In the United States, the usual name for a credit report error complaint letter is a credit report dispute letter. Send a focused dispute to every credit reporting company that shows the error and, when practical, to the creditor, lender, collector, or other business that supplied the information.

The goal is narrow: identify inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information and ask for a specific correction. A credit reporting company must investigate a qualifying dispute, but it doesn't have to remove information that is accurate just because it hurts your score.

Get the report before you write

Start at AnnualCreditReport.com, the federally authorized source for credit reports. A score-monitoring app can help you spot a possible problem, but the report contains the account numbers, dates, balances, and payment history needed for a dispute.

Check all three reports. An error may appear on only one of them. For each item, write down:

• Which bureau reported it
• The date of the report
• The creditor or other data furnisher
• The account number, using only the last four digits in your letter
• The incorrect field, such as ownership, balance, payment status, or date
• The correct information shown by your records

Save a copy of each report and mark the disputed entries. Don't ask a bureau to "raise my score." Point to one inaccurate entry and explain what should replace it.

What belongs in the letter

A workable dispute letter has five parts:

1. Your identifying information: Give your name, current address, and enough additional information for the company to locate your file. Provide your date of birth or the last four digits of your Social Security number only when necessary or requested through an official dispute process.
2. The disputed item: Name the furnisher, identify the account by its last four digits, and give the report date and page or section where the entry appears.
3. The facts: Say what the report shows, why it is wrong or incomplete, and what your records show instead.
4. The requested correction: Ask for the precise change, or for deletion if the information is inaccurate and cannot be verified.
5. Matching evidence: Include readable copies of records that support that particular dispute. Keep the originals.

Depending on the problem, useful documents may include bank statements, payment confirmations, canceled checks, creditor letters, account statements, payoff records, court documents, proof of identity, or an FTC Identity Theft Report. Mark the relevant lines. Leave out sensitive information the bureau doesn't need.

Several errors can go in one letter, but number them separately. A short letter tied to specific records is more useful than a claim that the whole report is wrong.

You don't need a paid "609 letter" or special wording. A clear explanation and evidence that matches the account and dates matter more than a template's label.

General credit report dispute letter template

Replace the bracketed text and delete anything that doesn't apply. Use the current dispute address or online process listed on the report or the bureau's official website. Mailing addresses change, so don't rely on an old address copied from another template.

[Your full name]
[Your current mailing address]
[City, State ZIP code]
[Phone number or email, optional]
[Date]

[Name of credit reporting company]
[Current dispute address shown on the report or official website]

Re: Dispute of inaccurate information in my credit report

Dear [Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, or name of furnisher]:

I am writing to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information in my credit file. Please investigate the item below and correct or delete it if it is inaccurate, incomplete, or cannot be verified.

1. Furnisher: [Creditor, lender, collector, or other business]
   Account number ending in: [Last four digits]
   Report date and location: [Date, page, or section]
   Information reported: [Quote or describe the disputed entry]
   Why it is inaccurate: [Explain the facts and relevant dates]
   Correct information requested: [State the specific correction]

[Number each additional disputed item in the same format.]

I have enclosed a copy of the relevant report page with the disputed information marked, along with copies of [list each document]. Please send me the investigation results and an updated copy of my report if a correction is made.

My identifying information is:

Full name: [Name]
Date of birth: [Date, if needed]
Last four digits of Social Security number: [XXXX]
Current address: [Address]
Former address shown on the report, if relevant: [Address]

Sincerely,

[Signature]
[Printed name]

Enclosures:
- [Marked report page]
- [Document one]
- [Document two]

Keep a complete copy of the letter, enclosures, and delivery record. If you submit online, save the confirmation number, screenshots, and files you uploaded.

Sending the dispute to the furnisher

A creditor, lender, debt collector, or other business that supplied the information can receive a separate dispute. Use the address or online channel it designates for credit-reporting disputes. Its general customer-service address may not be the right one.

You can use wording such as this:

I dispute information your company furnished to [name of bureau]. The [account or entry] is inaccurate because [specific reason]. The attached records show [correct fact]. Please investigate the disputed information and correct any inaccurate or incomplete information you furnished to the credit reporting companies.

A dispute sent to one bureau doesn't automatically correct the same entry at the other two. Send a separate dispute to each bureau that reports the error.

Wording for common errors

Incorrect late payment

Use the payment date, due date, and account details shown in your records:

The payment history for [creditor] account ending in [1234] is reported as 30 days late for [month and year]. The attached statement shows a payment of [$amount] was [posted or received] on [date], and the payment due date was [date]. These records relate to the same account and payment period. Please investigate and correct the late notation if the reporting is inaccurate.

Attach the clearest evidence available, such as a statement, payment confirmation, canceled check, or written confirmation from the creditor. Proof that you initiated a payment isn't always proof of when the creditor received or credited it.

If the payment really was late, a dispute is not the right way to seek removal. You can ask the creditor separately for a goodwill adjustment, but that is a voluntary request rather than a correction of inaccurate information.

Incorrect account balance

Match the reporting period in your evidence to the period in the report:

My report dated [date] lists a balance of [$5,000] for [creditor] account ending in [1234] as of [reported date]. The creditor statement for that same period lists a balance of [$500]. The attached statements identify the account and reporting period. Please investigate and update the balance to the amount supported by the creditor's records.

A later payoff or newer statement doesn't necessarily prove that an earlier reported balance was wrong. Check the dates before sending the dispute.

