If your credit report shows the wrong balance, payment history, account, collection, or inquiry, dispute the item with each credit bureau reporting it. Identify the precise error, attach copies of supporting records, and tell the bureau what should be corrected or deleted. Send the same evidence to the company that supplied the information, known as the furnisher.

Credit report disputes are free under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. A bureau generally has 30 days to investigate after receiving a dispute, although the period can reach 45 days in some circumstances.

A dispute isn't a way to remove accurate information simply because it hurts your credit score. The process applies when information is inaccurate, incomplete, belongs to someone else, or can't be verified.

What can you dispute on a credit report?

Look for factual problems, including:

• An account you didn't open
• A late payment reported even though you paid on time
• The wrong balance, credit limit, or account status
• A closed account listed as open
• The same debt reported more than once
• A paid collection that still shows an unpaid balance
• An account belonging to someone with a similar name
• A bankruptcy or other public record incorrectly attributed to you
• A hard inquiry you don't recognize
• Negative information reported beyond the legally allowed period

An unfamiliar address may not affect a score on its own, but don't ignore it if it appears with another person's account or suggests that your file has been mixed with someone else's.

Accurate negative information is different. For example, a late payment isn't a reporting error if the creditor correctly recorded when it received your payment. You may ask the creditor for a goodwill adjustment, but that's a customer-service request rather than a formal dispute, and the creditor doesn't have to approve it.

The FTC's credit report dispute guidance outlines the federal process.

Step 1: Check all three reports

Get reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion through AnnualCreditReport.com, the federally authorized source described in the FTC's free credit report guidance.

Don't assume the reports contain identical information. A creditor may report to one bureau, two, or all three, and each bureau maintains its own file.

Save a copy of each report before starting a dispute. For every questionable item, note:

• The bureau reporting it
• The date of the report
• The creditor or collector's name
• The last four digits of the account number
• The balance, status, dates, or payment history shown
• The page or section where the item appears
• What the information should say instead

If an error appears on two reports, you'll generally need two bureau disputes. Fixing one report doesn't automatically guarantee that another bureau will update its file.

Step 2: Build a small evidence file

The most useful dispute packets are focused. They connect a specific statement on the report with a document showing why that statement is wrong.

Possible evidence includes:

• Account statements showing the correct payment or balance
• Bank records, canceled checks, or payment confirmations
• A payoff letter or account-closure notice
• Correspondence in which the creditor acknowledges an error
• A copy of the report with the item marked
• Court or bankruptcy records
• An identity theft report for fraudulent accounts
• Proof of identity and address, if the bureau requests it

Send copies rather than originals. Redact unrelated account information when practical, but leave enough information for the bureau and furnisher to match the document to the disputed account.

Keep a basic tracking log as well:

Use the bureau's secure upload system or its published mailing instructions. Don't email identity documents to an unverified address or upload them through an unofficial credit-repair site.

Step 3: Dispute the item with each bureau reporting it

Credit bureaus generally accept disputes online or by mail. Online filing is convenient and usually provides quick confirmation. Mail may be better when you need room to explain a mixed file, identity theft, or several related documents.

Use the current dispute address or online portal listed on the bureau's official website or your credit report. A creditor's payment address isn't necessarily its dispute address.

Your submission should answer five questions:

1. Which account or entry are you disputing?
2. What does the report currently say?
3. Why is that information wrong?
4. What correction do you want?
5. Which documents support your position?

"This account is incorrect" gives an investigator little to work with. A more useful statement would be: "The report lists the April payment as 30 days late, but the attached bank record and creditor confirmation show that it was paid on April 5."

If you mail the packet, consider using a trackable service and keep the delivery record. Retain the complete packet exactly as sent.

