Statute-Barred Debt Calculator
Check if your debt is too old to enforce under the 6-year rule
Last updated: June 2026
Is My Debt Statute-Barred? Calculator
Enter the date of your last payment or last written acknowledgement of the debt (whichever is later). We will work out the statute-barred date under the Limitation Act 1980 and tell you whether the debt is likely unenforceable.
What this calculator does
A debt becomes "statute-barred" when so much time has passed that a creditor can no longer use the courts to force you to pay it. Under the Limitation Act 1980, most ordinary consumer debts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are barred six years after the "cause of action" – usually your last payment or last written admission of the debt, whichever is later. This statute-barred debt calculator takes that date, applies the correct limitation period for your situation, and tells you the exact date the debt becomes unenforceable, how many days remain or have passed, and when the default should drop off your credit file.
It is aimed at anyone in the UK who has an old credit card, personal loan, overdraft, catalogue, store card or mortgage-shortfall debt and wants to know whether it is "too old" to be enforced – and at people being chased by debt collectors for accounts they had stopped paying years ago. The clock does not reset simply because a debt is sold to a new collector, but it does reset the moment you make a payment or acknowledge the debt in writing, so understanding your dates before you respond is vital.
How it works
- Most unsecured debts (credit cards, loans, overdrafts, catalogues, store cards): 6 years – Limitation Act 1980, section 5.
- Mortgage shortfall – the capital still owed after a property is repossessed and sold: 12 years for the capital, 6 years for the interest (section 20).
- Scotland: a shorter 5-year "prescription" applies to most debts, and once a debt prescribes it is wiped out entirely, not just made unenforceable.
- CCJ debts: if the creditor already obtained a County Court Judgment, the 6-year limitation rule does not apply – the debt stays enforceable.
The calculator adds the relevant limitation period to the date of your last payment or written acknowledgement to find the statute-barred date, then compares it with today. It also shows the credit-file drop-off date (six years from the default), which is separate from limitation.
Worked example
Imagine you last paid anything towards a credit card on 1 March 2018 and never wrote to the lender admitting the debt afterwards. The debt is an ordinary unsecured debt, so the 6-year period applies:
- Last payment: 1 March 2018
- Limitation period: 6 years
- Statute-barred date: 1 March 2024
Because that date is now in the past, the debt is likely statute-barred – the lender can no longer take you to court to recover it. The debt still technically exists, but it has become unenforceable. Crucially, if you had made even a small payment in, say, 2023, the six-year clock would have restarted from that later date.
Frequently asked questions
Does a statute-barred debt still have to be paid?
No. Once a debt is statute-barred you are not legally required to repay it and the creditor cannot use the courts to make you. The debt still exists and can be mentioned in correspondence, but it is unenforceable. In Scotland the debt is extinguished entirely after the 5-year prescription period.
What resets the 6-year limitation clock?
Two things restart the clock: making any payment towards the debt, or acknowledging the debt in writing (for example confirming you owe it or agreeing a repayment plan). A phone call is not usually a written acknowledgement, but it is safest to get free advice before responding to a collector about an old debt.
Does selling the debt to a collection agency reset the clock?
No. A debt being passed or sold to a different collection company does not restart the limitation period. The clock still runs from your last payment or written acknowledgement to the original creditor or any owner of the debt.
Is a statute-barred debt removed from my credit file?
Credit-file removal is separate from limitation. A default drops off your credit report six years after the default date, whether or not the debt is statute-barred. So a debt can still show on your file even after it becomes statute-barred, or vice versa.
Source: Limitation periods are set by the Limitation Act 1980, section 5 (6-year simple contract) and section 20 (12-year mortgage capital). For free debt advice see National Debtline or Citizens Advice. This tool is for guidance only and is not legal advice.