# Idaho statute of limitations on debt

> In Idaho, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 5 years under Idaho Code § 5-216. Periods for oral contracts, open accounts and promissory notes.

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

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In Idaho, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 5 years under Idaho Code § 5-216.

**Rule.** A written contract claim in Idaho must be brought within 5 years.

**Authority.** [Idaho Code § 5-216](https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title5/T5CH2/SECT5-216/)

| Contract type | Limitations period |
| --- | --- |
| Written contract | 5 yr |
| Oral contract | 4 yr |
| Open account | — |
| Promissory note | 6 yr |

## When does the clock start?

General accrual on breach/default. For accounts, Idaho Code § 5-222 (Actions on open accounts — Accrual of cause): "In an action brought to recover a balance due upon a mutual, open and current account, where there have been reciprocal demands between the parties, the cause of action is deemed to have accrued from the time of the last item proved in the account on either side."

## What pauses it?

Idaho Code § 5-229 (Absence of defendant from state): "If, when the cause of action accrues against a person, he is out of the state, the action may be commenced within the term herein limited, after his return to the state, and if, after the cause of action accrues, he departs from the state, the time of his absence is not part of the time limited for the commencement of the action."

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.