First, make sure it is an error
Get your reports from all three bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, at AnnualCreditReport.com. You can check each one every week for free. A mistake often shows up on one bureau and not the others, so read all three. Our guide to reading your credit report explains each section.
Common errors include:
- An account that is not yours, or that belongs to someone with a similar name.
- A payment marked late when you paid on time.
- A wrong balance, credit limit or account status, such as a paid-off loan still showing a balance.
- The same debt listed twice with a balance on both.
- Negative information that is older than the legal time limit.
- Wrong personal details, such as a name, address or birth date that is not yours.
If you see accounts you never opened, you may be a victim of identity theft. Start at IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC's site, which builds a recovery plan for you.
A dispute is for information that is wrong or incomplete. If a late payment or collection is accurate, disputing it will not make it go away, and no one else can legally remove it either. If that is your situation, our guide to rebuilding after late payments is the better place to start.
Who to send the dispute to
Two parties can fix an error. One is the credit bureau that shows it. The other is the furnisher: the lender, card issuer, collector or other company that sent the information. The CFPB says you may need to write to both. Disputing with the furnisher matters because it fixes the problem at the source, and the furnisher must then correct the item with every bureau it reports to.
| Bureau | Online | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equifax | Equifax disputes | (866) 349-5191 | Equifax Information Services LLC, P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30348 |
| Experian | Experian disputes | (888) 397-3742 | Experian, P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013 |
| TransUnion | TransUnion disputes | (800) 916-8800 | TransUnion LLC Consumer Dispute Center, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016 |
For the furnisher, use the dispute address shown on your credit report or the one the company gives for disputes. If you cannot find one, call the company and ask.
What to include
Keep it short and factual. For each item, the FTC and CFPB suggest you include:
- Who you are. Your full name, address and contact details, plus the report or confirmation number if the bureau gave you one.
- What is wrong. The company name and account number for each item, and a clear sentence on why it is wrong.
- What you want. Ask for the item to be corrected or deleted.
- Proof. Copies, never originals, of statements, payment confirmations, letters from the lender or a police or identity theft report.
- The report itself. A copy of the page with the error circled.
The CFPB publishes free sample dispute letters for both the bureau and the furnisher.
How to send it
- Gather your proof. Collect the documents that show the item is wrong before you write anything.
- Dispute with each bureau that shows the error. Online is quickest. Mail gives you the best paper trail; send it certified with a return receipt.
- Dispute with the furnisher. Send the same facts and copies to the company that reported the item.
- Keep records. Save copies of every letter and upload, plus confirmation numbers, dates and the names of anyone you spoke to.
- Mark the deadline. Count 30 days from when each party received your dispute.
- Check the results. Read the response, then pull a fresh report to confirm the change.
How long the investigation takes
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a bureau generally has 30 days from receiving your dispute to investigate. In some cases it can take up to 45 days: for example, when you send more relevant information during the first 30 days, or when you dispute something after getting the free annual report the law gives you.
Within five business days of receiving your dispute, the bureau must pass it to the furnisher along with what you sent. The furnisher must investigate and report back. If you dispute directly with the furnisher, it generally must respond within 30 days.
A bureau can treat a dispute as "frivolous or irrelevant," for example if it does not have enough information to act on. If it does, it must tell you and explain why. You can send the dispute again with more detail.
What happens after
The bureau must send you the results in writing within five business days of finishing. There are three usual outcomes.
The item is corrected or deleted
If the information is wrong, incomplete or cannot be verified, it must be fixed or removed. If the results change your report, the bureau must give you a free copy, which does not count as your annual free report. You can also ask the bureau to send the correction to anyone who pulled your report in the last six months, or the last two years for a job.
The item is verified and stays
If the furnisher says the information is correct, it stays. You can send new proof, dispute directly with the furnisher if you have not already, or ask the bureau to add a short statement to your file explaining your side. That statement goes out with future copies of your report.
A deleted item comes back
Sometimes a furnisher later certifies an item and it is put back. If that happens, the bureau must tell you in writing within five business days.
If the error is still there
- File a complaint with the CFPB. Use consumerfinance.gov/complaint. It is free, and the CFPB sends your complaint to the company and works to get you a response.
- Talk to a consumer lawyer. The FCRA lets people sue over some violations. A consumer protection lawyer can tell you whether you have a case.
Be careful with credit repair companies
Everything on this page is free, and you can do all of it yourself. If you hire help, know the rules. Under the federal Credit Repair Organizations Act, a credit repair company cannot charge you until it has completed the services it promised. It must give you a written contract that explains your rights, and you have three days to cancel without paying anything. The CFPB warns that some companies use monthly payment plans to get around the up-front fee ban.
Walk away from any company that:
- Wants payment before it has done the work.
- Promises to remove accurate negative information. No one can do that.
- Tells you to dispute everything on your report, including items that are correct.
- Tells you not to contact the credit bureaus yourself.
- Suggests a new identity, a "credit privacy number," or filing a false identity theft report. The FTC says a false identity theft report is a crime.
Accurate negative items leave your report only when their time is up. Most negative information stays seven years, and bankruptcy can stay up to ten.
General information only, not financial or legal advice. Terms change often; confirm the current terms on the provider's own site before you apply. Some links may pay us a commission. Disclosure.