Kentucky debt: five years, ten, or fifteen, and when your contract was signed matters
Kentucky has some of the longest time limits in the country for written contracts, and which one applies depends on when you signed: before or after July 15, 2014. Unwritten debts get five years, and whether a credit card counts as written is still unsettled.
The check is free. If a dispute letter will help, it costs $29 ($19 for military, veterans, seniors and people with disabilities) with three follow-ups.
Who is asking you to pay?
Look at the company name at the top of the letter or in the caller ID.
Kentucky at a glance
- Written, signed after 7/15/2014
- 10 years (413.160)
- Written, signed before
- 15 years (413.090)
- Unwritten, open accounts
- 5 years (413.120)
- Credit cards
- Unsettled; often 5
- Wage garnishment
- Federal limit (425.506)
- Judgments
- 15 years
General information about Kentucky law, with sources below. Not legal advice.
Which Kentucky time limit applies
Ten years for a written contract signed after July 15, 2014 (KRS 413.160), fifteen years for one signed before (KRS 413.090), and five years for a contract not in writing or an open account (KRS 413.120).
Kentucky courts have not settled whether a credit card is a written contract; two federal district judges suggested a card agreement is not written unless the consumer actually signed it, which would mean five years. Ask the collector for a signed agreement: without one, the five-year period is the likely fit.
Under Kentucky's borrowing statute (KRS 413.320), if a claim arose in a state with a shorter time limit, that shorter limit applies. Many card issuers are based in states with shorter limits, so check where your card came from.
After the 5-year limit runs out, a collector must not sue or threaten to; read what to do about an old debt before paying anything.
Limits vary a lot between states: by comparison, Mississippi sets 3 years and Oklahoma sets 3 years for similar debts.
Garnishment and judgments in Kentucky
Kentucky follows the federal garnishment limit (KRS 425.506), with no extra Kentucky cap: a quarter of take-home pay is the most a judgment creditor can take, and a weekly amount equal to 30 hours at the federal minimum wage is always kept.
Kentucky protects a homestead and some personal property from creditors (KRS 427.060 and 427.010). Judgments can be enforced for fifteen years (KRS 413.090).
Kentucky's protections sit on top of federal law; our page on stopping a wage garnishment explains both.
To make a collector prove a debt in Kentucky, send a debt validation letter within the dispute window.
Kentucky residents often hear from national agencies like Credence Resource Management and Credit Collection Services; see our guides to each.
Sued in Kentucky? Do not miss the deadline: read how to get a debt lawsuit dismissed before you respond.
Kentucky's collection laws
Kentucky has no comprehensive state debt collection statute; the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act (KRS 367.110 and following) offers remedies for unfair or deceptive practices. The federal dispute right applies to collectors: a written dispute inside the validation period makes the collector stop until it mails verification.
Questions people ask about debt in Kentucky
What is the statute of limitations on credit card debt in Kentucky?
Unsettled. Five years if the card is treated as an unwritten contract (KRS 413.120), ten or fifteen if treated as written. Two federal judges suggested a card is not written unless signed.
Why does July 15, 2014 matter in Kentucky?
Written contracts signed after that date have ten years (KRS 413.160); those signed before have fifteen (KRS 413.090).
Can another state's shorter time limit apply in Kentucky?
Yes. Kentucky's borrowing statute, KRS 413.320, applies the shorter limit of the state where the claim arose.
How much of my wages can be garnished in Kentucky?
Kentucky follows the federal limit: the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage.
How long does a judgment last in Kentucky?
Fifteen years under KRS 413.090.