# Hawaii statute of limitations on debt

> In Hawaii, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 6 years under HRS § 657-1(1). Periods for oral contracts, open accounts and promissory notes.

- Source: https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/hawaii/
- Publisher: Otto — https://ottoforfirms.com
- Updated: 2026-07-26

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In Hawaii, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 6 years under HRS § 657-1(1).

**Rule.** A written contract claim in Hawaii must be brought within 6 years.

**Authority.** [HRS § 657-1(1)](https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol13_Ch0601-0676/HRS0657/HRS_0657-0001.htm)

| Contract type | Limitations period |
| --- | --- |
| Written contract | 6 yr |
| Oral contract | 6 yr |
| Open account | — |
| Promissory note | 6 yr |

## When does the clock start?

HRS § 657-1: six years "next after the cause of action accrued." For open accounts, HRS § 657-2 (Mutual current account): "In all actions in the nature of debt, account, or assumpsit, brought to recover any balance due upon a mutual, open, and current account, the cause of action shall be deemed to have accrued from the time of the last item proved in the account."

## What pauses it?

HRS § 657-18 (Extension by absence from State): if the defendant is out of the State when the cause accrues, suit may be brought within the limited term after the person's return, and post-accrual absence "shall not be deemed or taken as any part of the time limited." Chapter 657 also provides §§ 657-13 (infancy, insanity, imprisonment), 657-19 (injunction), 657-20 (fraudulent concealment), 657-21 (keeping defendant in ignorance).

Last reviewed 2026-07-26

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This is an informational reference, not legal advice, and using it creates no attorney-client relationship. Limitations periods turn on facts this page cannot know — which state's law governs, the contract type, when the claim accrued, and whether anything tolled or revived it. Confirm against the primary source and your own counsel before acting.