New Hampshire gives creditors three years to sue on most personal actions, including ordinary consumer debt, written or not. A contract under seal or a judgment gets twenty, and a negotiable note can carry six. The state’s limitations chapter has no rule at all on whether a payment or a promise restarts the clock, so that question is left to the courts.
The deadlines, and where each one is written
| What is being collected | Deadline to file suit | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Personal actions generally (other than slander or libel) | 3 years | RSA 508:4, I |
| Actions of debt upon judgments, recognizances, and contracts under seal | 20 years | RSA 508:5 |
| A note payable at a definite time (commercial code) | 6 years after the due date or accelerated due date | RSA 382-A:3-118(a) |
| A note secured by a mortgage of real estate | As long as the mortgage can be enforced | RSA 508:6 |
RSA 508:4, I provides that “[e]xcept as otherwise provided by law, all personal actions, except actions for slander or libel, may be brought only within 3 years of the act or omission complained of.” A suit to collect a debt is a personal action, and the section makes no distinction between written and unwritten agreements.
The six-year rule for notes comes from New Hampshire’s commercial code, which says an action to enforce “a note payable at a definite time must be commenced within six years after the due date or dates stated in the note or, if a due date is accelerated, within six years after the accelerated due date.” Which consumer loans are notes of that kind is not answered by the limitations chapter.
When the clock starts
New Hampshire words its main rule differently from most states. The three years run from “the act or omission complained of,” with an exception for injuries not discovered and not reasonably discoverable at the time. The chapter does not say what the “act or omission” is for a credit card or loan; the most natural reading is the missed payment or default the creditor is suing over, but the statute does not spell that out.
Under RSA 508:9, if the defendant “was absent from and residing out of the state at the time the cause of action accrued, or afterward, the time of such absence shall be excluded” in counting the period.
What restarts the clock: no statute says
We reviewed the full text of RSA Chapter 508. None of its sections addresses payments, acknowledgments, or new promises to pay an old debt. Unlike its neighbors Maine and Massachusetts, New Hampshire’s limitations chapter does not say whether an acknowledgment must be signed or what effect a payment has.
What this means in practice: if a collector says a payment or a phone call restarted the clock on a New Hampshire debt, that is a claim about case law, not about a statute. We have not reviewed New Hampshire court decisions on the point, so we do not say how a court would rule.
How often New Hampshire consumers report collection problems
New Hampshire consumers filed 404 debt collection complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the 12 months ending October 7, 2026, which is 0.1% of the 316,737 filed nationwide and ranks 44th among reporting states.
Of those, 113, or 28% of the New Hampshire total, were categorized as a collector taking or threatening to take negative or legal action, against 25% nationally.
These are raw complaint counts, not rates. They are not adjusted for population, and a complaint is an allegation the CFPB has published, not a finding that a company broke the law. The figures refresh weekly from the CFPB’s public database.
If you are sued on a debt you believe is too old
The statute of limitations is a defense you have to raise in your answer. A person who does not respond to a New Hampshire collection suit can lose by default, and a judgment can be sued on for twenty years under RSA 508:5.
Two New Hampshire-specific things to check: whether the creditor is suing on an ordinary account (three years) or claims a negotiable note or a sealed contract with a longer period; and, if it says something you did restarted the clock, what that was. Court deadlines are short, so this is a point at which speaking with a New Hampshire attorney or a legal aid organization is worth the call.
How New Hampshire compares
The same question gets a different answer a state line away. These are the closest comparisons to New Hampshire:
- Maine: next door, six years, and collectors cannot revive an expired debt
- Massachusetts: next door, six years on most contracts
- Connecticut: six years on an account, three on an oral contract
The full comparison table covers every state we have published.
Sources and verification
Statutes quoted from the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated as published by the New Hampshire General Court, Chapter 508 (Limitation of Actions), and RSA 382-A:3-118. Provisions cited: RSA 508:4, 508:5, 508:6, 508:9, and 382-A:3-118; we reviewed the full text of Chapter 508. The source notes show RSA 508:4 last amended in 1986 and 508:5 and 508:9 unchanged from the 1942 Revised Laws. Text retrieved October 2, 2026. Complaint data: CFPB Consumer Complaint Database, filtered to the Debt collection product and the New Hampshire state field over a rolling 12-month window, re-queried weekly by this site. Our data sources and update policy lists every figure on this site that refreshes automatically and how often.
This page explains what the New Hampshire statutes say. It is general information, not legal advice. It does not say what restarts the clock, because Chapter 508 does not address it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the statute of limitations on debt in New Hampshire?
Three years for personal actions generally under RSA 508:4, I, measured from the act or omission complained of. Judgments and contracts under seal carry twenty years under RSA 508:5, and a note payable at a definite time carries six years under RSA 382-A:3-118(a).
Is New Hampshire credit card debt three years?
The statutes do not name credit cards. An ordinary card balance is a personal action covered by the three-year rule in RSA 508:4, I, unless the creditor can show a negotiable note or a sealed contract.
Does a payment restart the statute of limitations in New Hampshire?
No New Hampshire statute says. RSA Chapter 508 has no section on payments, acknowledgments, or new promises, so the question is left to the courts.
How long can a New Hampshire judgment be enforced?
Actions of debt upon judgments may be brought within twenty years after the cause of action accrued, under RSA 508:5.