Tips to Fix Disputing Errors on Your Credit Reports

Adults who want to get a credit card, apply for a job, buy a house, get utilities turned on, or do a variety of other things should check their credit reports. Your credit report may determine whether you qualify or are turned down for these opportunities. Credit reports, on the other hand, do not contain inaccuracies. Anything from incorrect late payments to accounts that aren't yours to a wrongly reported bankruptcy could end up on your credit report by accident. As a result, it's vital to regularly check your credit report for mistakes. Under federal law, you have the right to an accurate credit report. Anything that is erroneous, incomplete, or unverifiable cannot be reported by credit bureaus. You have the right to contest mistakes on your credit report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and they will be deleted.

Look for mistakes on your credit report

Checking a copy of your credit report for problems is the best way to find them. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Once a year, AnnualCreditReport.com allows you to obtain a free yearly credit report from each bureau.If you've recently been turned down for a job because of your credit report, if you're unemployed and plan to hunt for work soon, if you receive welfare or government assistance, or if you've been the victim of identity theft, you're also entitled to a free credit report. In addition to the free credit reports you get from other sources, several states have legislation that entitles you to a free credit report once a year. If you can't acquire a free credit report, you can pay a nominal charge to order one straight from the credit bureaus. The three credit bureaus, on the other hand, are providing free weekly reports until December 2022. Because your credit reports aren't always identical, you should go over all three of them. Because doing this all at once can be intimidating, you may choose to focus on one credit report per month or quarter. You should know which errors on your credit report you can dispute. You have the legal right to dispute anything, but the credit bureau will investigate and only erase anything that is required by law. Dispute information on your credit report that is incorrect, incomplete, out-of-date, or cannot be validated. Negative items should only stay on your credit report for seven years, with the exception of bankruptcy, which can stay for ten. You can contest bad entries that are older than seven years. 2

You can also argue over the following:

Payments that were reported as late yet were really received on time.
Accounts that don't belong to you
The credit limit, loan amount, or account balance are incorrect.
creditors who are inaccurate
account status that is inaccurate, such as an account status that is shown as past due while the account is actually current.
Choose a method for resolving your conflict.
Your credit report dispute can be submitted online, by mail, or over the phone. To dispute your credit report online or over the phone, you must have ordered a copy within the last month and submit your credit report number as proof.

Online

While it is easier to dispute credit report inaccuracies online, there are some disadvantages. When you have a disagreement online, you will almost always be able to access the results of your disagreement online. It's also possible that you won't be able to complete the entire process online if you need to mail in some of your information. If you prefer to dispute your credit report online, you can use these links to the major credit agency websites to submit an online credit report dispute:

Equifax
Experian
TransUnion
By Post

It takes longer to file a credit report dispute by mail, but it provides you with the paper trail you'll need if the credit agency doesn't react promptly. Credit bureaus have 30 days to examine and respond to your credit report dispute, or 45 days if you send more proof during that time. You have the right to sue in federal court for up to $1,000 if they don't react within that time range. If you want to dispute a credit report inaccuracy via mail, you'll need to send a letter outlining the information that should be removed and why it's erroneous. If you have proof of the error, be sure to provide a copy of it. Send the letter certified mail with a return receipt requested so you can prove when you filed the dispute and when it was received by the creditor. Make a point of keeping track of how much time has passed. The major credit bureaus' dispute addresses are as follows:

Equifax

Information Services LLC is a company that provides information about people.

P.O. Box 740256 is the postal address.
Atlanta, GA 30374-0256

Experian

P.O. Box 4500
Allen, Texas 75013

Consumer Solutions by TransUnion

P.O. Box 2000,
19016 Chester, Pennsylvania

Telephonically

You might see a phone number on your credit report that you can call to dispute reporting mistakes. If there isn't, call the credit bureaus at the following numbers:

1-866-349-5191 Equifax
1-888-397-3742 Experian
Transunion can be reached at 1-800-916-8800.

Keep track of when you phoned, who you spoke with, and what information they offered you about your complaint. In some cases, such as fraud, you may be prompted to call the credit reporting agency to offer further information, even though you lodged your dispute via mail or online.

Wait for a response from the credit bureau to your dispute

The credit agency may respond to your dispute by erasing the incriminating material right away. However, if previously deleted goods are later verified, the company has the authority to reintroduce them. If this happens, the credit agency is required to send you written notice that the item has been reinstated on your credit report. Any information you offer about the inaccuracy of the information will be forwarded to the entity that originally provided it, who will be obligated to investigate and reply to the credit bureau. The credit bureau will provide you with the results of the investigation, as well as a free copy of your credit report if the dispute resulted in a change, once the investigation is completed. You can then ask the credit bureau to issue a notice of rectification to any company that has accessed your credit record in the last six months. If one credit bureau's version of your credit report has false information, it's possible that the information will be inaccurate on the other two bureaus' reports as well. You should go over all three credit reports to ensure that the information is correct and full. The credit bureau may answer that the creditor confirmed the error you disputed. This can happen if the creditor's systems contain a mistake that was not discovered throughout the examination. If this occurs, you can go around the credit bureau and directly dispute the inaccuracy with the creditor. Evidence for Your Credit Report Dispute If your address, name, date of birth, or Social Security number are incorrect, you must provide verification in the form of a copy of your driver's license, a recent billing statement, or your Social Security card. A check copy proving that you paid your payment on time or a current billing statement indicating your credit card limit or balance are examples of proof you paid a charge. Make a copy of the proof and save the original documents for your records.

The Most Difficult Things to Remove From Your Credit Report

Because these facts are easy to verify, some items are easier to erase from your credit report than others. It is more difficult to erase anything that is part of the public record. Bankruptcy, foreclosure, repossession, court judgements, and loan defaults, particularly student loan defaults, are all examples of this. Even when they're legitimately incorrect, it might be difficult to get them deleted. If your credit report contains inaccurate public data, try to communicate directly with the court or agency that listed the item on your report. It will be much easier to deal with the credit bureau to straighten things up once they've updated their records to demonstrate what's accurate. Creditors and other businesses that report to credit agencies are held to the same standard when it comes to investigating and correcting inaccuracies.

Make certain that your disputes are valid.

Make certain you're not doing anything to give the credit bureaus the impression that your credit report disputes are frivolous. Don't challenge everything on your credit report at the same time, and don't send all of your complaints at the same time. If you dispute the same item multiple times, make sure to give each dispute a distinct reason so the credit agency doesn't think you're sending duplicates. If you don't have enough evidence, the credit bureau has the right to reject your dispute.

Dispute Letter Phrasing Example

Your dispute letter can be written in a variety of ways. Make sure the debate is tailored to your specific situation.

Sample 1

I’ve reviewed a copy of my credit report and found an error with GE Capital Account XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-1234. The account is listed as 30 days late. However, I have never been late on this account. Please remove this inaccurate information.

Sample 2

I’ve reviewed a copy of my credit report and found a number of negative accounts that are older than seven years. Here are the accounts that should be removed: WFNNB/Express XXX-XXX-XXX Verizon Visa XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXX

Sample 3

I've reviewed a copy of my credit report and found an error. The account with Chase XXXX-XXXX-XXX-3456 is not my account. I have never had an account with Chase Bank. Please remove this account from my credit report.