06/08/2025
Debt collectors have a limited number of years in which they can sue for repayment. After the time runs out, certain unpaid consumer debts, such as credit card charges, fall under a statute of limitations. Under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, once the legal deadline expires, the debt is “time-barred,” and the collector is prohibited from suing or threatening to sue.
Some types of old debt are no longer collectible after a certain point. But collection agencies make money by scaring people into restarting the clock on payments.
