Child Support Arrears: Statute of Limitations by State
If you owe (or are owed) back child support, the single most important rule is that past-due payments rarely disappear. This page shows each state’s collection window, the federal rule that makes every missed payment a judgment, and how interstate cases are handled. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
1. The Bradley Amendment — why arrears don’t expire
The Bradley Amendment (42 U.S.C. § 666(a)(9), enacted 1986) requires every state to treat each unpaid child-support installment as a final judgment by operation of law on the date it comes due — no separate lawsuit needed — and prohibits courts from retroactively modifying or forgiving those amounts. Its practical effects:
- Each missed payment is its own judgment, so the collection clock starts separately for every installment.
- Arrears cannot be wiped out in bankruptcy (11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(5)).
- A modification petition only changes future payments — everything owed before the filing date stays.
- Interest commonly accrues on top (e.g., 10% in WY, 9% in NY, 7.5–12% in AL, 6% in VT).
Because each payment is a judgment, a “statute of limitations” in child support is really a window for enforcing those judgments — and many states have simply abolished the window.
2. The 50-state + D.C. matrix
“No limitation” entries reflect state agency replies compiled by ERICSA (2024) and the OCSE Intergovernmental Reference Guide; numbered windows cite the state statute where confirmed. Figures marked “2026 state-law roundup” come from published 2026 state-law summaries and should be confirmed with the state child-support agency before you rely on a deadline in litigation.
| State | Collection window for arrears | Basis / statute |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 20 years from each payment’s due date | Ala. Code § 6-9-190 (each missed payment is a final judgment) |
| Alaska | No limitation | AS § 25.27.225 — state agency reply (ERICSA 2024) |
| Arizona | No limitation (since Sept. 21, 2006) | A.R.S. § 25-503; arrears no longer need a separate judgment |
| Arkansas | Adjudicated: forever. Unadjudicated: until child turns 23 | Ark. Code Ann. §§ 9-14-235, 9-14-236 |
| California | No limitation — enforceable until paid in full | Fam. Code §§ 291(a), 4502, 4503 |
| Colorado | 20 years (judgment by operation of law) | C.R.S. § 13-52-102 |
| Connecticut | No limitation | State agency reply (ERICSA 2024) |
| Delaware | No limitation | State agency reply (ERICSA 2024) |
| District of Columbia | 12 years from when execution could first issue | D.C. Code § 15-101 |
| Florida | No limitation (equitable laches defense may apply) | State agency reply (ERICSA 2024) |
| Georgia | No limitation for orders on/after July 1, 1997 | O.C.G.A. § 9-12-60(d) |
| Hawaii | No limitation | State agency reply (ERICSA 2024) |
| Idaho | Orders on/after July 1, 2015: until youngest child turns 28 or 10 yrs after death/emancipation; older orders: 23 or 5 yrs | Idaho Code § 10-1111 |
| Illinois | No limitation for orders on/after July 1, 1997 | 735 ILCS 5/12-108 |
| Indiana | 10 years after child’s 18th birthday or emancipation | I.C. 34-11-2-7 (child support); adjudicated judgments carry a rebuttable 20-year presumption |
| Iowa | No limitation for orders on/after July 1, 1997 | Iowa Code § 535.3 / § 598.22 |
| Kansas | 5 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with KS child-support services |
| Kentucky | 15 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with KY child-support services |
| Louisiana | 10 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with LA child-support services |
| Maine | 10 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with ME child-support services |
| Maryland | 12 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with MD child-support services |
| Massachusetts | 20 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with MA child-support services |
| Michigan | 10 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with MI child-support services |
| Minnesota | 10 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with MN child-support services |
| Mississippi | 7 years after child reaches majority (age 21) | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with MS child-support services |
| Missouri | 10 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with MO child-support services |
| Montana | 10 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with MT child-support services |
| Nebraska | 10 years after child reaches majority (age 19) | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with NE child-support services |
| Nevada | 6 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with NV child-support services |
| New Hampshire | 20 years from each payment’s due date | RSA 508:5 (support payments become judgments when due) |
| New Jersey | No limitation | N.J.S.A. 2A:17-56.23a |
| New Mexico | No limitation — enforceable until collected in full | NMSA 1978 § 37-1-2.1 |
| New York | 20 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with NY child-support services |
| North Carolina | 10 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with NC child-support services |
| North Dakota | 10 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with ND child-support services |
| Ohio | No general limitation | OAC 5101:12-10-70 (case closure requires balance < $500, not time elapsed) |
| Oklahoma | 5 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with OK child-support services |
| Oregon | 35 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with OR child-support services |
| Pennsylvania | No limitation — collectible indefinitely | 23 Pa.C.S. § 4352 |
| Rhode Island | 10 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with RI child-support services |
| South Carolina | 20 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with SC child-support services |
| South Dakota | 20 years from each payment’s due date | SDCL § 15-2-6 |
| Tennessee | 10 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with TN child-support services |
| Texas | 10 years after child reaches majority | Tex. Fam. Code § 157.005 — confirm with TX child-support services |
| Utah | 8 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with UT child-support services |
| Vermont | 6 years after youngest child turns 18 to obtain a judgment (unadjudicated principal); judgments enforceable any time | 15 V.S.A. § 606(c); 606(a) |
| Virginia | 20 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with VA child-support services |
| Washington | 10 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with WA child-support services |
| West Virginia | 10 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with WV child-support services |
| Wisconsin | 20 years after child reaches majority | 2026 state-law roundup — confirm with WI child-support services |
| Wyoming | No limitation | Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-308; 10% annual judgment interest |
3. UIFSA: the longer statute wins across state lines
When the parent who owes support lives in a different state than the order, the case moves under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA 2008, adopted in all states) and the federal Full Faith and Credit for Child Support Orders Act. The controlling rule for enforcement deadlines: a court must apply the statute of limitation of the forum stateor of the issuing state, whichever is longer.
Concretely: a Vermont order (6-year window for unadjudicated principal) enforced in Texas (10-year window) gets the longer Texas clock; an Ohio order (no limitation) enforced anywhere continues with no deadline. This is why many collection attorneys choose the forum strategically. Only one state has continuing exclusive jurisdiction over an order at a time — the issuing state until all parties leave it — but enforcement can happen anywhere the obligor is found.
Sources: UIFSA (2008), § 604 (statute of limitations in interstate enforcement); 28 U.S.C. § 1738B (Full Faith and Credit for Child Support Orders); Indiana IV-D Policy Manual Ch. 12 § 8 (illustrates the longer-of-two rule in practice).
4. What this means for you
- If you are owed arrears: the debt almost certainly outlives the child’s minority. Keep the case open with your state’s child-support agency — they enforce without filing fees for custodial parents.
- If you owe arrears: the window for resolving the balance at a discount is narrow (state compromise programs cover only state-assigned arrears); interest keeps compounding, so a modification petition or payment plan today beats waiting.
- Cross-state: don’t assume a state’s deadline protects you — UIFSA lets the other state apply the longer statute.
- Start with your number: see what the current obligation would be with your state’s calculator, compare across states with the comparison tool, or read the 2026 rule changes.
- The debt grows while you wait: most states add statutory interest on top of the principal — see the arrears interest by state matrix and estimator to size the accrual.