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Virginia Debt Statute of Limitations Calculator (2026)

Enter your last payment or activity date to see when the Virginia limitations period would run out for your debt type — credit-card debt runs 5 or 3 years, a written contract 5 years. Every result flags revival.

Cited to Va. Code §8.01-246(2); §8.01-246(4); §8.01-229Source: Virginia Law.

Virginia debt statute-of-limitations calculator

Debt statute of limitations · Virginia
Virginia rule applied to your dates
Limitations period
3 yr
Credit-card debt in Virginia: 3 years (or 5 with a signed agreement). A signed cardholder agreement can lengthen this to 5 years (whether a signed cardholder agreement can be produced); without one, 3 years applies. It depends on the paperwork. If the creditor can produce a signed cardholder agreement, the card is a written contract at 5 years (§8.01-246(2)). If not — common for assigned debt-buyer accounts — it is an unwritten contract at 3 years (§8.01-246(4)). Original-creditor claims often argue 5 years; assigned debts often drop to 3. Show both.
Period would run out
Enter your last payment or activity date to see the date.

These are the Virginia 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

Va. Code §8.01-229(G) governs revival: a new promise or acknowledgment signed by the debtor revives the claim. A partial payment is also reported to restart the clock, but the strongest statutory hook is a signed writing.

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 Virginia debt statute-of-limitations reference, cited to Va. Code §8.01-246(2); §8.01-246(4); §8.01-229.

How the Virginia debt clock works

Virginia is the second state where one number would mislead. A credit card is a 5-year written contract if the creditor can produce a signed cardholder agreement (§8.01-246(2)) — but only a 3-year unwritten contract if it can't (§8.01-246(4)), which is common once a debt buyer has taken over. Original creditors tend to claim 5 years; assigned accounts often fall to 3. Either way, watch revival: a signed acknowledgment (and, by some accounts, a partial payment) can restart the clock under §8.01-229.

This tool applies the Virginia 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 Virginia debt statute-of-limitations reference.

Debt statute-of-limitations tools for other states

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