New York credit and debt laws

New York statute of limitations on debt

• Consumer credit debt, including personal credit cards. Covers suits against a borrower or debtor arising from credit extended to an individual mainly for personal, family or household purposes (N.Y. C.P.L.R. 105(f)).

Time limits to sue vs. time on your credit report

The New York 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?

For consumer credit debt, once the three-year period expires, a later payment, a written or oral affirmation or any other activity on the debt does not revive or extend it (N.Y. C.P.L.R. 214-i). For other contracts, an acknowledgment or promise restarts the clock only if it is in a writing signed by you, and the statute leaves the effect of a payment in place (N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law 17-101).

Does New York limit lawsuits on old debt?

Before taking a payment on a debt whose limitations period may have expired, a debt collector must give you a clear notice saying so, stating that suing on such a debt violates the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and that you don't have to admit the debt, promise to pay or waive anything (N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 23, § 1.3).

Medical debt on credit reports in New York

New York bars consumer reporting agencies from reporting medical debt, regardless of when it was incurred, limits furnishing medical debt to the bureaus, and requires provider contracts that bar collectors from furnishing medical debt to the bureaus. The law: N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 380-j(a)(3), (f)(1); N.Y. Pub. Health Law art. 49-A. In effect since December 13, 2023.

Compare every state in medical debt laws by state.

Marriage and debt

New York 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?

Since April 18, 2026, New York bars most employers from using consumer credit history in employment decisions. Exceptions include jobs where law requires a credit check, police and peace officer roles, bonded positions, jobs needing a security clearance, and roles with signing or fiduciary authority over $10,000 or more. The law: N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law §§ 380-a, 380-b, as amended by L. 2025, ch. 681.

Where to complain about a debt collector

In New York, complaints about debt collectors and credit reporting can go to New York State Department of Financial Services, as well as to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

More to know in New York

New York gives three years to sue on consumer credit debt, meaning credit extended to an individual mainly for personal, family or household purposes (N.Y. C.P.L.R. 214-i), and six years on other contracts (213(2)). After the three years, no payment or acknowledgment brings a consumer credit debt back. The state's debt collection regulation, enforced by the Department of Financial Services, requires a notice before a collector takes payment on a possibly expired debt. New York has kept medical debt off credit reports since December 13, 2023, and its law also requires hospitals and other providers to bar their collectors from reporting it. Since April 18, 2026, a change to the state's Fair Credit Reporting Act from Senate Bill S3072, signed December 19, 2025 as Chapter 681, stops most employers from using consumer credit history in hiring and other job decisions. Exceptions include jobs where law requires a credit check, police and investigative roles, bonded or security clearance positions, and jobs with signing or fiduciary authority over $10,000 or more. New York City already had its own ban on employment credit checks. New York is not a community property state.

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.