Missouri credit and debt laws
In Missouri, the statute of limitations on written contracts is 10 years. That clock limits lawsuits, not credit reporting: under federal law, most negative items leave your credit report after 7 years no matter which state you live in.
Missouri statute of limitations on debt
| Type of debt | Time limit | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Written promises to pay money | 10 years | Mo. Rev. Stat. 516.110(1) |
| Oral contracts and other contracts | 5 years | Mo. Rev. Stat. 516.120(1) |
| Promissory notes | 10 years | Mo. Rev. Stat. 400.3-118(a) |
- Written promises to pay money. Covers an action on any writing, sealed or unsealed, for the payment of money or property.
- Oral contracts and other contracts. Covers actions on contracts, obligations or liabilities, express or implied, other than those in 516.110.
- Promissory notes. Missouri's commercial code sets ten years from the due date in the note, and the chapter 516 deadlines do not apply to it.
Time limits to sue vs. time on your credit report
The Missouri 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?
In contract cases, an acknowledgment or promise only restarts the clock if it is in a writing signed by you (Mo. Rev. Stat. 516.320).
Does Missouri limit lawsuits on old debt?
Missouri 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 Missouri
Missouri 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
Missouri 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?
Missouri 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 Missouri, complaints about debt collectors and credit reporting can go to Missouri Attorney General's Office, Consumer Protection, as well as to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
More to know in Missouri
Missouri splits contract deadlines in two. A suit on a writing that promises to pay money or property has ten years (Mo. Rev. Stat. 516.110(1)), and other contract suits, including oral agreements, have five (516.120(1)). Negotiable promissory notes get ten years from the due date under Missouri's commercial code (400.3-118). An old debt can only be revived by an acknowledgment or promise in a writing you signed (516.320), so a spoken promise to pay doesn't meet the test. The Attorney General's office takes consumer complaints and mediates them with businesses. Missouri 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.
Sources
- The Latest: Keeping Medical Debt Out of Credit Reports, National Consumer Law Center
- Medical Debt Can Still Hit Your Credit Report in 35 States, MoneyGeek
- Publication 555, Community Property, Internal Revenue Service
- A Guide to the States that Ban Credit Checks for Employment, backgroundchecks.com
- Missouri Revised Statutes 516.110: What actions within ten years, Missouri Revisor of Statutes
- Missouri Revised Statutes 516.120: What actions within five years, Missouri Revisor of Statutes
- Missouri Revised Statutes 516.320: Actions barred, only revived by written promise, Missouri Revisor of Statutes
- Missouri Revised Statutes 400.3-118: Statute of limitations, Missouri Revisor of Statutes
- Consumer Complaints, Missouri Attorney General's Office
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