Estimate how much time you may have to file a civil claim based on your state and claim type. If a deadline is approaching, act immediately.
Filing deadlines are legally complex. Exceptions such as the discovery rule, tolling for minors or incapacity, claims against government entities (which often have much shorter notice requirements), and fraudulent concealment can all change the deadline significantly. This tool provides a rough general estimate only. If your deadline may be approaching, contact a licensed attorney in your state immediately. Missing a civil filing deadline permanently bars most claims.
Select your state, claim type, and the date the incident occurred.
Select your state, claim type, and incident date to estimate your filing window.
⚠️ Estimate only — not legal advice. Results are for informational purposes only. Consult a licensed attorney before making any decisions.
In many states, the clock starts when you discovered (or reasonably should have discovered) the harm — not necessarily the date of the incident. Common in medical malpractice and fraud cases.
Claims against federal, state, or local government entities typically require a formal "notice of claim" within 60–180 days of the incident — far shorter than the standard filing window.
The deadline can be paused (tolled) for minors, people with mental incapacity, defendants who left the state, or cases of fraudulent concealment. An attorney can evaluate whether tolling applies.
Claims for physical harm — car accidents, slip-and-fall, product injuries. Usually the shortest windows of the categories here, and often the ones where the discovery rule matters most.
Claims for damage to real or personal property — a car, a fence, a home. Often runs on a separate, sometimes longer, clock than personal injury even from the same incident.
Generally the longest deadlines here. Written contracts typically get more time than oral agreements, and the clock usually starts at the date of breach, not the date the contract was signed.
Often has its own shorter, separate deadline from ordinary personal injury, frequently paired with a strict discovery-rule window and sometimes a pre-suit notice requirement. One of the least forgiving categories to get wrong.
Usually starts from the date of death, not the date of the underlying injury — which can matter a great deal if death followed an injury by months or years. Who may file also varies significantly by state.
Defamation (libel/slander) generally has the shortest window of any category here. Fraud claims almost always run on a discovery-rule clock, since concealment is often part of the fraud itself.
In almost all cases, missing the deadline permanently bars your claim. The defendant can file a motion to dismiss, and courts will typically grant it. This is one of the most common and devastating legal mistakes. If your deadline is close, contact an attorney today — not tomorrow.
Not always. For some claims — particularly medical malpractice, fraud, and latent injury cases — the clock may start from the date you discovered the harm or reasonably should have discovered it. Some states also have "occurrence" rules vs. "discovery" rules depending on the claim type.
Yes, but government tort claims are governed by special rules. Most states require you to file a formal "administrative claim" or "notice of claim" with the government agency — often within 90 to 180 days of the incident. Missing this notice deadline can waive your right to sue entirely, even if the regular filing deadline hasn't passed.
Generally no — civil and criminal proceedings are separate. However, in some states, a pending criminal investigation may toll (pause) the civil deadline. An attorney can advise on how the two interact in your state.
A statute of limitations generally starts running when a claim accrues (often the injury or its discovery). A statute of repose sets an absolute outer deadline from a fixed event — like the date a product was sold or a building was completed — that applies even if the injury hasn't happened or been discovered yet. Statutes of repose are common in product liability and construction-defect cases and are generally not subject to the discovery rule or tolling.
It can. Signing a full release as part of a settlement typically ends your right to sue over that claim entirely, regardless of the statute of limitations. Accepting a partial payment or an acknowledgment of debt can sometimes restart or extend certain deadlines in contract and debt cases, depending on the state. Read anything you're asked to sign carefully, and have an attorney review a settlement offer before you accept it.
For a general legal reference on how statutes of limitations work, see Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute entry on statute of limitations. This calculator's year figures are general estimates, not a substitute for reading your state's actual civil procedure statute — search "[your state] statute of limitations [claim type]" or consult a licensed attorney to confirm the exact deadline in your case.
Don't wait. Missing a civil filing deadline can permanently end your ability to seek compensation. An attorney can evaluate the exact deadline in your specific case.
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