You have an old invoice — 4, 5, maybe 7 years old. It sits in a virtual drawer, annoys you when you see it, but you've stopped tracking it. "Past 3 years, nothing more to do" — an accountant told you, or a lawyer, or a colleague.
Is it true? Sometimes yes. But not always. And the difference between "I lost this money" and "I recovered it" can be a single document.
Why most give up (and why they're wrong)
Common logic: the limitation period is 3 years, so after 3 years — done, no right left. The problem? It's a half-truth. The debt doesn't disappear. What's lost is the right to sue — and only if the debtor invokes the limitation.
Moreover, the period may have been interrupted and reset multiple times. An email from the debtor acknowledging the debt, a partial payment, a signed reconciliation statement — all of these restart the clock.
So the first thing we do with an old debt: check whether the limitation was actually interrupted.
Step 1: Check if the period was reset
Search your email archive, correspondence, accounting. Any communication from the debtor that:
- Confirms the debt exists (even partially)
- Requests a delay or installment plan
- Discusses payment methods
- Disputes the amount but acknowledges the obligation
Any of these, dated within the last 3 years, means the limitation reset from that date. If you have an email from June 2023 where the debtor says "I'll pay in installments" — you have until June 2026.
Step 2: Check if the debtor still exists
A debt that's perfect on paper is useless if the debtor has nothing to seize. We check:
- Company status — active, in liquidation, struck off?
- Assets — real estate, vehicles, bank accounts?
- Financial situation — revenue, employees?
- Shareholders — who's behind the company?
Without this information, any action is a gamble. With it, you know upfront whether it's worth it.
Step 3: Evaluate cost-benefit
On an old debt, the recovery commission is higher (25–35% vs 15–25% on fresh claims). The simple reason: more effort, fewer chances, and we work on a success fee.
So weigh it:
- Debt amount vs estimated commission
- Time required (old debts can take 6–12 months)
- Legal risk (if the limitation is uncertain)
If the amount is small (under 10,000 MDL) and the debtor is hard to trace — probably not worth it. If the amount is significant and we have a recent debt acknowledgment — absolutely yes.
When it's TRULY worth it
We've recovered debts 5, 7, even 9 years old. In all these cases, there were three common elements:
- A debt acknowledgment that had reset the limitation.
- An economically active debtor — a functioning company with assets.
- A sum that justified the effort — over 30,000 MDL.
If you have these three elements, don't give up. Send the case file for analysis.
When to let it go
I'll be honest with you: sometimes, the right answer is "not worth it." If:
- The debtor has been struck from the registry
- You have no evidence of recent acknowledgment
- The amount is below the profitability threshold
- The debtor is an individual with no traceable income
In these cases, your time and energy deserve to be channeled elsewhere. We'll tell you that directly, without trying to convince you to pursue a hopeless case. Because we work on a success fee — we can't afford to waste time on cases with no future.
Send us your old debt. The analysis is free, the answer comes within 48 hours, and if it's not worth it — we'll tell you honestly.