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New York

In New York, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 6 years under N.Y. C.P.L.R. §§ 213(2), 214-i.

Rule

A written contract claim in New York must be brought within 6 years.

AuthorityN.Y. C.P.L.R. §§ 213(2), 214-i
Written contract
6 yr
Oral contract
6 yr
Open account
3 yr
Promissory note
6 yr

What the statute says

An action arising out of a consumer credit transaction where a purchaser, borrower or debtor is a defendant must be commenced within three years
N.Y. C.P.L.R. §§ 213(2), 214-i

When does the clock start?

On default/breach. CPLR 214-i fixes the consumer-credit period at three years from accrual and then forecloses extension: once the period expires, "any subsequent payment toward, written or oral affirmation of or other activity on the debt does not revive or extend the limitations period."

What pauses it?

CPLR 207 ("If, when a cause of action accrues against a person, he is without the state, the time within which the action must be commenced shall be computed from the time he comes into or returns to the state."); CPLR 208 (infancy and insanity). NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED — I did not fetch CPLR 207 or 208.

Last reviewed 2026-07-26

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.

About Otto

This table is a free reference and it is not the product. Otto is case management for US collections law firms; the rules engine ships all fifty states configured — four shown in end-to-end depth in the demo — and it checks a date like this one before a file moves rather than after.