An account that isn't yours

If you believe the account resulted from identity theft, say that directly:

I dispute [creditor] account ending in [1234]. I did not open, use, or authorize this account. I believe it resulted from identity theft. I have enclosed proof of identity, the relevant report page, and my FTC Identity Theft Report. Please investigate this account and block or remove the information as permitted for identity-theft-related reporting.

An identity-theft block is different from an ordinary accuracy dispute. Follow the bureau's requirements. A qualifying request generally requires an identity-theft report, proof of identity, and clear identification of the fraudulent information.

A credit freeze can help prevent new creditors from accessing your file, but it doesn't correct an existing fraudulent account. The FTC's guidance on credit freezes and fraud alerts explains the difference.

If the account belongs to another person with a similar name or identifying information, it may be a mixed-file error rather than identity theft. Describe the problem accurately and provide records showing why the account belongs to someone else.

Duplicate account

The report lists [creditor] account ending in [1234] twice. Both entries show the same creditor, opening date, balance, and payment history. The attached report page marks the duplicate entries. Please investigate and remove the duplicate listing while retaining any accurate information for the single account.

If one entry is accurate, don't ask the bureau to delete both.

Incorrect closed-account status

A closed account can remain on a credit report, so closure alone doesn't make an entry inaccurate. Dispute the status only if the report is wrong:

[Creditor] account ending in [1234] is reported as open, but the creditor confirmed that I closed it on [date]. I have enclosed the closure confirmation. Please correct the account status and preserve any other information that is accurate.

Outdated information

Many negative items generally have a seven-year reporting limit, although the calculation depends on the type of information and the relevant date. Bankruptcy has a different rule, and some bankruptcies can generally be reported for up to 10 years.

If an entry appears too old, identify the relevant date instead of relying only on the date the bureau last updated the account:

The [collection, charge-off, or other item] for [creditor] account ending in [1234] appears to exceed the applicable reporting period. The relevant delinquency date was [date], as shown by [document]. Please investigate the reporting period and delete the item if it is obsolete.

Paying an accurate negative account doesn't automatically erase its history. Focus the dispute on an incorrect date, status, balance, ownership, or reporting period.

Where to send it

Use the official dispute process for each bureau:

• Equifax dispute information
• Experian dispute center
• TransUnion dispute process

The FTC's instructions for disputing credit report errors provide additional information about what to include and how to contact the reporting companies.

Online submission is convenient when you have a simple error and a few files to upload. Keep the confirmation number and a copy of everything submitted. For a complex identity-theft, mixed-file, or payment dispute, mailing a complete packet or using an online process that accepts attachments may give you a better record. If you mail it, use the address in the report or the bureau's current official instructions. Certified mail and tracking can document delivery, but they don't replace a specific explanation.

How long the investigation takes

A credit reporting company generally has 30 days to investigate a qualifying dispute after receiving it. The period can extend to as much as 45 days when you provide additional relevant information during the initial investigation.

The bureau may ask the furnisher to review the information. It should then tell you the result and provide an updated report when a correction is made. Timing can depend on when the bureau receives your documents and how quickly the furnisher responds.

Identity-theft block requests use a separate process. If the request meets the legal requirements, the information generally must be blocked within four business days after the bureau receives the required materials. That shorter period doesn't apply to an ordinary dispute.

Mark a response date on your calendar. After a correction, check all three reports again; the same change may not appear at every bureau at the same time.

If the bureau says the information was verified

"Verified" means the bureau completed its dispute process and received confirmation supporting the reported information. It doesn't mean you must accept an answer that failed to address your evidence.

1. Compare the response with your numbered items. Make sure the bureau addressed each disputed entry, not just one part of the letter.
2. Request information about the verification procedure. After a reinvestigation, you can make a written request for a description of the procedure used to determine the information's accuracy and completeness.
3. Dispute the item with the furnisher. Send the creditor or collector the same facts and the documents supporting your position, using its designated credit-reporting dispute address.
4. Send new, specific evidence if you have it. Don't keep mailing the same vague challenge. A dispute may be treated as frivolous or irrelevant when it lacks enough detail or merely repeats an earlier challenge without meaningful new information.
5. Ask to add a statement of dispute. If the issue remains unresolved, you can ask the bureau to include a brief statement in your file. The bureau may limit that statement to 100 words.
6. Consider a CFPB complaint about the handling of the dispute. Use the CFPB complaint portal after documenting what you sent and how the bureau responded. A complaint may bring attention to a handling problem, but it doesn't guarantee deletion of accurate information.
7. Consider professional advice if the error continues and caused measurable harm. Keep denial letters, loan or rental application notices, correspondence, and records of financial losses. A denial by itself doesn't establish a legal violation.

The CFPB's dispute guidance and USA.gov's credit-report error guidance provide additional government information.

What a dispute letter cannot do

A dispute is for inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information. It can't:

• Remove accurate negative information merely because it is damaging
• Guarantee a credit-score increase
• Change a creditor's contract, interest rate, or payment obligation
• Automatically pause required loan or credit card payments
• Place a credit freeze
• Correct an entry at another bureau without a separate update
• Turn an identity-theft problem into an ordinary billing dispute

Keep making payments you agree are due while the investigation is pending. If the information is accurate but you want the creditor to consider removing a late mark, send a separate goodwill request instead of calling accurate reporting an error.

For another official example of the format, see the CFPB sample credit reporting dispute letter.

Start with one marked report page, one clearly identified error, and the records that prove the correction you want. Then send a separate, documented dispute to each bureau and furnisher reporting that item.