Statute of Limitations on Debt in Tennessee (2026): The 6-Year Rule

Last updated 07/28/2026 by

Andrew Latham

Edited by

Andrew Latham

Summary:

The statute of limitations on debt in Tennessee is six years for most debt, including credit cards and open accounts, measured from your last payment. Tennessee applies one window to the debt consumers carry most.

Six-year limit: Written contracts, credit cards, and open accounts under TCA 28-3-109.
Clock from last payment: The countdown starts when you stop paying.
Same rule for oral debt: Verbal agreements also fall under six years.

Tennessee gets miscounted a lot, with some charts still listing a shorter window that no longer reflects how courts treat card debt.

The working answer for credit cards here is six years.

Get Competing Personal Loan Offers In Minutes

Compare rates from multiple vetted lenders. Discover your lowest eligible rate.

Get Personalized Rates

It's quick, free and won’t hurt your credit score

What is the statute of limitations on debt in Tennessee

Tennessee gives creditors and collectors six years to sue on most debt, set by Tenn. Code Ann. 28-3-109, including credit cards and open accounts.

Once six years pass from your last payment, the debt is time-barred and a collector cannot win a lawsuit to force payment.

The debt still exists after six years. You continue to owe it, but the legal power to sue over it is gone.

Tennessee statute of limitations by debt type

Tennessee applies a six-year limit to the debt types consumers deal with most.

Debt type	Time limit	Tennessee statute
Written contract	6 years	Tenn. Code Ann. 28-3-109
Credit card / open account	6 years	Tenn. Code Ann. 28-3-109
Oral agreement	6 years	Tenn. Code Ann. 28-3-109
Promissory note	6 years	Tenn. Code Ann. 28-3-109

When the clock starts in Tennessee

The clock starts on the date of your last payment or last account activity, not the day you opened the account.

If you made your final credit card payment in April 2021, the six-year window would generally close around April 2027.

Check your reported date of first delinquency against your own records, since an inaccurate date can make a debt look newer than it is.

Pro Tip: In Tennessee, making a payment or acknowledging an old debt in writing can restart the six-year clock from zero.

Before you respond to a collector, pull your credit report and confirm the date of last payment. A single partial payment can hand the collector a fresh six-year window to sue.

Time-barred debt and your Tennessee credit report

The six-year lawsuit limit is separate from credit reporting. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, most negative debts stay on your report for seven years from the first delinquency.

A Tennessee credit card debt can be time-barred for suing after six years yet remain on your credit report for one more.

Key takeaways

Tennessee allows six years to sue on most debt, including credit cards, under Tenn. Code Ann. 28-3-109.
The clock starts on your last payment or account activity.
A payment or written acknowledgment can restart the six-year clock from zero.
Time-barred debt can still appear on your credit report for up to seven years.
A collector can still ask you to pay a time-barred debt but cannot sue over it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the statute of limitations on credit card debt in Tennessee?

Six years. Tennessee applies its 28-3-109 contract limit to credit card and open-account debt, running from your last payment. After six years the debt is time-barred and a collector cannot win a lawsuit over it.

Can a debt collector still contact me after six years in Tennessee?

Yes. The statute of limitations only bars lawsuits, not contact. A collector can still ask you to pay, but under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act they cannot sue or threaten to sue over a time-barred debt.

Does making a payment restart the clock in Tennessee?

It can. A payment or a written acknowledgment that the debt is yours generally restarts the six-year period, so confirm whether the debt is already time-barred before you pay anything.

If old balances are piling up, comparing structured debt relief options can consolidate several collector accounts into one negotiated plan.