Every New York claim comes with an expiration date, and some are brutally short - defamation gives you one year. Pick your claim, enter when it happened, and see exactly where your deadline falls.
Deadlines can be extended or shortened by tolling, contract terms, government-defendant notice rules, and other exceptions this tool cannot see. Treat a "likely expired" result as a reason for a quick attorney check, not a final answer - and treat a close deadline as an emergency. This is general information, not legal advice. Attorney Advertising.
| Claim | Deadline | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Breach of contract (written or oral), unpaid invoices, security deposits | 6 years | CPLR § 213(2) |
| Unpaid wages and overtime | 6 years | NYLL § 198(3) |
| Freelance Isn't Free Act nonpayment | 6 years | GBL Art. 44-A |
| Fraud | 6 years / 2 from discovery | CPLR § 213(8) |
| Property damage, conversion, replevin | 3 years | CPLR § 214 |
| Personal injury | 3 years | CPLR § 214(5) |
| Deceptive practices (GBL § 349) | 3 years | CPLR § 214(2) |
| Consumer credit debt (against you) | 3 years | CPLR § 214-i |
| Medical debt (against you) | 3 years | CPLR § 213-d |
| Defamation (libel and slander) | 1 year | CPLR § 215(3) |
| Name/picture used without consent | 1 year | CPLR § 215(3) |
A demand letter doesn't stop the clock. Only filing a lawsuit does. What a letter does is resolve most disputes before anyone has to file - but when the deadline is close, the letter and the filing decision travel together.
Old debt can't be revived by a payment anymore. Since CPLR § 214-i, paying a collector on time-barred consumer debt does not restart New York's three-year clock. If a collector is chasing you on old debt, check the math before paying a cent - our time-barred debt guide walks through it.
The clock usually starts at the breach, not at discovery. With narrow exceptions (fraud being the big one), New York counts from when the wrong happened - not from when you realized it. Waiting to "see what happens" is how good claims die quietly.
A claim inside its limitations period is a threat the other side has to price. A flat-fee attorney demand letter, mailed certified within 48 hours, puts your deadline to work - and if your claim looks expired, we'll tell you before you spend a dollar.
Check my case free →Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Statutes verified as of August 2026 by Hochman Law PC. More free NY tools →