File a dispute first

If Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion is reporting information that's inaccurate, incomplete, or not yours, start with a direct dispute. Send it to every credit bureau that shows the error. When you can identify the source, send a parallel dispute to the lender, collector, or other company that furnished the information.

A CFPB complaint comes later for most people. Use it if a bureau doesn't investigate, rejects a well-documented dispute, or leaves a verified error in place. File through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau complaint portal. That complaint can pressure the company to review the file. It isn't a court order and doesn't guarantee that anything will be removed.

The FTC's guidance on disputing credit report errors and USA.gov's dispute instructions cover the basic process.

What the FCRA requires, and what it doesn't

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is the rule that controls how consumer reporting companies handle credit-report information. Under that law:

• A credit bureau must investigate information you reasonably identify as inaccurate or incomplete.
• The investigation generally must finish within 30 days after the bureau receives the dispute and the information it needs. In some cases the period can run to 45 days.
• If the information can't be verified, the bureau generally must delete or modify it.
• The furnisher (the company that supplied the data) must investigate after it gets the dispute through a bureau and report what it found.
• After it finishes, the bureau generally must send you the result within five business days.

The FCRA does not require a bureau to delete accurate negative information just because it hurts your score. A complaint also won't cancel a legitimate debt, rewrite a correct payment history, or guarantee a loan.

These routes do different jobs:

You don't have to dispute an item with all three bureaus if only one report contains it. Dispute it with each bureau that actually displays the problem. Their files are separate, so a correction at one bureau doesn't automatically fix the others.

Step 1: Get and save your credit reports

Use AnnualCreditReport.com, the federally authorized source. Pull Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion so you can compare them.

Save a copy of each report before you file anything. Record:

• The bureau's name and the date you accessed the report
• The account name and last four digits of the account number
• The balance, payment status, account type, and relevant dates
• The exact wording of the error
• Whether the same item looks different on another bureau's report

You dispute the underlying account, inquiry, public record, or personal information. You don't dispute a credit score by itself.

Common errors include an account that belongs to someone else, a duplicate collection, a payment marked late when it wasn't, a balance that ignores payments or an insurance adjustment, an account still reported as open after it was closed, a wrong date of first delinquency or account status, an unauthorized inquiry, a bankruptcy or other public record with incorrect details, and identity information that matched another consumer's account to you.

Not every unfamiliar inquiry is unauthorized. A creditor may appear under a business name you don't recognize, so check the creditor details before you challenge it.

Step 2: Gather evidence that matches the error

A dispute is stronger when it names one specific problem and attaches documents that speak to that problem. Depending on the issue, useful evidence can include:

• Account statements showing the correct balance or payment date
• Bank records, canceled checks, or payment confirmations
• A creditor letter confirming a correction, settlement, or account closure
• Insurance explanations of benefits and medical billing records
• A police or identity-theft report
• Proof that an account belongs to another person
• Court documents related to a bankruptcy or judgment
• Copies of prior dispute results and correspondence

Send copies, not originals. Experian's dispute guidance also recommends copies of documents such as identification or utility bills when you dispute by mail.

Include enough information to match you to the report, but skip unrelated financial or medical records. You can usually redact account numbers that aren't needed to prove the error, while leaving the last four digits visible.

Keep a working file with:

1. The report page with the disputed entry marked
2. Your dispute letter or online confirmation
3. Uploaded attachments
4. Mailing or delivery records
5. Responses from the bureau and furnisher
6. The date each response arrived

You'll need that file if you later file a CFPB complaint or have to show that the company had notice of the problem.

Step 3: Dispute the item with the bureau and the furnisher

File online if you want to upload documents quickly. Mail can be better when you want a complete paper trail; use a trackable method and keep the receipt. A phone call may help you find the right department, but a written or online dispute gives you a clearer record of what you challenged.

Use the dispute address on your report or on the company's current official website. The FTC lists the mailing addresses below, but confirm them before you send anything, because addresses can change:

• Equifax Information Services LLC
  P.O. Box 740256
  Atlanta, GA 30374

• Experian
  P.O. Box 4500
  Allen, TX 75013

• TransUnion LLC Consumer Dispute Center
  P.O. Box 2000
  Chester, PA 19016

Send a parallel dispute to the furnisher (the bank, card issuer, lender, or collection company that supplied the data). Use the credit-reporting dispute address on the report or a billing statement. Explain that the same information is being reported inaccurately, and ask the furnisher to investigate and notify the relevant bureaus of any correction.

