Mississippi credit and debt laws

Mississippi statute of limitations on debt

• Written contracts. Mississippi has no separate deadline for written contracts, so the three-year catch-all applies, and the federal appeals court for Mississippi has applied a three-year limit to breach of contract suits.
• Open accounts. Covers open accounts and accounts stated that the debtor has not acknowledged in a signed writing.
• 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 Mississippi 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 counts as a new or continuing contract if it is in a writing signed by you (Miss. Code Ann. 15-1-73).

Does Mississippi limit lawsuits on old debt?

Mississippi 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 Mississippi

Mississippi 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

Mississippi 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?

Mississippi 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.

Where to complain about a debt collector

In Mississippi, complaints about debt collectors and credit reporting can go to Mississippi Attorney General's Office, Consumer Protection Division, as well as to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

More to know in Mississippi

Mississippi gives creditors three years to sue on most debts. Open accounts, accounts stated and unwritten contracts have three years under Miss. Code Ann. 15-1-29, and suits on written contracts fall under the three-year catch-all in 15-1-49. Promissory notes are the main exception, with six years from the due date under the state's commercial code (75-3-118). An open account the debtor acknowledged in a signed writing falls outside 15-1-29, and any acknowledgment or promise has to be in a signed writing to restart the clock (15-1-73). The Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division takes complaints and lists the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act among the laws it works with. Mississippi has no law keeping medical debt off credit reports. It 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.