Delaware credit and debt laws

Delaware statute of limitations on debt

• Written contracts. The three-year rule covers actions based on a promise. A written contract involving at least $100,000 can set its own period, up to 20 years (10 Del. C. 8106(c)).
• Promissory notes. The same six-year section covers bills of exchange and a signed acknowledgment of an existing debt.

Time limits to sue vs. time on your credit report

The Delaware deadlines above control how long a creditor or collector can win a lawsuit. They don't change how long an account stays on your credit report. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act limits most negative items to 7 years in every state, counted from the date of first delinquency, and a payment doesn't restart that reporting clock. See how long negative items stay for both clocks side by side.

Can a payment restart the clock?

A written acknowledgment matters in Delaware. An action based on an acknowledgment of an existing debt, signed by the person who owes it, can be brought within 6 years (10 Del. C. 8109).

Does Delaware limit lawsuits on old debt?

Delaware law adds no rule of its own on suing over old debt. The federal Regulation F ban on suing or threatening to sue over time-barred debt applies.

Medical debt on credit reports in Delaware

Delaware bars furnishing medical debt to credit bureaus and bars credit bureaus from reporting it. The law: SS 1 for SB 156 (153rd General Assembly). In effect since October 27, 2025.

Compare every state in medical debt laws by state.

Marriage and debt

Delaware is not a community property state. Each spouse keeps a separate credit report, and a debt generally belongs to the people who signed for it.

Can employers check your credit?

Public employers only. The State, its agencies and local governments may not ask about or consider an applicant's credit history or credit score during the initial application process, up to and including the first interview. They may consider it after that if the applicant is otherwise qualified. Police agencies, the Department of Correction, the Department of Justice, the courts and a few other offices are exempt. Private employers are not covered. The law: 19 Del. C. 711(h).

Where to complain about a debt collector

In Delaware, complaints about debt collectors and credit reporting can go to Delaware Department of Justice, Consumer Protection Unit, as well as to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

More to know in Delaware

Delaware gives creditors just 3 years to sue on an ordinary contract debt, written or oral, which puts it at the short end nationally. The exception that matters most for consumers is the promissory note. A promissory note gets 6 years under a separate section, and so does a signed written acknowledgment of a debt you still owe. That makes a signed letter or form admitting an old balance more consequential than a phone call. Delaware's medical debt law, in effect since October 27, 2025, bars furnishing medical debt to credit bureaus and bars the bureaus from reporting it. Its employer credit check law is narrow: it covers only state and local government employers and only during the early application stage, through the first interview. Delaware's Consumer Protection Unit in the Department of Justice enforces the state's consumer protection laws and accepts consumer complaints online.

Guides that go deeper

• The statute of limitations on debt, and how a payment can reset itA statute of limitations limits when a collector can sue, not whether it can ask you to pay. How the clock starts, how it can restart, and what Reg F bans.
• How zombie debt and illegal re-aging bring old debts backZombie debts are old, paid, or wrong debts that resurface after a sale. Re-aging is reporting a newer delinquency date. How to spot and fight both.
• Sued by a debt collector? What to do in the first 2 weeksA debt lawsuit you ignore usually ends in a default judgment. What to read on the summons, how to respond on time, and where to find free legal help.
• Which states ban medical debt on credit reports? The 2026 listFifteen states have laws keeping medical debt off credit reports. The statute, start date and reach of each, plus the bureau rules that apply everywhere.
• Medical debt on credit reports: the rules in force in 2026The federal medical debt ban was struck down in 2025. What still protects you in 2026: bureau policies, newer scores, state laws and hospital aid rules.