How to dispute your credit report
Send the dispute in writing to each credit bureau that reports the error, name each wrong item, say why it is wrong, attach copies of your proof, and send it in a way that proves delivery. The bureau then has 30 days to reinvestigate. A dispute done this way is also the evidence a lawyer needs if the bureau or the lender gets it wrong.
A dispute has two jobs. The first is to get the error fixed. The second is to build a record in case it is not: what you said, what you proved, when the bureau got it, and what came back. Most FCRA cases are won or lost on that record. The steps below are practical ones; the law behind each follows.
Step by step
- Get your reports. Free once every 12 months from each nationwide bureau through AnnualCreditReport.com (15 U.S.C. § 1681j(a)(1)), and free within 60 days after a denial based on a report (§ 1681j(b)). For a screening company, ask it for your file and its sources (§ 1681g(a)).
- Mark each error. For each one, write the creditor, the account number (last four digits), what the report says, and what is true.
- Collect proof. Statements, payoff or settlement letters, a bankruptcy discharge, court dispositions, an FTC Identity Theft Report, a copy of your ID and proof of address. Send copies. Keep the originals.
- Write one letter per bureau. Your full name, date of birth, current address, and last four digits of your Social Security number; a numbered list of each disputed item and why it is wrong; what you want done (delete, or correct to a specific status); a list of enclosures; your signature and the date.
- Send it so you can prove delivery. Certified mail with a return receipt is the usual choice. Keep the receipt with a full copy of the letter and every enclosure.
- Calendar day 30. Count from the day the bureau received it. Results must reach you in writing within 5 business days after the reinvestigation ends (§ 1681i(a)(6)).
- Read the results closely. Deleted, modified, or "verified"? Pull a fresh report to confirm. Watch for deleted items that come back.
- If it is not fixed, stop and call a lawyer. Do not send the same letter again and again. See failed dispute.
The law behind each step
| What happens | When | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Bureau notifies the furnisher, with all relevant information you sent | Within 5 business days of receipt | 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(2)(A) |
| Bureau completes a reasonable reinvestigation, free of charge | Within 30 days of receipt | § 1681i(a)(1)(A) |
| Extension if you send relevant information during the 30 days | Up to 15 days more | § 1681i(a)(1)(B) |
| Furnisher completes its investigation after the bureau's notice | Within the bureau's reinvestigation period | § 1681s-2(b)(2) |
| Written results to you | Within 5 business days after completion | § 1681i(a)(6) |
| Description of how the reinvestigation was done, if you ask | Within 15 days of your request | § 1681i(a)(7) |
The bureau must review and consider all relevant information you submit (§ 1681i(a)(4)), which is why the proof goes in the envelope. It must promptly delete or correct anything inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable (§ 1681i(a)(5)(A)). A deleted item may come back only if the furnisher certifies it as complete and accurate, with written notice to you within 5 business days (§ 1681i(a)(5)(B)).
If the dispute does not resolve the item, you may file a brief statement of dispute, which the bureau may limit to 100 words (§ 1681i(b)), and later reports must note that you dispute it (§ 1681i(c)). On request, the bureau must send notice of a deletion or your statement to anyone who got your report in the past two years for employment, or six months for other purposes (§ 1681i(d)).
Disputing with the furnisher directly
You may also dispute directly with the lender or collector, which must then investigate within the same time frame as a bureau (§ 1681s-2(a)(8)). But that duty is enforced by government agencies, not by private suit (§ 1681s-2(c)). The claim you can bring yourself against a furnisher arises when a bureau notifies it of your dispute (§ 1681s-2(b)). Dispute with the bureau first, and copy the furnisher if you like.
With a debt collector, there is a separate right: a written dispute within the validation period stops collection until the collector mails you verification (15 U.S.C. § 1692g(b)). And a collector that reports a debt it knows is disputed without saying so violates § 1692e(8). See ignored dispute.
If the dispute fails: what you can recover
If the bureau or the furnisher does not do what the Act requires, the FCRA allows actual damages or statutory damages of $100 to $1,000 plus punitive damages for a willful violation (15 U.S.C. § 1681n(a)), and actual damages for a negligent one (§ 1681o(a)). The FCRA requires a company found liable to pay the consumer's reasonable attorney's fees and costs. To sue in federal court you also need a concrete harm, such as the report going to a lender or landlord (TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez, 594 U.S. 413 (2021)). Keep every denial letter.
Mistakes to avoid
- Sending originals. Send copies; the originals are your evidence.
- One vague sentence. "This is not mine" with no detail and no proof invites a "verified" result or a frivolous finding.
- Twenty identical disputes. Repeated disputes with nothing new can be treated as frivolous (§ 1681i(a)(3)).
- Throwing away the envelope. Keep every results letter, with its envelope, in date order.
- Waiting too long. The clock below runs whether or not you keep disputing.
The clock
Earlier of 2 years from discovery or 5 years from the violation
An FCRA suit must be filed within 2 years after you discover the violation and no later than 5 years after it (15 U.S.C. § 1681p). See deadlines.
In New York, New Jersey and Florida
The dispute steps and deadlines are federal and are the same in all three states. In New York, the state fair credit reporting act also bars agencies from reporting information they have reason to know is inaccurate (N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 380-j(a)), with damages, costs and fees under §§ 380-l and 380-m. In Florida, a person collecting a consumer debt who learns of a reasonable written dispute must, on your request, tell those it earlier disclosed the debt to about the dispute within 30 days (Fla. Stat. § 559.72(6)). See New York, New Jersey and Florida.
Common questions
Should I dispute online or by mail?
Either is allowed. A mailed letter with proof of delivery gives you a clear record of exactly what you sent and when it arrived. If you dispute online, save screenshots and the confirmation of every page, including the documents you uploaded.
When does the 30 days start?
On the date the bureau receives your dispute (15 U.S.C. section 1681i(a)(1)(A)). It can extend by up to 15 days only if you send relevant information during the first 30 days (section 1681i(a)(1)(B)). Proof of delivery tells you the start date.
Should I also dispute with the lender or collector?
You can, and it is often worth sending them a copy. But the lender's duty that you can enforce in court is triggered only when a credit bureau notifies it of your dispute (section 1681s-2(b)). With a debt collector, a written dispute within the validation period also has separate effects under the FDCPA.
What if the bureau calls my dispute frivolous?
It may end a reinvestigation it reasonably finds frivolous or irrelevant, but must tell you within 5 business days after making that decision (15 U.S.C. section 1681i(a)(3)). Send what it asks for. A detailed dispute with proof is hard to call frivolous.
Tell us what they did.
One conversation with an attorney, in your language. We tell you which laws the collector or the credit bureau broke, which deadline runs first, and what to save this week. If it is not a case we can take, we say so and tell you where to go.
(718) 484-7510The FDCPA and the FCRA require a company found liable to pay the consumer’s reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. Our fee arrangement is confirmed in a written retainer before we begin. English, Russian and Spanish in-house; an interpreter for any other language.