Texas
In Texas, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 4 years under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004(a)(3).
Rule
A written contract claim in Texas must be brought within 4 years.
- Written contract
- 4 yr
- Oral contract
- 4 yr
- Open account
- 4 yr
- Promissory note
- 6 yr
What the statute says
A person must bring suit on the following actions not later than four years after the day the cause of action accrues: (1) specific performance of a contract for the conveyance of real property; (2) penalty or damages on the penal clause of a bond to convey real property; (3) debt; (4) fraud; or (5) breach of fiduciary duty.
When does the clock start?
Four years from the day the cause of action accrues — for a card balance, the date of the breach or charge-off relied on. For an open or stated account, § 16.004(c) supplies its own rule: "the cause of action accrues on the day that the dealings in which the parties were interested together cease."
What pauses it?
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.063 suspends the period for the period of the defendant's absence from the state; § 16.062 suspends it 12 months after a party's death (running again once an executor or administrator qualifies); § 16.064 suspends it between filings when the first suit is dismissed for lack of jurisdiction and refiled within 60 days; § 16.001 excludes time under a legal disability existing at accrual, with no tacking. NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED — I did not fetch §§ 16.001, 16.062, 16.063 or 16.064 in this pass.
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.