Short answer: Pull each of your three U.S. credit reports, mark the exact information that's wrong, and collect documents that support the correction. File a separate dispute with every bureau showing the error. You can also dispute the information with the lender, collector, or other company that supplied it. Disputes are free. A bureau generally has 30 days to investigate, although some investigations can take up to 45 days.

These procedures apply to U.S. credit reports. State laws and debt-collection rules may add other rights. A dispute can fix information that's inaccurate or incomplete, but it can't remove a negative entry just because you dislike it.

What counts as a credit report error?

An entry may be inaccurate or incomplete when it:

• Belongs to someone else or resulted from identity theft
• Shows a late payment, missed payment, charge-off, or collection that isn't correct
• Lists the wrong balance, account status, credit limit, payment date, or other account detail
• Reports the same debt more than once in a misleading way
• Shows an account as open, past due, or unpaid after it was paid, settled, or otherwise resolved
• Uses dates that affect how long the information may be reported
• Contains personal information that appears to have mixed your file with another consumer's
• Fails to reflect a bankruptcy discharge or shows a discharged balance as currently owed

Unfavorable doesn't mean inaccurate. A legitimate late payment, valid collection, accurate credit inquiry, or properly reported bankruptcy generally doesn't have to be deleted. A bankruptcy discharge also doesn't automatically erase every accurate account history connected to the bankruptcy.

Start by pulling all three reports

Request your reports through AnnualCreditReport.com, the federally authorized source for free credit reports. Be wary of lookalike sites that ask you to buy monitoring or credit-repair services before showing the report.

Review Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion separately. A creditor may report to one bureau but not another, or the information may appear on different dates.

Save a copy of every report before filing anything. For each possible error, write down:

• Which bureau reports it
• The lender, collector, or other furnisher
• The account number, preferably only the last four digits
• The exact field that's wrong
• The date or reporting period shown
• The correction you want

This turns a general concern into a dispute the company can investigate. The FTC's guidance on disputing credit report errors has additional instructions for contacting the bureaus.

Gather proof that matches the error

The strongest evidence connects you to the account and addresses the specific detail in dispute. Depending on the problem, that might include:

• A government-issued identification card
• A utility bill, lease, or bank statement showing your address
• Account statements showing payment dates or balances
• Bank records or canceled-payment records
• A letter from the creditor confirming a payoff or correction
• A settlement agreement or account-closure confirmation
• Bankruptcy schedules, a discharge order, or other court records
• An identity theft report from IdentityTheft.gov or a law-enforcement agency
• Earlier correspondence with the furnisher or bureau

Send copies, not originals. Redact unrelated account numbers and most of your Social Security number unless the bureau's current instructions require otherwise. Leave enough information visible for the company to match the documents to your file.

You don't need a large packet to file a dispute. One account statement may be more useful than several pages of unrelated material. Identify one account, one inaccurate field, and one requested correction whenever possible.

Choose how to submit the dispute

Online filing is convenient and usually allows document uploads. Mail is useful when the issue needs a longer explanation or you want a paper trail. A phone call can answer basic questions, but an online confirmation or written submission makes it easier to show what you disputed.

Check the instructions on your report or the bureau's website before using an address or phone number. Contact details and procedures can change. These are commonly listed routes:

If you mail the dispute, keep a complete copy of the letter and every enclosure. Certified mail or another tracked service isn't required for every dispute, but proof of delivery can help if the bureau later says it never received your documents.

Write a narrow, factual bureau dispute

For each item, explain what the report says, why it's wrong, and what should change. Include:

1. Your identifying information
2. The account name and number or last four digits
3. The exact inaccurate information
4. A short explanation of the facts
5. Copies of documents supporting your position
6. The correction or deletion you want

You can ask the bureau to investigate under Section 611 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, or FCRA. If the information is inaccurate or can't be verified, ask the bureau to correct or delete it.

For example:

The account ending in 4321 is reported as 60 days late for August. The attached statement shows that the required payment posted on July 28. Please investigate the August payment history and correct the account if the late-payment notation can't be verified.

