How to Dispute an Error on Your Credit Report

You have the right under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act to dispute information on your credit report that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. It costs nothing, you do not need anyone's permission, and you do not need a service to do it for you.

Disputing is one step of DIY credit repair; this page covers that step in detail.

If you are still learning how to review a report, start with how to read each section of your credit report. For examples of issues that may be worth pursuing, see credit report errors worth disputing.

Step 1: Identify exactly what is wrong

Vague disputes get vague results. Before you write anything, be able to finish this sentence: "The report says X, and that is wrong because Y."

Good examples:

• "This account shows a balance of $1,240. I paid it in full on March 3, 2024 and have the confirmation."
• "This collection is listed twice, once by the original creditor and once by the collection agency, with the same balance."
• "I have never had an account with this company."
• "This account shows as open. I closed it in writing on January 12, 2023."

Step 2: Gather what proves it

Not every dispute needs documents, but a dispute with documents is a stronger dispute. Bank statements, a payoff letter, a closing confirmation, a police report for identity theft, a court document for a discharged debt.

Send copies. Never send originals.

Step 3: Write to the bureau that is reporting it

Disputes go to whichever bureau's report shows the error. If the same error appears on all three, you send three letters. The bureaus do not share disputes with each other.

Your letter should contain:

• Your full name, current address, and date of birth
• A copy of a government ID and a document showing your address, if you are mailing it
• The specific account or item, identified by creditor name and partial account number
• What is inaccurate, stated plainly
• What you want corrected
• A list of any documents you have enclosed

Keep it to one page if you can. You are not writing a legal brief; you are giving an investigator a clear task.

Step 4: Mail it in a way you can prove

Certified mail with return receipt costs a few dollars and gives you a dated record that the bureau received it. That date starts the clock.

Step 5: The 30-day investigation

Once a bureau receives your dispute, it generally has 30 days to investigate, which can extend to 45 days if you send additional information during the investigation period. The bureau forwards your dispute to the company that reported the information, and that company has its own duty to investigate.

One of three things happens:

• The item is corrected or deleted. The bureau must send you the result in writing and a free copy of your report.
• The item is verified as accurate. It stays. You can request that a statement of dispute be added to your file, and you can dispute again if you have new information.
• The dispute is rejected as frivolous. This happens with mass-mailed template disputes and repeated identical disputes. The bureau must tell you why.

You can also dispute with the furnisher

The company that reported the information — the bank, the lender, the collection agency — has its own obligations. Disputing directly with them, in addition to the bureau, is often worth doing, especially when you have documentation they can match against their own records.

What this process will not do

It will not remove accurate, current information. It will not reset your payment history. It will not produce a guaranteed number. What it does is correct the record where the record is wrong, which is the only thing the law entitles you to and the only thing worth your time.