Collectors only have a certain amount of time to sue you for payments. The first thing you should do is determine if the statute of limitations for collecting a debt in your state have past. If the debt is older than the statute of limitations, tell the bill collectors they are wasting their time by harassing you for an uncollectable debt, as the original creditor or the assigned collection agency cannot take you to court to get a judgement.
After 7 seven years (in most cases), a negative mark and the related collections will disappear from your credit report. If the debt has gone unpaid for 7 years, then it can no longer legally remain on your credit report. You can challenge this listing on your credit report and it will come off. Please note: the amount of time a late payment can appear on your credit report has nothing to do with the statute of limitations. Very important distinction. Even though a debt may no longer legally appear on your credit report after 7 years, you could still be sued for the debt if the statute of limitations for your debt in your state is not If the debt is gone from your credit report AND the statute of limitations is up on this debt, you’re home free! If enough time has passed for both the legal debt collection statutes of limitations and the credit report limitations has passed, don’t worry about the debt! If your debt meets both of these conditions, it is uncollectable and it
done!
