Illinois statute of limitations

Filing windows in Illinois (IL) by claim type. The clock generally starts on the date of the harm, but tolling and discovery rules can move it. Use the calculator to estimate a deadline from your incident date.

Claim type	Filing window	Notes
Personal injury	2 years	May be paused (tolled) while the claimant is a minor or legally incapacitated, or under the discovery rule until the injury is or should have been discovered.
Medical malpractice	2 years	May be paused (tolled) while the claimant is a minor or legally incapacitated, or under the discovery rule until the injury is or should have been discovered.
Breach of written contract	10 years	May be paused (tolled) while the claimant is a minor or legally incapacitated, or under the discovery rule until the injury is or should have been discovered.
Breach of oral contract	5 years	May be paused (tolled) while the claimant is a minor or legally incapacitated, or under the discovery rule until the injury is or should have been discovered.
Property damage	5 years	May be paused (tolled) while the claimant is a minor or legally incapacitated, or under the discovery rule until the injury is or should have been discovered.
Defamation (libel / slander)	1 year	May be paused (tolled) while the claimant is a minor or legally incapacitated, or under the discovery rule until the injury is or should have been discovered.
Fraud	5 years	May be paused (tolled) while the claimant is a minor or legally incapacitated, or under the discovery rule until the injury is or should have been discovered.
Product liability	2 years	May be paused (tolled) while the claimant is a minor or legally incapacitated, or under the discovery rule until the injury is or should have been discovered.
Wrongful death	2 years	May be paused (tolled) while the claimant is a minor or legally incapacitated, or under the discovery rule until the injury is or should have been discovered.
Debt collection	10 years	May be paused (tolled) while the claimant is a minor or legally incapacitated, or under the discovery rule until the injury is or should have been discovered.

How to read these Illinois deadlines

Each window above is the general limitation period for that claim. The deadline is calculated from the date the claim accrued, usually when the harm occurred or, under the discovery rule, when you reasonably should have found it. Missing the date almost always bars the suit, so when in doubt, file early and let a lawyer sort out the exact accrual date. Select any claim type to open a dedicated Illinois page with when the clock starts, the exceptions that can move it, a deadline calculator, and how Illinois compares to other states.

Other states

Periods differ across borders. Browse another state below, or compare a single claim across all 50 states and DC with the comparator.