How to Dispute an Error on Your Credit Report

Knowing how to dispute an error on your credit report can protect your credit score and improve your chances of qualifying for a credit card, apartment, personal loan or other financial product.

Federal law allows consumers to dispute inaccurate or incomplete credit-report information for free. A proper dispute should clearly identify the error, explain why it is wrong and include documents supporting the requested correction.

What Credit Report Errors Can You Dispute?

You may dispute information that is inaccurate, incomplete, duplicated, outdated or connected to identity theft.

Common credit-report errors include:

• An account that does not belong to you.
• A payment incorrectly marked late.
• The wrong account balance or credit limit.
• A closed account reported as open.
• The same debt listed more than once.
• An incorrect name, address or date of birth.
• A loan shown under the wrong borrower.
• A collection account that has already been paid.
• Negative information that has remained longer than legally permitted.
• Fraudulent accounts opened through identity theft.

You generally cannot force the removal of negative information merely because it hurts your score. Accurate information may continue appearing during the applicable reporting period, although duplicate or otherwise inaccurate reporting can still be disputed.

1. Obtain All Three Credit Reports

Begin by reviewing your credit reports from:

• Equifax.
• Experian.
• TransUnion.

AnnualCreditReport.com is the federally authorized website for requesting reports from the three nationwide credit reporting companies. Reports may differ because lenders do not always send information to every bureau.

Review each report separately. An error appearing on two reports must normally be disputed with both bureaus.

2. Identify and Document Every Error

Do not submit a vague complaint stating that your credit report is wrong.

For each disputed item, record:

• The credit bureau displaying the error.
• The creditor or collection agency name.
• The account number shown on the report.
• The specific information that is incorrect.
• Why the information is incorrect.
• What correction you want.
• Which documents prove your position.

For example:

The report shows a 30-day late payment for March 2026. My bank statement and payment confirmation show that the required payment was received before the due date. Please correct the March 2026 payment status to “paid as agreed.”

Specific disputes are easier to investigate than general requests to “fix my credit.”

3. Collect Supporting Documents

Strong documentation can reduce delays and help the credit bureau understand the issue.

Depending on the error, include copies of:

• Bank statements.
• Payment receipts.
• Billing statements.
• Account-closing letters.
• Loan payoff confirmations.
• Emails from the creditor.
• Court documents.
• Identity-theft reports.
• Government-issued identification.
• Proof of your current address.
• A copy of the credit report with the error highlighted.

Send copies rather than original documents. The FTC recommends retaining the originals and keeping copies of everything submitted.

4. Dispute the Error With the Credit Bureau

You can generally submit a dispute:

• Online.
• By mail.
• By phone.

Online disputes may be convenient, but a written dispute sent by mail can create a detailed paper trail. When sending a letter, consider certified mail with a return receipt so you can document when it was received.

Your dispute should include:

1. Your full legal name.
2. Your current address.
3. Your date of birth and identifying information requested by the bureau.
4. The account or item being disputed.
5. A clear explanation of the error.
6. The correction or deletion requested.
7. Copies of supporting evidence.
8. A highlighted copy of the relevant report page.

Do not send sensitive documents through an unverified email address or website.

5. Contact the Company That Supplied the Information

In addition to contacting the credit bureau, dispute the error directly with the company that reported it.

This company is known as the information furnisher and may be:

• A bank.
• A credit card issuer.
• A student-loan provider.
• A landlord.
• A collection agency.
• An auto lender.
• A utility company.

The CFPB recommends contacting both the credit reporting company and the business that supplied the information. If the furnisher determines that its reporting was wrong or cannot verify it, it must update or remove the information and notify the relevant credit bureaus.

Use the dispute address shown on your credit report, billing statement or the company’s official website.

6. Wait for the Investigation

Credit reporting companies generally have 30 days to investigate a dispute. Certain cases may take up to 45 days, such as when additional relevant information is submitted during the investigation.