A simple dispute letter format

I dispute the account ending in [last four digits] on my [Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion] credit report. The report states [quote the inaccurate information]. This is incorrect because [explain the specific error]. Please investigate the account and correct or delete the inaccurate information. I have enclosed copies of [list the supporting documents]. Please send me the investigation results and an updated report if the information is changed.

Keep the dispute narrow. "The account was paid on May 12, but the report shows a 60-day late payment for May" is more useful than a claim that the entire report is wrong.

E-OSCAR is an electronic system credit bureaus and furnishers use to transmit dispute information. Consumers don't file through E-OSCAR. Use the bureau's consumer portal or mail process instead.

Step 4: Watch the investigation clock

The usual FCRA investigation period is 30 days after the bureau receives the dispute and the necessary information. It may extend to 45 days in certain situations, including when you provide additional relevant information during that first investigation period.

The clock starts on receipt, not on the day you drop a letter in the mail. Save delivery confirmation or the online submission date.

A bureau may call a dispute frivolous or irrelevant when it lacks enough detail, repeats an earlier dispute without meaningful new information, or doesn't identify a specific item. That's different from a finding that the information is accurate. If the bureau rejects the dispute for that reason, ask what information is missing and send a focused explanation. Don't resend the same form unchanged.

When the result arrives, compare it with the original report. Check the balance, payment status, dates, and account status, not just whether the account is still listed. Download or save the updated report. If the furnisher said it would correct information at the other bureaus, check those reports too. Note whether the result says the information was corrected, deleted, or verified.

A "verified" result doesn't necessarily answer every question you raised. If the error remains, ask the bureau for a description of the procedure it used to verify the information, and contact the furnisher with the specific contradiction.

Step 5: File a CFPB complaint when the dispute stalls

A CFPB complaint is most useful after you can show what you disputed, what evidence you sent, and how the bureau or furnisher responded. You can also complain while a direct dispute is still pending if the problem is urgent or the company hasn't given a required response.

Use the CFPB complaint form and:

1. Choose the credit-reporting issue that best matches the problem.
2. Identify the company, such as Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, or the furnisher.
3. State the error in one or two sentences.
4. Give the dates of your direct dispute, the response, and any follow-up.
5. Attach the report page, dispute confirmation, response, and the most relevant proof.
6. Ask for a specific resolution, such as correcting a balance, changing a payment status, or deleting information that can't be verified.
7. Save the complaint number and all portal messages.

Stick to facts. This structure works:

• What the report says: "TransUnion lists a $1,240 collection as unpaid."
• Why it is wrong: "The provider's statement and payment confirmation show that the balance was paid before the account was reported."
• What you already did: "I disputed the item on June 3 and attached the payment record. The bureau returned a verified result on June 28."
• What you want: "Please investigate the reporting and correct the balance and status with the bureau."

According to Bankrate's explanation of the CFPB complaint process, companies commonly respond within 15 days, and some take up to 60 days. Those are complaint-process expectations, not a substitute for the FCRA investigation deadline.

Read the company's response closely. If it doesn't resolve the issue, use the portal's feedback option if it's available and explain exactly what remains wrong. A company reply isn't the same as a CFPB finding that the company complied.

Identity theft and fraudulent accounts

Identity theft needs more than a "this balance is wrong" dispute.

1. Create a report and recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov.
2. Place a fraud alert if appropriate, and consider a security freeze with each bureau. A freeze blocks most new creditors from pulling your report; it doesn't remove fraudulent accounts already listed.
3. Dispute every fraudulent account with each bureau that reports it.
4. Send the identity-theft report, proof of identity, and a short explanation with your dispute.
5. Tell the creditor or collector that the account came from identity theft.
6. File a CFPB complaint if a bureau or furnisher fails to address the documented fraud.

An initial fraud alert can generally be requested through one bureau. Security freezes usually require a separate request to each bureau. Follow the current instructions on the bureau websites.

Don't wait out a routine 30-day dispute if a lender is actively reviewing your application or a fraudulent account is causing immediate harm. Start the identity-theft process and save every confirmation number.

