, or implied — on the same 4-year clock, and credit cards ride along under §5525. Don't be misled by the 20-year figure that circulates: that applies only to instruments executed under seal (§5529(b)), not everyday consumer debt. The revival rule here is the dangerous, common-law kind: a voluntary partial payment or a clear written acknowledgment can restart the 4-year period, so paying a little on an old account can undo the protection you already had.

This tool applies the Pennsylvania periods to the date you enter and assumes no new activity. It is informational only and not legal advice — revival can reset the clock and classification can change the period. For the full four-type breakdown, revival rule, and citations, see the Pennsylvania debt statute-of-limitations reference.

Debt statute-of-limitations tools for other states

Same tool, each with its own periods and revival rule.