Your credit reports are files kept by reporting companies. They are not one report and they are not your score. An error can appear at one company, two, or all three.
Start at the authorized site
Use AnnualCreditReport.com. Federal law gives you free reports, and the three nationwide companies allow free weekly online reports through that site. Type the address yourself. A copycat site may be selling monitoring or collecting information.
Mark one error at a time
Print or save the report. Circle the account, date, balance, status, or personal information that is wrong. Write one plain sentence: what the report says, what is correct, and what you want changed.
Send it to both sides
The CFPB says to dispute with the credit reporting company and the company that gave it the information, called the furnisher. A furnisher may be a lender, card issuer, collector, landlord, or other business.
- A copy of the report page with the item marked.
- A short dispute letter.
- Copies of statements, payment proof, identity-theft report, or other support.
- No original documents.
- A copy of the whole packet and proof it was sent.
Pal sentence: “This account is reported 60 days late for May. The attached statement and bank record show it was paid on April 28. Please investigate and correct the late status.”
Use the right address
The report and CFPB instructions show dispute contacts. Online disputes can be fast, but save screenshots and the full wording you submitted. If mailing, certified mail can create delivery proof.
Know the clock, but keep checking
A reporting company generally investigates within 30 days. Some cases can take 45 days, including certain disputes tied to a free annual report or when you send more relevant information during the investigation. It then sends written results and an updated report when a change is made.
If the answer is bad
Send any missing proof and explain the unresolved point. You can ask to add a brief dispute statement to the file. You can also file a CFPB complaint after trying the dispute. If identity theft caused the item, use IdentityTheft.gov for the special blocking and recovery steps.
No credit repair company can legally erase accurate negative information just because it is ugly. You can dispute real errors yourself for free.
Where we checked
Go straight to the source
- CFPB consumer reporting companiesFree-report rights, freezes, disputes, and complaints.
- CFPB: How to dispute an errorStep-by-step dispute instructions for reporting companies and furnishers.
- CFPB dispute timingGeneral 30-day and possible 45-day investigation timing.
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