Statute of limitations on promissory notes in Tennessee

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Published November 15, 2025 • Updated April 23, 2026 • By DocketMath Team

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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change frequently — verify all citations with current official sources.

Rule or statute summary

In Tennessee, a “statute of limitations” (SOL) sets a deadline for when a lender (or other claimant) can file a lawsuit to collect on a promissory note. For the timing covered by the provided Tennessee citation, the general/default SOL period is 1 year.

DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator uses the general/default period because the Tennessee provision you provided (Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-35-111(e)(2)) does not identify a promissory-note-specific sub-rule in a way that clearly separates out a different deadline for this exact claim type. In practical terms, that means the calculator starts from the general rule (1-year) rather than assuming a special promissory-note deadline that isn’t reflected in the cited section.

What this means in practice (timeline framing)

A promissory note usually includes either:

a stated due date (a specific calendar date to pay), or
language indicating the note is payable on demand (payment is triggered by a demand), and/or
installment payments, where each missed installment can create different accrual arguments.

The DocketMath approach focuses on the start date inputs, because you generally need an accrual trigger before you can measure an SOL end date.

Common “start point” choices you may need to determine from the note and communications include:

the due date stated on the note, or
the default date (if the note defines default and links that to when the claim is treated as accruing), or
the demand date (for notes payable on demand).

Gentle disclaimer: This is general information to help you model the SOL using the provided citation and calculator. It isn’t legal advice, and real-world outcomes can turn on how courts interpret accrual, demand, installment structures, and related case-specific facts.

Citations

General SOL period: 1 year
General statute: Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-35-111(e)(2)
Source: https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-40/chapter-35/part-1/section-40-35-111/

Use these sources to confirm the authoritative text before finalizing the calculation.

Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104

When rules change, rerun the calculation with updated inputs and store the revision in the matter record.

Use the calculator

Use DocketMath (the statute-of-limitations calculator) to compute an SOL end date using the general/default 1-year SOL period associated with Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-35-111(e)(2).

Run the Statute Of Limitations calculation in DocketMath, then save the output so it can be audited later: Open the calculator.

Calculator input checklist

Before you run the calculation, identify what accrual trigger is most defensible based on your note and records:

today’s date, or
the date the lawsuit was filed (if you’re checking timeliness)

How output changes when inputs change

DocketMath’s SOL end date moves when you change the accrual start date. Conceptually:

If you select this accrual start date…	The SOL end date will move…	Why
Due date stated on the note	Earlier/later based on the due date	The clock often tracks when the claim is considered to accrue
Default date (if defined by the note)	Earlier/later based on default terms	Accrual may be argued to occur when default happens
Demand date (for payable-on-demand notes)	Earlier/later based on demand timing	Accrual typically can’t occur before a demand triggers payment obligations

A quick example (how the math behaves)

If a promissory note was due on January 10, 2024, and you choose January 10, 2024 as the accrual start date, then applying a 1-year period would typically place the general SOL window ending around January 10, 2025—subject to timing details and how a Tennessee court applies accrual concepts that aren’t fully captured by a simplified calculator model.

To run your numbers precisely, use the calculator here:
/tools/statute-of-limitations

Primary CTA

If you want to go from your note dates → an SOL end date using the general/default 1-year rule, use:
/tools/statute-of-limitations

Warning: This uses the 1-year general/default period from Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-35-111(e)(2). If a different Tennessee rule applies based on the note’s specific characteristics or the claim’s classification, the actual limitations period could differ.