Credit report dispute letter template

[Your full name]
[Your current address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Date]

[Credit reporting company]
[Current dispute address]

Re: Dispute of inaccurate information on my credit report

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am disputing the following information on my credit report:

Creditor or collector: [Name]
Account number: [Last four digits]
Report date and page or section: [Details]
Information currently reported: [Balance, status, date, late payment, account, or inquiry]
Why it is inaccurate: [Specific factual explanation]
Requested correction: [State the correct information or request deletion]

I have enclosed copies of the following supporting documents:

1. [Document]
2. [Document]
3. [Document]

Please investigate this item under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and correct or delete information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or cannot be verified. Please send me the investigation results and an updated report if my file changes.

Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Phone number]
[Email or mailing address]

Don't put your full Social Security number in an ordinary letter unless the bureau's current identity-verification instructions require it. Follow the bureau's stated process rather than sending extra sensitive information on your own.

Step 4: Contact the company that supplied the information

The furnisher is the bank, card issuer, lender, collection agency, or other company that sent the disputed data to the bureau.

A matching dispute to the furnisher can address the problem at its source. Include the same factual explanation and supporting records you sent to the bureau. Ask the company to correct its own files and notify every credit bureau to which it supplied the inaccurate information.

Look for the furnisher's dispute address on:

• Your credit report
• An account statement
• A collection notice
• The company's official website or dispute instructions

Mark the correspondence "credit reporting dispute." Don't combine it with a payment, settlement proposal, or unrelated customer-service request.

What happens during the investigation?

A credit bureau generally has 30 days to investigate after receiving a properly submitted dispute. The deadline may extend to 45 days in certain situations, including when you send additional relevant information during the investigation.

The bureau typically gives the furnisher the details of your dispute and reviews the response. Possible results include:

• The information is corrected.
• The item is deleted because it can't be verified.
• Only part of the entry is changed.
• The furnisher verifies the information and it remains.
• The bureau asks for additional identity or account information.
• The bureau treats the dispute as incomplete, repetitive, or otherwise insufficient for investigation.

Keep the confirmation, attachments, mailing records, account references, and every response you receive. When the investigation ends, compare the result with the original report. Check the actual field at issue - the balance, status, date, ownership, or payment history - rather than relying only on a general notice that the dispute was "completed."

A correction won't necessarily produce an immediate credit score change. The effect depends on what changed, the rest of your credit file, and the scoring model being used.

How to handle specific credit report problems

Medical collections

Don't assume that all medical debt is prohibited from appearing on credit reports. A federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule intended to restrict medical-debt reporting was vacated by a court in 2025.

Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion have also adopted voluntary medical-debt reporting policies. Those policies have generally excluded paid medical collections and certain medical collections under $500, but a bureau policy isn't the same as a federal ban. Check the bureau's current policy and the details of the particular account.

If a medical collection appears, verify:

• That the account belongs to you
• That the amount is correct
• Whether insurance payments or financial assistance reduced the bill
• Whether the debt has been paid
• Whether the same bill appears more than once
• Whether the bureau is applying its current medical-debt policy

Ask the provider or collector for an itemized bill and payment history if the balance is unclear. A general reference to HIPAA doesn't automatically erase a valid medical debt.

Identity theft and mixed files

An account you don't recognize may result from identity theft, but it could also involve an authorized-user account, a family member, or another consumer with a similar name. Check the creditor, dates, addresses, and account details before deciding which process applies.

For identity theft, identify every related account, collection, and inquiry on each report. A request to block identity-theft information may require:

• Proof of your identity
• A list of the fraudulent entries
• A statement that the information resulted from identity theft
• An FTC Identity Theft Report or other supporting report

A credit freeze can make it harder for someone to open new accounts in your name. It doesn't remove fraudulent information already present, so existing entries still need to be disputed or blocked.

Incorrect late payments

For a late payment that was reported by mistake, send records showing when and how you paid. Useful documents may include a bank statement, payment confirmation, canceled check, or creditor message.

Dispute the payment history with both the bureau and the creditor. Name the exact month and year rather than challenging the entire account.

If the payment really was late, don't label it inaccurate. You can instead ask the creditor for a goodwill adjustment.

Goodwill request template

[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]

[Creditor name and address]

Re: Goodwill request for account ending in [last four digits]

Dear [Creditor or customer-service representative]:

I am asking whether you would consider removing the [month and year] late-payment notation from my credit reports as a goodwill adjustment.

