How to dispute a credit report error

Start by getting the reports. Each of the three nationwide credit bureaus gives you a free report every week at AnnualCreditReport.com, the site federal law set up for it. Read all three: an error can appear on one and not the others.

What to look for

• Accounts you never opened, or addresses and names that are not yours.
• Payments marked late that were on time, or accounts shown open that you closed.
• Wrong balances or credit limits.
• The same debt listed twice, for example by the original creditor and by a collector, each with a balance.
• Negative items older than the reporting period allows (see collections on your credit report).

Step 1: dispute with the bureau

Tell each bureau that reports the error, in writing, what is wrong and why, and include copies of documents that back you up. The CFPB suggests your letter include your contact information, the report's confirmation number if there is one, each item you dispute, and what should change. The letter builder writes it.

Mail it with a return receipt, or use the bureau's online form and save a copy of what you submitted.

Step 2: dispute with the company that reported it

The bank, lender or collector that sent the information to the bureau is called the furnisher. You can dispute directly with it too, at the address on your report or the address it names for credit reporting disputes. It generally must investigate and respond.

The clock

• The bureau must finish its investigation within 30 days of receiving your dispute. It can take up to 15 more days if you send new information during those 30 days.
• It must send you the results within five business days after it finishes.
• If the item cannot be verified, it must be corrected or deleted.
• The bureau may decline a dispute it finds frivolous, for example one with no explanation, but it must tell you within five business days and say what it needs.

If you disagree with the result

Ask for a description of how the bureau investigated, send new evidence, or add a short statement of dispute to your file. You can also submit a complaint to the CFPB. If the error came from identity theft, the faster path is the identity theft block (see identity theft recovery).