A U.S. credit report error can raise your interest rate, stall a lease, or show up in a background check. So what do you actually file, and with whom?
You dispute the inaccurate item with the bureau that listed it. The same facts can go to the lender or collector that furnished the data. The Fair Credit Reporting Act procedure for disputed accuracy is the federal rule that starts a 30-day reinvestigation once the bureau receives your dispute.
A CFPB complaint comes later. It doesn't replace that first dispute.
The FCRA rule that actually controls the bureaus
Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion must conduct a reasonable reinvestigation when you tell them information in your file is inaccurate or incomplete. That duty sits in 15 U.S.C. 1681i. It's not a customer-service favor.
They generally finish in 30 days. The window can run to 45 days if you submit extra information during the investigation. Within 5 business days after they get your dispute, they have to forward the relevant information to the furnisher.
They have to review the documents you send. Unverified or inaccurate data should be corrected or deleted. You can later ask for a description of the procedure they used. The statute gives them 15 days to provide it.
Thing is, a one-line "this isn't mine" dispute is easy to brush off. Account numbers, dates, and copies of statements give them something they have to check.
An ugly mark is not automatically an error
Disputes work on information that is wrong, incomplete, or cannot be verified. A debt you really owed, reported inside the allowed time, won't fall off because you dislike it.
Use a dispute for mixed-up personal data, a paid account still showing unpaid, a balance that does not match your statements, a duplicate account, or a tradeline you never opened. The FTC is blunt about the goal. You want the file accurate, not magically empty. Read the FTC guidance on disputing credit report errors before you write a word.
People sometimes mail the same form letter to all three bureaus about "any and all negative items" and then feel shocked when nothing moves, because the bureau and the furnisher treat that as a fishing trip, not a real dispute with a fact they can actually check against their records.
Pull the reports before you write anyone
Get Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion files from AnnualCreditReport.com, the federally authorized source. The three reports won't always match. That's normal, and it's why you read all of them.
Circle each problem and jot the creditor name, account number, date opened, status, and the exact mistake. You'll want copies of proof. Leave originals in the drawer.
One folder per dispute saves you later.
File with each bureau that shows the error
Online portals are faster for status checks. Certified mail with return receipt is slower, but you can prove the date they got the packet. Don't rely on a phone call. You'll have almost no record.
Do this in order:
- Confirm which bureau(s) display the error. Fixing Experian doesn't change Equifax.
- Write what is wrong and what should happen (delete the account, correct the balance, change the status).
- Attach copies of proof and state that you are disputing under FCRA section 611.
- Send a parallel dispute to the furnisher when you have an address. CFPB direct-dispute rules cover account terms, payment history, and related details in your report.
- Record the send date, tracking number, and any online confirmation ID. Count 30 days from receipt, not from the afternoon you uploaded the PDF.
Experian publishes its online and mail dispute instructions. For current mailing addresses for all three bureaus, use the FTC dispute page. Old P.O. boxes on random blogs go stale.
A letter that names the actual item
Keep it short. Name the item.
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]
[Bureau dispute address from the FTC list]
Re: Dispute under FCRA section 611; [last 4 of SSN]; account [number]
I dispute the following information in my credit file as inaccurate:
[Creditor name], account [number]: [what is wrong, in one or two sentences]. The file should [be deleted / show $0 balance / show closed on date].
I enclose copies of: [list]. Please reinvestigate and send the results and an updated report.
[Signature]
[Phone and email]Send copies, not originals. If you mail it, certified with return receipt is the simple way to prove timing.
Direct bureau filing versus a CFPB complaint
| Path | What it actually does | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Direct dispute with the bureau | Starts the FCRA reinvestigation | Almost every error, first |
| Direct dispute with the furnisher | Makes the lender or collector investigate its own reporting | Alongside the bureau dispute, or after a "verified" result you still think is wrong |
| CFPB complaint | Creates a complaint the company must answer through the Bureau | The investigation window passed and the error is still there, or nobody responded |
| Identity theft report, freeze, or fraud alert | Extra tools for accounts you did not open | Fraud, not a routine billing mix-up |
Turns out many people jump straight to the CFPB complaint portal and skip Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. That usually burns time. Dispute with the bureau first. Use CFPB if the result is still wrong after that process, or if they blew the deadline. You can't treat CFPB as a magic delete button.
What the 30-day clock looks like in practice
Receipt starts the clock, and the bureau then forwards your materials to the furnisher, who is supposed to check its records and report back. You should get written results after that.
Possible outcomes include a deletion, a correction, or a verified mark. If the file changed, they should also send an updated report. Extra documents you add after filing can stretch the job to 45 days.
Write down every date. Memory is a terrible docket.
Identity theft follows a different track
A stolen account is not a typo. File an identity theft report and consider a credit freeze or fraud alert.
A freeze blocks most new credit pulls until you lift it, and an alert tells lenders to take extra steps to verify it's you.
FCRA also has a blocking process for information that came from identity theft when you identify the fake items and provide the identity theft report. A plain accuracy dispute can still run in parallel. The theft paperwork is the stronger lever.
To be honest, people treat a fraudulent card like a wrong balance and then sit through a 30-day verification that just repeats the thief's application data.
If they come back and say the item is accurate
Read the letter. See whether they engaged with your proof at all.
If the denial is a form that just says "verified as accurate" and never mentions the statement you attached showing the account was paid in March, send that packet again and say, plainly, that they did not address the document, and keep the certified-mail receipt with the first one so you're not arguing from memory later.
A short statement of dispute can go on your file so later users see your side. CFPB is still available if the item is wrong. Talking with a consumer lawyer about FCRA is a personal call. Nothing here is a recommendation to sue.
Circle one error on today's reports and send that dispute, with copies of proof, this week. One documented item is easier to investigate than a rant about your whole file.