See below for answers to common questions about debt and judgment collection and how to protect yourself from aggressive debt collectors. The statute of limitations to collect a debt in Pennsylvania is only 4 years which begins from the date of the default.The statute of limitations is an absolute defense – the court must dismiss a case if the debt is past the statute of limitations. A Pennsylvania DMP is a good option to consolidate and then pay off not just manage your debts. At this point, it will be up to the collections agency or debt collector to collect payment from you rather than your original lender. In Pennsylvania, the statute of limitations for a debt collection is four years from the first missed payment. The forms must be filled out, filed, and served. A creditor seeking late auto loan payments will likely start the repossession process when payments are 60 days late.