Several errors can go in one submission, but number them separately and connect each one to its supporting document. Avoid a broad statement such as "everything on my report is wrong." A bureau may treat a repetitive or unsupported dispute as frivolous or irrelevant.

Remember that each bureau keeps its own file. A dispute with Experian doesn't automatically dispute the same entry with Equifax or TransUnion. File separately with every bureau that shows the error.

Dispute the information with the furnisher, too

The furnisher is the company that supplied the information to the bureau. It might be a bank, credit-card issuer, lender, servicer, or collection agency. Look for the company's address for credit-report disputes on your report or its official website.

Send the furnisher the same core information:

• Your name and identifying information
• The account number or last four digits
• The exact information you dispute
• Why it's inaccurate or incomplete
• Copies of relevant supporting documents
• The correction you want

A direct dispute with the furnisher is separate from a dispute with a credit bureau. Filing with both can be useful when the company's records are the source of the error. Use the furnisher's designated address and follow its current submission instructions.

If a debt collector is reporting the account, don't confuse a credit-report dispute with a debt-validation request. The first challenges the accuracy of information sent to a bureau. The second concerns the collector's claims about the debt. One process doesn't automatically replace the other.

Keep a record of the investigation

Make a simple timeline containing:

• The date each dispute was submitted
• The bureau or furnisher that received it
• The submission method
• The confirmation number or delivery receipt
• The documents included
• Any request for more information
• The date and substance of the response

The bureau's investigation period generally starts when it receives a complete dispute, not when you begin preparing it. Check your mail and online account while the dispute is pending in case the bureau asks for additional information.

How long does a credit report dispute take?

A credit bureau generally has 30 days to investigate after receiving a dispute. The period can extend to 45 days in certain situations, including when you provide additional relevant information during the initial investigation or when specific rules concerning a free credit report apply.

The 45-day period isn't limited to Experian. When the legal conditions are met, it can apply to a dispute handled by any nationwide credit bureau.

After finishing the investigation, the bureau generally must send the results within five business days. The result may say that the information was:

• Corrected
• Deleted because it was inaccurate or couldn't be verified
• Confirmed as reported
• Changed in part

"Verified" usually means the furnisher confirmed the information in its records. It doesn't necessarily mean the bureau independently proved every detail. Compare the result with a fresh copy of the report to see what actually changed.

A direct dispute sent to a furnisher has its own handling process. Track that communication separately rather than assuming the bureau's deadline controls every message you send.

Special cases

Identity theft accounts

An unfamiliar account could be identity theft, but check first whether it belongs to a joint applicant, authorized user, family member, or a creditor operating under another name.

If you suspect fraud:

1. Place a credit freeze with all three bureaus if you want to restrict access to your reports for most new-credit applications. A freeze is free and remains until you ask the bureaus to lift it.
2. Consider placing a fraud alert. An initial alert generally lasts one year and asks businesses to take additional steps to verify your identity.
3. Report the theft through IdentityTheft.gov and save the report.
4. Contact the creditor's fraud department and secure any affected accounts.
5. Ask each bureau to block the fraudulent information under the FCRA identity-theft process.

A qualifying identity-theft block request generally needs proof of identity, an identity theft report, and a clear list of the fraudulent accounts or transactions. It should also state that you didn't open or authorize the account. When the request is complete and meets the legal requirements, the bureau generally must block the information within four business days.

A freeze or fraud alert doesn't remove an existing account. You still need to request an identity-theft block or file a standard dispute with the required documents.

Medical debt

A medical account isn't automatically inaccurate just because it's medical. Dispute it if:

• It isn't yours
• The balance is wrong
• It appears more than once
• It was paid but still appears unpaid
• The dates or account status are incorrect

Don't rely on an old article claiming that all medical debt must be removed. Federal requirements and bureau policies in this area have changed. Check your current report and the bureau's current guidance, then focus the dispute on a specific factual error.