During the process, the bureau usually:

• Reviews the information you submitted.
• Sends the evidence to the furnisher.
• Requests verification or correction.
• Updates or deletes information that cannot be verified.
• Sends you the investigation results.

A bureau may decline to investigate a dispute it reasonably considers frivolous or irrelevant—for example, when the dispute does not identify the contested information or provide enough detail. It must notify you and explain its decision.

Avoid repeatedly submitting the same unsupported dispute.

7. Review the Investigation Results

After the investigation, review the written decision carefully.

Confirm whether:

• The account was corrected.
• The inaccurate item was deleted.
• The balance or payment history changed.
• The information remained unchanged.
• The bureau provided a revised report.

When an investigation results in a correction, the credit bureau must provide the results in writing and a free updated report. That report does not count against your regular free-report entitlement.

Check your other credit reports as well. A correction at one bureau may not automatically fix the same error at another.

What If the Dispute Is Rejected?

A rejected dispute does not always mean the information is correct. It may mean the bureau or furnisher believes its records support the reporting.

Your next steps may include:

1. Contacting the furnisher and requesting the documents used for verification.
2. Resubmitting the dispute with new evidence.
3. Asking the bureau to add a brief dispute statement to your file.
4. Filing a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after completing the direct dispute process.
5. Consulting a consumer-law attorney when serious financial harm is involved.

Consumers may request that a statement explaining an unresolved dispute be added to their credit file and included or summarized in future reports.

The CFPB generally requires consumers to dispute inaccurate information directly with the reporting agency before submitting a credit-reporting complaint to the Bureau.

What If the Error Is Caused by Identity Theft?

An unfamiliar account, address or credit inquiry may indicate identity theft rather than an ordinary reporting mistake.

Take these actions promptly:

• Report the identity theft through IdentityTheft.gov.
• Follow the personalized recovery plan.
• Dispute fraudulent accounts with each affected bureau.
• Contact the businesses where fraudulent accounts were opened.
• Consider placing a fraud alert or security freeze.
• Change compromised passwords and secure financial accounts.

IdentityTheft.gov provides official recovery instructions and sample letters for disputing fraudulent information.

Short Credit Report Dispute Letter

Date: [Date]

To: [Credit bureau or information furnisher]

I am disputing inaccurate information appearing on my credit report.

The disputed item is:

• Company name: [Name]
• Account number: [Partial account number]
• Information being disputed: [Describe the error]
• Reason: [Explain why it is incorrect]
• Requested action: [Correct or remove the information]

I have enclosed copies of documents supporting my dispute and a copy of the relevant report page with the item highlighted. Please investigate this matter and send me the results in writing.

Sincerely,
[Full name]
[Address]
[Contact details]

Mistakes to Avoid During a Credit Dispute

Avoid:

• Disputing accurate information without evidence.
• Sending original documents.
• Filing the dispute with only one bureau when several reports contain the error.
• Using a credit-repair company for a dispute you can submit for free.
• Sending vague, automated disputes.
• Ignoring the furnisher that supplied the information.
• Applying for major credit before reviewing the investigation results.
• Failing to keep copies and delivery records.

Final Answer

To dispute an error on your credit report, identify the inaccurate item, gather supporting documents and contact both the credit bureau and the company that supplied the information.

Clearly explain what is wrong and what correction you want. Monitor the investigation, review the updated reports and escalate unresolved problems only after completing the direct dispute process. Filing a legitimate credit-report dispute is free, and you do not need to pay a credit-repair company to exercise this right.

Official Sources

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — How to dispute a credit-report error
• Federal Trade Commission — Disputing errors on credit reports
• Federal Trade Commission — Sample dispute letter to credit bureaus
• AnnualCreditReport.com — Filing a dispute
• AnnualCreditReport.com — Request your official credit reports
• IdentityTheft.gov — Identity-theft reporting and recovery
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — Submit a complaint