# Michigan statute of limitations on debt

> In Michigan, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 6 years under MCL 600.5807(9). Periods for oral contracts, open accounts and promissory notes.

- Source: https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/michigan/
- Publisher: Otto — https://ottoforfirms.com
- Updated: 2026-09-01

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In Michigan, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 6 years under MCL 600.5807(9).

**Rule.** A written contract claim in Michigan must be brought within 6 years.

**Authority.** [MCL 600.5807(9)](https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-600-5807)

| Contract type | Limitations period |
| --- | --- |
| Written contract | 6 yr |
| Oral contract | 6 yr |
| Open account | — |
| Promissory note | — |

## What the statute says

> The period of limitations is 6 years for an action to recover damages or money due for breach of contract that is not described in subsections (2) to (8).

— [MCL 600.5807(9)](https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-600-5807)

## When does the clock start?

MCL 600.5827 (https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-600-5827): "Except as otherwise expressly provided, the period of limitations runs from the time the claim accrues," with claims accruing at the times specified in sections 5829 to 5838 or, in cases not covered, "at the time the wrong upon which the claim is based was done regardless of the time when damage results." For the mutual-account category, MCL 600.5831: "In actions brought to recover the balance due upon a mutual and open account current, the claim accrues at the time of the last item proved in the account."

## What pauses it?

MCL 600.5851 (disability) and MCL 600.5853 (absence from the state) are the general tolling provisions. Neither pass fetched either section and their terms are not characterized here.

## In practice

CITE SUBSECTION (9), NOT (8). The six-year contract provision was renumbered from MCL 600.5807(8) to MCL 600.5807(9) by 2018 PA 15, effective May 7, 2018, and a large body of Michigan case law, form pleadings and secondary sources still cite subsection (8) — which now says something else. Confirm the subsection against the linked section before pleading it.

Last reviewed 2026-08-26

## Related

- [Indiana statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/indiana/) — Neighbouring jurisdiction — written contract, oral contract, open account and promissory note.
- [Ohio statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/ohio/) — Neighbouring jurisdiction — written contract, oral contract, open account and promissory note.
- [Wisconsin statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/wisconsin/) — Neighbouring jurisdiction — written contract, oral contract, open account and promissory note.

## About Otto

This table is a free reference and it is not the product. Otto is case management for US collections law firms; the rules engine ships all fifty states configured — four shown in end-to-end depth in the demo — and it checks a date like this one before a file moves rather than after.

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This is an informational reference, not legal advice, and using it creates no attorney-client relationship. Limitations periods turn on facts this page cannot know — which state's law governs, the contract type, when the claim accrued, and whether anything tolled or revived it. Confirm against the primary source and your own counsel before acting.