How long do I have to make a claim?
Most legal claims have a strict deadline, and missing it usually means losing the right to claim altogether. This limitation calculator gives you an indication of how long you may have, based on the type of claim and when it arose. It is a guide only — the rules have exceptions, so check anything close to a deadline.
How it works
Tell the calculator what kind of claim you have — an injury, a contract dispute, a faulty product, a professional’s mistake, and so on — and roughly when it happened or when you first realised something was wrong. It applies the usual limitation period for that type of claim and shows you the likely deadline.
Some claims run from the date something happened; others run from the “date of knowledge” — when you first knew, or should reasonably have known, that you had a claim. That difference matters, and the calculator handles both.
Certain situations change the clock entirely. Time can run differently for children, for people who lack mental capacity, and in cases involving deliberate concealment or fraud. The result will flag where one of these may apply.
Treat the answer as a prompt to act, not a precise legal ruling. If your deadline is close, or you are unsure which date applies, speak to us before time runs out — once a limitation period passes, it is very rarely possible to bring a claim.
Questions about How long do I have to make a claim?
Rarely, and you should never assume it will be. The courts have a limited discretion in some injury and defamation cases, and time can run differently for children, for those who lack mental capacity, or where a relevant fact was deliberately concealed. These are narrow exceptions, not the general rule.
No. It gives an indication based on the claim type and the dates you enter. The limitation rules contain exceptions the tool cannot fully assess, so it is not a substitute for legal advice. If a deadline is near, or you are unsure which date applies, speak to a solicitor promptly.
For most breach of contract and debt claims, the deadline is six years from the date of the breach. Claims under a deed carry a longer twelve-year limit. The calculator applies the right period once you tell it the type of claim.
Yes. Anything you share when you ask us to call is treated in confidence, and nothing you enter into the calculator is stored unless you submit the callback form.
Once a limitation period has passed, the claim is normally time-barred: the court will not let it proceed, no matter how strong it would have been. That is why it matters to take advice and act well before the deadline rather than close to it.
A limitation period is the legal deadline for starting a court claim, set for most claims by the Limitation Act 1980. If you do not issue proceedings within the period, the claim becomes time-barred and you normally lose the right to pursue it, however strong it might have been.
For some claims, time runs not from when the event happened but from when you first knew — or should reasonably have known — that you had a claim. This often applies to injury, illness and professional negligence, where the harm can surface long after the cause. The calculator can work from either date.
Have a question that isn't covered here? Speak to one of our specialists directly.
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