Bankruptcy-related accounts

Use your bankruptcy petition, schedules, discharge order, and creditor correspondence to check:

• Whether the account was included in the bankruptcy
• Whether the balance is incorrectly shown as currently owed
• Whether the account status reflects the bankruptcy accurately
• Whether the dates and payment history are correct
• Whether new collection activity was reported after discharge

Dispute inaccurate fields with both the bureau and the furnisher. A discharge order can support a correction, but it doesn't necessarily require the entire account history to disappear.

Sample credit report dispute letter

Use the bureau's online form or current mail instructions if they require a particular form. Otherwise, a clear letter can look like this:

[Your full name]
[Your mailing address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Date of birth and last four digits of your Social Security number]

[Date]

[Credit bureau name]
[Current dispute address]

Re: Dispute of inaccurate information, account ending in [1234]

To whom it may concern:

I am disputing information in my credit file under Section 611 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Furnisher: [Company name]
Account: [Account number or last four digits]
Reported information: [Describe the exact field, date, balance, or status]
Why it is inaccurate: [Explain the facts briefly]
Requested correction: [State the correction or deletion you want]

Enclosed are copies of the relevant credit report page and documents supporting this dispute. Please investigate the information, forward relevant information to the furnisher, and send me the written results. If the information is inaccurate or cannot be verified, please correct or delete it and send me an updated report.

Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Phone number or email]

For a direct dispute with a lender or collector, change the recipient and identify the letter as a direct dispute under FCRA Section 623. Send it to the furnisher's designated dispute address.

For identity theft, you can add:

I did not open, authorize, or benefit from this account. I request that the information be blocked under the FCRA identity-theft provisions. Enclosed are my proof of identity, identity theft report, and the report page identifying the fraudulent account.

Don't include your full Social Security number in an ordinary letter unless the recipient's current instructions specifically require it.

If the bureau denies the dispute

Read the investigation results closely. If the entry still appears, you can:

1. Compare the response with the documents you submitted.
2. Ask the bureau for the procedure it used to verify the information.
3. Contact the furnisher and ask which records support the reported item.
4. Send a follow-up dispute with new, specific evidence.
5. Ask to add a brief statement explaining your position to your file.
6. File a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau if the company failed to investigate, ignored relevant evidence, or continued reporting information you can show is inaccurate.

Don't send the same vague dispute repeatedly. Explain what's new and attach evidence that addresses the reason for the denial.

If a lender, landlord, or employer takes adverse action based on a credit report, keep the notice and ask which bureau supplied the report. That can identify the file to review. If an apparent reporting error caused a significant financial loss or a company repeatedly ignored clear evidence, consider speaking with a consumer-law attorney or legal-aid organization about your options.

Limits to keep in mind

• A dispute doesn't erase an accurate negative entry.
• It doesn't automatically raise your credit score.
• A correction by one bureau doesn't update the other two automatically.
• A credit-report dispute doesn't cancel a debt or stop collection activity by itself.
• Continue making required payments on accounts you believe are valid while the investigation is pending.
• You don't have to pay a credit-repair company to file a dispute.
• Be cautious of anyone promising a guaranteed score increase or removal of accurate information.

Common questions

Should I dispute online or by mail?

Online filing is convenient and usually supports document uploads. Mail gives you more room to explain a complicated issue and creates a paper trail. Save the confirmation number for an online dispute or proof of delivery for a mailed one.

Do I have to dispute an error with all three bureaus?

Only dispute it with the bureaus that show the error. If the same inaccurate account appears on all three reports, file a separate dispute with each bureau.

Can a bureau remove an accurate late payment?

Usually not. The FCRA provides a process for challenging inaccurate or incomplete information, not a general right to delete accurate negative history.

Does a credit freeze remove fraudulent accounts?

No. A freeze helps prevent new accounts from being opened using your information. To address an existing fraudulent account, use the bureau's identity-theft block process or standard dispute process and provide the required documentation.

What if the bureau doesn't respond within 30 days?

Check when the bureau received a complete dispute and keep your delivery records. If the applicable deadline has passed without results, send a concise follow-up and consider a CFPB complaint. Include the submission date, confirmation number, documents, and exact error.

Start with the report page that shows the problem: save it, mark the inaccurate field, and write down the correction you want. That record can support both the bureau dispute and any direct dispute with the furnisher.