Indiana credit and debt laws

Indiana statute of limitations on debt

• Written contracts for the payment of money. Applies to written contracts for the payment of money signed after August 31, 1982. A written contract for something other than paying money gets 10 years under Ind. Code 34-11-2-11.
• Promissory notes. For notes signed after August 31, 1982.
• Accounts. The statute groups "actions on accounts and contracts not in writing" together.

Time limits to sue vs. time on your credit report

The Indiana 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?

An acknowledgment or promise only restarts the clock if it is in writing and signed by you (Ind. Code 34-11-9-1).

Does Indiana limit lawsuits on old debt?

Indiana 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 Indiana

Indiana has no law of its own limiting medical debt on credit reports, so the national rules decide what shows. The three bureaus leave off paid medical collections and any under $500, and an unpaid one can't appear until it is a year old.

Compare every state in medical debt laws by state.

Marriage and debt

Indiana 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?

Indiana has no statewide law limiting employer credit checks. Federal FCRA consent and adverse action rules apply.

Do debt collectors need a Indiana license?

Yes. A person who wants to run a collection agency in Indiana must apply to the Secretary of State for a license (Ind. Code 25-11-1-3).

In Indiana, complaints about debt collectors and credit reporting can go to Indiana Secretary of State (collection agency licensing), as well as to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

More to know in Indiana

Indiana uses one 6-year deadline for accounts, oral contracts, promissory notes and written contracts to pay money, so whether a card debt counts as written or oral rarely changes the answer. The 10-year period in Ind. Code 34-11-2-11 is for written contracts that are not about paying money. The dates in the statute matter only for very old paper: a note or money contract signed before September 1, 1982 had 10 years. Indiana requires a signed writing before an acknowledgment or promise can restart the clock, so an oral promise on the phone does not revive an old debt under that section. Collection agencies apply to the Secretary of State for a license, so a collector working in Indiana should be able to show that license. Indiana has no medical debt credit reporting law of its own and no state limit on employer credit checks.

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.