Free Statute of Limitations Calculator

Calculates your exact filing deadline. Every state sets a strict time limit — called a statute of limitations — on how long you have to file a personal injury lawsuit after an accident or injury. Miss that deadline and you permanently lose your right to seek compensation, no matter how strong your case. This calculator takes your state and incident date and tells you the specific date your filing window closes.

Identifies your state’s negligence rule. States handle fault differently. Some use pure comparative negligence (you can recover damages even if you were partly at fault), some use modified comparative negligence (you can recover only if you were less than 50% or 51% at fault, depending on the state), and a handful use contributory negligence (if you were even 1% at fault, you may recover nothing). The calculator tells you which rule applies in your state and explains what it means in plain language.

Shows your state’s insurance system. Whether your state uses an at-fault or no-fault insurance system affects how you pursue a claim after an accident. At-fault states let you file directly against the other driver’s insurance. No-fault states require you to file with your own insurance first, regardless of who caused the accident, and you may need to meet a “serious injury” threshold before you can sue. The calculator identifies which system your state uses.

Personal injury statutes of limitations across the 50 states range from 1 year to 6 years. The most common deadline is 2 years, which applies in 26 states. Three states have a 1-year deadline: Tennessee, Kentucky, and Louisiana — if you were injured in one of these states, time is especially critical. States with 3-year deadlines include New York, North Carolina, and others. A few states allow 4 or more years: Florida allows 4 years for incidents before March 2023 (2 years for incidents after), Maine allows 6 years, and Minnesota allows 6 years for personal injury.

Some states have different deadlines for different case types. Medical malpractice cases often have shorter filing windows than general personal injury cases. Claims against government entities almost always have shorter deadlines and may require a notice of claim to be filed within 30 to 90 days. The calculator accounts for these variations.

The clock starts on the date of injury in most cases. For most personal injury claims, the statute of limitations begins running on the day the accident or injury occurred. Every day counts, including weekends and holidays.

The discovery rule can extend your deadline. In some cases — particularly medical malpractice — you may not realize you were injured until well after the incident. Most states have a “discovery rule” that starts the clock when you knew or reasonably should have known about your injury, rather than the date it actually occurred.

Minors may have additional time. In many states, the statute of limitations is paused (or “tolled”) while the injured person is under 18. The clock typically starts running when they turn 18.

Government claims have shorter deadlines. If your injury was caused by a government entity — a city bus, a public building, a government employee on duty — you may have a much shorter window to file, sometimes as little as 30 to 90 days to submit a formal notice of claim.

Missing the deadline is almost always permanent. If you file after the statute of limitations has expired, the court will almost certainly dismiss your case, regardless of how strong your evidence is. This is one of the most important deadlines in personal injury law.