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Washington Debt Statute of Limitations Calculator (2026)

Enter your last payment or activity date to see when the Washington limitations period would run out for your debt type — credit-card debt runs 6 years, a written contract 6 years. Every result flags revival.

Cited to RCW §4.16.040; §4.16.080Source: Washington State Legislature.

Washington debt statute-of-limitations calculator

Debt statute of limitations · Washington
Washington rule applied to your dates
Limitations period
6 yr
Credit-card debt in Washington: 6 years. Six years. Washington courts treat credit-card debt under RCW §4.16.040 (written contract, 6 years), not the 3-year oral statute. The "account receivable" definition in §4.16.040(2) independently captures card obligations at 6 years.
Period would run out
Enter your last payment or activity date to see the date.

These are the Washington 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

Washington revival is statutory. A partial payment restarts the period, running fresh from the payment date (RCW §4.16.270). A new acknowledgment or promise must be signed by the debtor to count (RCW §4.16.280). Making a small payment on an old debt can reopen the full 6-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 Washington debt statute-of-limitations reference, cited to RCW §4.16.040; §4.16.080.

How the Washington debt clock works

Washington gives creditors a long 6-year window on written contracts and account receivables, which is where the courts place credit cards — not the shorter 3-year oral-contract statute. The revival rule here is unusually concrete because it is written into the code: under RCW §4.16.270, a voluntary partial payment restarts the clock from the payment date, and under §4.16.280 any acknowledgment has to be signed to count. That makes a "just pay $20 to make them stop calling" move genuinely risky on an old account.

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

Debt statute-of-limitations tools for other states

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