All guides
Every Credit Help guide and tool, by topic.
Debt collectors3
- How to make a debt collector prove the debtYou have 30 days from the validation notice to dispute in writing. Once you do, collection stops until they send proof.
- Your rights when a debt collector callsWhen they may call, how often, where they may not reach you, and how to make them stop.
- Collections on your credit report: how long they stay and what paying changesSeven years from the first missed payment that led to collection, plus 180 days. Paying does not restart that clock.
Repossession2
Denied credit1
Identity theft2
- Identity theft recovery: the first steps, in orderReport it, lock down new credit, then clean up the accounts. Each step is free.
- How to freeze your credit, and how it differs from a fraud alertFree at each of the three bureaus. Placed within one business day online or by phone, lifted within an hour.
Report errors2
- How to dispute a credit report errorDispute with the bureau and with the company that reported it. The bureau has 30 days to investigate.
- Free toolFree dispute and debt validation letter builderFill in the details from your notice or your report and get a letter to print or send. It runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Lawsuits, limits and garnishment2
- The statute of limitations on debt, and what to do if you are suedEach state sets how long a creditor has to sue. After it runs out, a collector may not sue or threaten to.
- Wage garnishment limits: how much of a paycheck can be takenFor most debts, federal law caps it at the lesser of 25 percent of disposable pay or what a week's pay exceeds $217.50.