Found a mistake on your credit report? Federal law, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), gives you the right to dispute it and have it fixed, for free.
Get your reports
You're entitled to free reports from the three nationwide bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Review each for accounts you don't recognize, wrong balances, or debts that should have aged off.
How to dispute
Dispute directly with the bureau reporting the error (and, ideally, the company that supplied the information). Explain what's wrong and include copies of any supporting documents. Under the FCRA (15 U.S.C. § 1681i), the bureau must generally reinvestigate within 30 days and correct or delete information it cannot verify. Our credit-report dispute template covers the essentials.
After the dispute
- If the bureau fixes the error, it must send you the results in writing and cannot reinsert the same inaccurate item without notifying you.
- If it won't remove an item you still believe is wrong, you can add a brief statement of dispute to your file.
- The furnisher (e.g., the bank or collector) also has duties under § 1681s-2 to investigate and stop reporting information it knows is inaccurate.
If the error isn't fixed
Willful or negligent FCRA violations can be taken to court, and you may recover damages and attorney's fees. You can also complain to the CFPB.
Frequently asked questions
How long do negative items stay? Most stay up to 7 years (bankruptcies up to 10). Older items should fall off automatically.
Does checking my own report hurt my score? No. Checking your own report is a "soft" inquiry and doesn't affect your score.