Limitation Period Calculator UK 2025 — Is It Too Late to Make a Legal Claim?
Every legal claim in England and Wales must be brought within a specific time limit — the limitation period. Miss it and your claim is usually barred forever, regardless of how strong it is. This calculator shows the limitation period for your type of claim, calculates your exact deadline, and explains the key exceptions that can extend the time.
This calculator gives a general guide. Limitation periods can be affected by many factors including fraud, disability, acknowledgment of debt, and deliberate concealment. Always seek legal advice immediately if you are approaching a deadline — courts have very limited discretion to extend time for most claim types.
Why Limitation Periods Matter So Much
A limitation period is not a technicality — it is a hard legal bar. If you issue court proceedings even one day after the limitation period expires, your claim is statute-barred and the defendant can apply to have it struck out. Unlike many procedural rules, courts have very limited discretion to extend time for most types of claim. The philosophy behind limitation periods is that defendants should not face claims long after an incident when evidence may have faded and witnesses' memories dimmed. The law requires claimants to act with reasonable promptness.
Key Limitation Periods at a Glance
| Claim type | Limitation period | Clock starts | Key exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal injury (accident) | 3 years | Date of accident or date of knowledge | Children (18+3yrs); court discretion (s.33) |
| Medical / clinical negligence | 3 years | Date of treatment or date of knowledge | Date of knowledge often applies; court discretion (s.33) |
| Unfair dismissal / ET claims | 3 months minus 1 day | Effective date of termination | ACAS Early Conciliation pauses clock; just and equitable extension for discrimination |
| Discrimination at work | 3 months minus 1 day | Date of discriminatory act | Continuing acts; just and equitable discretion |
| Breach of contract | 6 years | Date of breach | Date of knowledge if concealed (Limitation Act s.32) |
| Contract by deed | 12 years | Date of breach | Rare |
| Debt recovery | 6 years | Last payment or written acknowledgment | Restarted by payment or written acknowledgment |
| Defamation / libel | 1 year | Date of publication | Very limited court discretion |
| Inheritance Act claim | 6 months from probate | Grant of probate / letters of administration | Court permission required to claim late |
| Fatal accidents | 3 years | Date of death or date of knowledge of dependant | Court discretion under s.33 |
The Date of Knowledge — When the Clock Really Starts
For personal injury and medical negligence claims, the limitation period runs from the later of: (a) the date of the incident, or (b) the date of knowledge — when you first knew (or could reasonably have discovered) that you had suffered a significant injury and that it was attributable to the act or omission of the defendant. This is particularly important for industrial disease cases (asbestos, deafness), delayed diagnosis of illness, and cases where the injury developed gradually over time.
Courts take an objective approach: the question is not just when you actually knew, but when a reasonable person in your position would have known. Early legal advice is essential in cases involving long latency periods.
Children and Mental Incapacity
The Limitation Act 1980 provides important protections for those who cannot protect their own interests at the time of the incident. If you were a child (under 18) at the time, the limitation period does not start running until your 18th birthday. So a child injured in an accident at age 10 has until their 21st birthday to issue proceedings (18 + 3 years). Similarly, if a person lacked mental capacity at the time of the incident, the clock does not start running until they regain capacity (if ever).
What Happens If You Miss a Deadline?
For employment tribunal claims, missing the 3-month deadline usually means your claim will be rejected — though for discrimination claims the tribunal has discretion to hear out-of-time claims where it is "just and equitable" to do so. For personal injury claims, the court has discretion under section 33 of the Limitation Act to allow late claims — weighing factors including the length of delay, the reasons for it, the cogency of the evidence, and prejudice to the defendant. This discretion is exercised sparingly. For contract claims, there is no court discretion and a late claim is simply barred.
Frequently Asked Questions
No — only issuing court proceedings, submitting an employment tribunal claim (or starting ACAS Early Conciliation for ET cases), or specific statutory mechanisms pause the limitation clock. Writing to the defendant, making an insurance claim, or complaining to an ombudsman does not stop the limitation period running. You must take the formal legal step before the deadline.
Yes — this is one of the few mechanisms that genuinely pauses the ET clock. From the day you notify ACAS, the limitation period is paused. After conciliation ends (either by settlement or ACAS issuing a certificate), you have either the time remaining from your original deadline or one calendar month (whichever is longer) to submit your ET1 claim form. Always notify ACAS as early as possible.
Yes — parties can agree in writing to extend (or waive) the limitation period. This is unusual but does happen in commercial disputes where parties are negotiating and want to avoid one side issuing a protective writ. Any such agreement should be in clear, unambiguous writing. Courts will sometimes enforce such agreements, but you should not rely on a verbal assurance from the other side that they will not raise limitation as a defence.