Michigan credit and debt laws

Michigan statute of limitations on debt

• Oral contracts. Michigan's six-year breach of contract rule does not split written and oral agreements.
• Promissory notes. For a note payable on a set date, the six years run from the due date in the note, or from the accelerated due date.

Time limits to sue vs. time on your credit report

The Michigan 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 contract claim barred by the statute of limitations is revived by an acknowledgment or promise to pay, but only if it is in a writing signed by you (Mich. Comp. Laws 600.5866).

Does Michigan limit lawsuits on old debt?

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

Medical debt on credit reports in Michigan

Michigan 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. House Bill 6073, which would regulate medical debt reporting, passed the House 94 to 12 on June 23, 2026.

Compare every state in medical debt laws by state.

Marriage and debt

Michigan 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?

Michigan has no statewide law limiting employer credit checks. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act still requires your written permission before an employer pulls your report.

Do debt collectors need a Michigan license?

Yes. A collection agency must get a license from the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs before operating in Michigan, with a separate license for each place of business (Mich. Comp. Laws 339.904, 339.104).

In Michigan, complaints about debt collectors and credit reporting can go to Michigan Department of Attorney General, Consumer Protection Team, as well as to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

More to know in Michigan

Michigan uses one six-year deadline for breach of contract, so written and oral agreements share the same clock (Mich. Comp. Laws 600.5807(9)). Promissory notes also get six years from the due date, or from the accelerated date if the lender called the full balance due (440.3118). An old debt can come back to life in Michigan, but only through a signed writing that acknowledges it or promises to pay (600.5866). A spoken promise on the phone doesn't meet that test. Collection agencies need a state license for each office (339.904). Michigan has no medical debt credit reporting law yet. House Bill 6073, which would regulate how medical debt is reported, passed the state House 94 to 12 on June 23, 2026. Watch the Senate for the next step. Michigan is not a community property state, and it has no statewide law limiting 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.