Articles 26 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
A signed statement of account, a promise to do something by a certain date, and a bond that a borrower or contractor has signed all raise the same question: how long do you have to sue? Articles 26 to 30 of the Schedule to the Limitation Act, 1963 give three years for each, but they start the count at five different points.
The text below follows the consolidated text of the Act consulted (latest amendment shown: Act 46 of 1999). Later amendments should be checked.
Article 26 covers money found due on accounts stated, Article 27 covers breach of a promise to do something at a specified time or on a specified contingency, Articles 28 and 29 cover a single bond with and without a day fixed for payment, and Article 30 covers a bond subject to a condition. All give three years. The starting points are the signing of the accounts, the arrival of the specified time or event, the day specified in the bond, the date the bond was executed, or when the condition is broken.
Where these Articles sit
Articles 26 to 30 are in the First Division (suits), Part II (suits relating to contracts). Whether you hold a signed balance confirmation or a bond for a business loan, a recovery suit is the court route once the debtor does not pay. Our guide to the Schedule's layout explains the three columns.
Copied as printed:
| Article | Description of suit | Period of limitation | Time from which period begins to run |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | For money payable to the plaintiff for money found to be due from the defendant to the plaintiff on accounts stated between them. | Three years. | When the accounts are stated in writing signed by the defendant or his agent duly authorised in this behalf, unless where the debt is, by a simultaneous agreement in writing signed as aforesaid, made payable at a future time, and then when that time arrives. |
| 27 | For compensation for breach of a promise to do anything at a specified time, or upon the happening of a specified contingency. | Three years. | When the time specified arrives or the contingency happens. |
| 28 | On a single bond, where a day is specified for payment. | Three years. | The day so specified. |
| 29 | On a single bond, where no such day is specified. | Three years. | The date of executing the bond. |
| 30 | On a bond subject to a condition. | Three years. | When the condition is broken. |
Article by Article with dates
Under section 12(1), the day from which a period is reckoned is excluded. Three years from a date therefore end on the same date three years later.
Article 26: accounts stated. Two parties settle their running dealings and the debtor signs a statement showing Rs 2,40,000 due. The period starts "when the accounts are stated in writing signed by the defendant or his agent duly authorised". A statement signed on 30 June 2023 gives an end date of 30 June 2026. The Article has an exception: if a simultaneous signed agreement makes the debt payable at a future time, the period starts when that time arrives. If that agreement says the sum is payable on 31 December 2023, the three years end on 31 December 2026. An unsigned statement, or a statement signed by someone without authority, does not fit the words of this Article. Whether it belongs under another Article depends on the facts.
Article 27: promise to do something at a specified time or on a contingency. A contractor promises to hand over a fitted-out office by 31 March 2024. The suit is for compensation for breach of that promise, and the period starts "when the time specified arrives": the end date is 31 March 2027. If the promise were to supply machinery once a licence is granted, and the licence is granted on 15 September 2024, the period starts when "the contingency happens", so it ends on 15 September 2027. For compensation generally, see section 73 of the Indian Contract Act and the next article in this series on Articles 54 and 55, which deal with breach of contract more generally.
Article 28: single bond with a day specified. Section 2(d) says a "bond" includes any instrument whereby a person obliges himself to pay money to another, on condition that the obligation shall be void if a specified act is performed, or is not performed. The Act does not define "single bond" separately; the text is silent on that term, so read your document against the Article's words. If a bond signed on 1 January 2022 fixes 1 July 2023 for payment, the period starts on "the day so specified", and three years end on 1 July 2026.
Article 29: single bond with no day specified. The period starts on "the date of executing the bond". A bond executed on 14 February 2023 with no payment day gives an end date of 14 February 2026.
Article 30: bond subject to a condition. The period starts "when the condition is broken". A performance bond executed in 2023 is called on when the contractor abandons the work on 10 December 2024. The period begins on the date of breach, and three years end on 10 December 2027. The starting point is the breach of the condition, not the date the bond was signed.
What can change the count
- Section 18. A written acknowledgment of liability, signed and made before the period expires, gives a fresh period. See section 18. This matters for accounts stated, since a signed account is itself written, but Article 26 still has its own starting point.
- Section 19. A payment on account of a debt made before the period expires, with the acknowledgment that section requires, gives a fresh period. See section 19.
- Section 4. If the last day is a day the court is closed, the suit may be filed when the court re-opens.
- Section 5 does not help a suit. It applies to appeals and applications only.
When another law sets the period
Section 29(2) provides that where a special or local law prescribes a period different from the Schedule, that period applies and sections 4 to 24 apply only so far as that law does not expressly exclude them. A guarantee given to a bank, a claim in insolvency proceedings and a cheque-dishonour complaint each turn on their own law. This article does not state those periods; see our posts on limitation and acknowledgment in insolvency matters and time limits for cheque dishonour.
A short checklist
- Identify the document: signed accounts, a promise with a date or event, or a bond.
- For a bond, read whether it fixes a day for payment (Article 28), does not (Article 29) or depends on a condition (Article 30).
- Fix the starting date from the document, and, for a condition, from the proof that it was broken.
- Look for any acknowledgment or part payment before the end date.
- Compute the end date with section 12(1) in mind, and keep the signed originals safe.
Need help with a bond or a signed account that has not been paid?
A signed account or a bond is useful evidence, but its dates decide how much time you have. We can read the document, work out which Article applies and help you move on to a recovery suit with the papers in order.
Key takeaways
- Articles 26 to 30 each give three years.
- Accounts stated run from the signed writing (or the later payment date agreed at the same time); promises run from the specified time or event.
- A single bond runs from the specified day (Article 28) or from the date of executing it (Article 29).
- A bond subject to a condition runs from when the condition is broken (Article 30).
- Sections 18 and 19 can give a fresh period; section 5 does not apply to suits.
- A special or local law may fix a different period; later amendments should be checked.
Read next
- Articles 19–25: money lent, deposits, money paid or received and interest
- Articles 31–41: bills of exchange and promissory notes
- Articles 42–46: surety, insurance policies, premia and refund of a legacy
- Section 126 of the Indian Contract Act: contract of guarantee
Disclaimer: Based on a consolidated text of the Limitation Act, 1963 and its Schedule whose latest amendment shown is Act 46 of 1999, as consulted on 2 October 2026. A special or local law may fix a different period; later amendments and the current procedural law should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.