Medical collections

A medical account isn't automatically an error just because it appears on a credit report. Challenge it when the patient is wrong, the balance is inaccurate, insurance payments were omitted, the account is duplicated, or the debt was already paid or resolved.

Attach documents such as the provider's itemized bill, insurance explanations of benefits, payment receipts, a letter showing an adjustment or correction, and proof that the account belongs to someone else.

Medical reporting policies are separate from the FCRA's accuracy requirement. Experian's medical-collection guidance says the three major bureaus wait 365 days before adding unpaid medical collections and generally don't include medical collections under $500. Treat those as reporting policies to check against current bureau guidance, not as a promise that every medical debt will come off.

A CFPB complaint won't automatically delete an accurate medical collection or produce a guaranteed score increase. If the bill is correct, contact the provider, insurer, or collector about billing questions, financial assistance, or payment arrangements. If the report is wrong, use the direct-dispute process and keep the billing evidence.

If a lender, landlord, or employer relied on the error

Credit reports can affect borrowing costs and decisions about housing, employment, and insurance. If you were denied or offered worse terms, keep the notice that identified the report and ask whether the company will reconsider after the report is corrected.

Dispute the underlying information promptly. A CFPB complaint may help with the reporting problem. It may not change a lender's separate underwriting decision or preserve a deadline connected to a legal claim.

If the dispute is rejected

A rejection is a reason to examine the response, not proof that the report is correct.

1. Ask the bureau for the method or procedure used to verify the information.
2. Compare the response with your documents and identify the exact unresolved field.
3. Send new, relevant evidence to the bureau and furnisher.
4. File a CFPB complaint with your original submission and the rejection.
5. Contact your state attorney general's consumer-protection office if the company appears to be ignoring repeated, documented errors.
6. Consider speaking with a consumer attorney or legal-aid organization if inaccurate reporting caused a denied application, higher borrowing cost, collection activity, or another measurable loss.

Don't threaten a lawsuit in every letter, and don't stop paying a legitimate account because you disputed how it was reported. A credit-report dispute concerns the accuracy of the report. It doesn't, by itself, erase the underlying obligation.

Credit repair companies

You can dispute inaccurate credit-report information yourself without paying a credit repair company. A company can't legitimately promise to remove accurate negative information or create a new credit identity.

The FTC's credit-fixing FAQ flags warning signs such as promises to fix every credit problem, requests to pay substantial fees before meaningful work, or advice to dispute information you know is accurate. Be especially cautious if a service tells you to use a false identity, hide debts, or send identical disputes for every account.

A nonprofit credit counselor may help with budgeting or repayment problems. That's different from correcting inaccurate credit-report data.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to file a direct dispute before contacting the CFPB?

There's no general rule that you must wait for a bureau's decision before filing a CFPB complaint. A direct dispute is still useful because it creates a record of the error, your evidence, and the company's response. For urgent identity-theft or application problems, you may use both routes.

Should I dispute an error with all three credit bureaus?

Only dispute it with bureaus that actually report the error. If all three show the same inaccurate account or payment status, file separate disputes with all three.

What if the bureau says the information was verified?

Review which field was verified and compare it with your proof. Request the bureau's verification procedure, contact the furnisher, and file a CFPB complaint if the response still doesn't address the specific error. A generic "verified" result doesn't make accurate evidence disappear.

Can a CFPB complaint remove a legitimate debt?

No. A complaint can prompt a company to review how it handled a dispute, but it doesn't turn accurate information into an error. If the debt is legitimate, address the account with the creditor or collector while separately correcting any inaccurate reporting.

Does an identity-theft report remove fraudulent accounts automatically?

No. Use the report to support disputes and requests to block fraudulent information. Send the required documents to each bureau reporting the account and to the creditor or collector, then keep the submission records.

How long should I keep dispute records?

Keep the reports, letters, documents, delivery records, results, and CFPB complaint messages for as long as the issue could affect you. If the matter involves a lawsuit, collection notice, or denied application, get professional guidance before you discard anything.

This is general information for U.S. consumers, not legal advice. Open AnnualCreditReport.com, save the page that shows the error, and send a focused dispute to each bureau and furnisher involved. If you already have a rejection or no response, take that same file to the CFPB complaint portal.