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Tennessee Debt Statute of Limitations Calculator (2026)
Enter your last payment or activity date to see when the Tennessee limitations period would run out for your debt type — credit-card debt runs 6 years, a written contract 6 years. Every result flags revival.
Tennessee debt statute-of-limitations calculator
These are the Tennessee 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 (too old to sue over).
This is the Tennessee trap. A voluntary partial payment, or words or conduct that clearly acknowledge the debt, can imply a new promise to pay and restart the entire 6-year clock from the date of that payment or promise (the rule in the Graves v. Sawyer line of cases). Even a small payment on an old or "zombie" debt can hand a collector a fresh window to sue. Do not pay or acknowledge an old debt without getting advice first.
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.
- Debt type
- Credit-card debt
- Time limit to sue (SOL period)
- 6 years
- Last payment / activity
- Not entered
- Period runs out
- —
- Revival
- A payment can restart the clock
Plain-language summary, 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 Tennessee debt statute-of-limitations reference, cited to Tenn. Code Ann. §28-3-109; §47-2-725; §47-3-118.
How the Tennessee debt clock works
Tennessee runs almost everything through one statute: §28-3-109 sets a 6-year limit for "actions on contracts not otherwise expressly provided for." That means written contracts, oral contracts, open accounts, and ordinary credit cards all sit on the same 6-year clock, which is unusual because most states put oral debts on a shorter timer. Promissory notes get their own 6-year rule under §47-3-118, measured from the note's due date. The one number that can shift is a debt for the sale of goods: a store account or card tied to buying merchandise can be treated as a UCC sale and drop to 4 years under §47-2-725. The bigger risk here is revival. Tennessee courts treat a voluntary payment or a clear acknowledgment as a new promise that restarts the whole clock, so one small payment on an old debt can undo years of waiting.
This tool applies the Tennessee 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 Tennessee debt statute-of-limitations reference.
Debt statute-of-limitations tools for other states
Same tool, each with its own periods and revival rule.