You raise a very good question, and there is no single answer. If you fell behind on a credit card, for example, lenders are typically required to charge off that debt if you have not made a payment within 180 days. At that point, the debt is usually sent to a collection agency.
But, if the debt is old, it could be in limbo. A collection agency may purchase the debt at a future date.
You could try checking your credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com to see whether a collection account appears there. Keep in mind that some collection agencies do not report to all three major credit reporting agencies, so make sure you check your credit reports with each of the agencies. Also keep in mind that just because a collection account is not listed there does not mean the account is not a collections - or that it won't be a collections in the future.
