# Pennsylvania statute of limitations on debt

> In Pennsylvania, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 4 years under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(a). Periods for oral contracts, open accounts and promissory notes.

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

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In Pennsylvania, the statute of limitations on a written contract is 4 years under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(a).

**Rule.** A written contract claim in Pennsylvania must be brought within 4 years.

**Authority.** [42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(a)](https://www.palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=PDF&ttl=42&div=00.&chpt=55&sctn=25&subsctn=0)

| Contract type | Limitations period |
| --- | --- |
| Written contract | 4 yr |
| Oral contract | 4 yr |
| Open account | — |
| Promissory note | — |

## What the statute says

> Except as provided for in subsection (b), the following actions and proceedings must be commenced within four years: ... (3) An action upon an express contract not founded upon an instrument in writing. (4) An action upon a contract implied in law, except an action subject to another limitation specified in this subchapter. ... (8) An action upon a contract, obligation or liability founded upon a writing not specified in paragraph (7), under seal or otherwise, except an action subject to another limitation specified in this subchapter.

— [42 Pa.C.S. § 5525(a)](https://www.palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=PDF&ttl=42&div=00.&chpt=55&sctn=25&subsctn=0)

## When does the clock start?

42 Pa.C.S. § 5502(a) computes the period "from the time the cause of action accrued" — for contract claims, the date of breach. NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED: I did not fetch § 5502 in this pass.

## What pauses it?

42 Pa.C.S. § 5532 tolls while the defendant is outside the Commonwealth when the claim accrues, departs and stays away four or more months, or resides under an assumed name — but § 5532(b) shuts the tolling off whenever jurisdiction can be obtained without personal in-state delivery of process, which is the ordinary case. § 5533 (infancy, insanity, imprisonment) and § 5535 (effect of other actions) also apply. NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED — I did not fetch §§ 5532, 5533 or 5535 in this pass.

Last reviewed 2026-07-26

## Related

- [Delaware statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/delaware/) — Neighbouring jurisdiction — written contract, oral contract, open account and promissory note.
- [Maryland statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/maryland/) — Neighbouring jurisdiction — written contract, oral contract, open account and promissory note.
- [New Jersey statute of limitations](https://ottoforfirms.com/statute-of-limitations/new-jersey/) — 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.