The missed payment resulted from [brief explanation]. The account is now [current or paid], and my payment history before and after the incident has been [brief description].

I understand that the reported information may be accurate. I am requesting a courtesy adjustment, not disputing the account balance or payment history.

Thank you for reviewing my request.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Approval is optional. A creditor's refusal doesn't turn an accurate late payment into a disputable error.

Old negative information

Age alone doesn't make every negative item removable. Accurate information may remain for the reporting period allowed by law.

Review older entries for a wrong delinquency date, incorrect status, or reporting that continues beyond the permitted period. Also watch for apparent re-aging, where the dates make an old debt look newer than it is. Challenge the specific date or status and include records supporting the correct timeline.

Unrecognized inquiries

Credit reports distinguish between hard and soft inquiries. Soft inquiries, including some account-review and promotional checks, are treated differently and generally don't affect scores in the same way as hard inquiries.

If you don't recognize an inquiry, contact the named company and ask why it accessed your report. Compare its explanation with your applications and accounts. Dispute the inquiry if it wasn't yours and the company had no valid reason to access your file.

What to do if the bureau says the item was verified

"Verified" doesn't necessarily settle the underlying problem. Read the response closely. The bureau may have verified one field while leaving a different error untouched.

Your next move depends on what happened:

1. Ask how the item was verified. Request information about the procedure used and which company supplied the verification.
2. Review your first submission. Check whether it named the exact month, amount, status, or account at issue.
3. Send new evidence when available. Point out what the initial investigation missed. Repeating the same general statement without new facts may lead to the same result.
4. Return to the furnisher. Ask it to review its records and send corrections to every bureau that received the data.
5. Consider a consumer statement. A brief statement may add context to your file, but it won't delete the disputed entry or change the underlying data.
6. Escalate a documented unresolved error. You may submit a complaint through the CFPB's official complaint process or contact your state attorney general. The USA.gov credit report error page is another government starting point.
7. Seek legal help when the consequences are serious. Repeated identity-theft reporting, reinsertion of previously deleted information, or a major denied application may warrant speaking with a consumer-law attorney.

If a deleted item reappears, compare the new report with the earlier deletion notice. Ask the bureau why the information was reinserted and whether it provided the required notice.

Should you dispute online or by mail?

There isn't one required method for every problem. A simple balance error may be easy to document online. A mailed packet can be more practical when the dispute depends on a timeline, several statements, or proof that two consumers' files were mixed.

Mistakes and credit-repair claims to avoid

• Don't dispute accurate information merely because it's negative.
• Don't replace a factual explanation with a long emotional account.
• Don't send original documents.
• Don't challenge an item with a bureau that isn't reporting it.
• Don't treat a creditor's promise to "look into it" as a completed dispute.
• Don't pay a company that guarantees deletion of accurate information or promises a specific score increase.
• Don't make a false identity-theft claim or create a new identity to escape a debt.
• Don't upload identification to unofficial websites.
• Don't stop making required payments simply because a reporting dispute is pending.

You can complete an ordinary dispute yourself without paying a credit-repair company.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to dispute the error with all three bureaus?

Only contact the bureaus showing the error. If it appears on all three reports, file a separate dispute with each one and notify the furnisher.

Is a credit report dispute free?

Yes. Disputing information with a credit bureau or furnisher under the FCRA doesn't require a fee.

How long will the dispute take?

A bureau generally has 30 days to investigate, although some investigations can take up to 45 days. Count from receipt, preserve the confirmation or delivery date, and check the deadline stated in the bureau's response.

Can a dispute remove an accurate late payment?

Not through the error-dispute process. You can make a goodwill request, but the creditor may decline it.

What if only part of the account was corrected?

Submit a follow-up that identifies the remaining error. For example, if the balance was fixed but the payment status is still wrong, dispute the payment status specifically and attach the relevant evidence.

Start with one item: save the report, mark the exact field that's wrong, and assemble copies of the records showing what the field should say.