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Money Tips & Education
How to dispute credit report errors
Updated Oct 23, 2026
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Key takeaways:
Credit report errors are mistakes that you can—and should—dispute with the credit bureau that reports the information.
You can dispute credit report errors over the phone, by mail, or online, and the credit bureau has 30 to 45 days to investigate your claim.
Regular credit report monitoring could help you spot potential credit report errors or signs of identity theft.
Good credit could open doors when you want to borrow money. One of the best things you can do to build up your score is to know what's on your credit report.
A credit report includes details about your debts, which are used to calculate your credit scores. That's not a problem if the information on your report is accurate. However, credit report errors could cause your scores to incorrectly appear lower.
A 2012 Federal Trade Commission study looked at the credit reports of 1,001 consumers. About 1 in 4 (26%) identified at least one potentially material error on at least one of their three credit reports. If you happen to be one of them, we'll show you how to dispute credit report errors (and explain why you should).
Credit report disputes: Why bother?
Credit report errors happen for different reasons. Your creditor might make a mistake and forget to report your latest payment. Or maybe an account that you don't own shows up on your credit report because you have the same name as someone else.
The credit report dispute process exists so that people can make sure their credit reports only contain correct and accurate information. Why? Because credit report mistakes could work against you as you work to boost your credit score.
Credit report mistakes could be big or small, but they're all worth the effort to dispute. If you are able to get an error removed or corrected from your report, that could have a positive credit score impact. At the very least, it's good to know your report is completely accurate.
How to get your credit report
To check credit report errors, you'll need to know what's in your credit reports. Three credit bureaus issue credit reports: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can get a free credit report from all three. If you come to a screen requesting your credit card number, click away and start over. You don’t have to provide a credit card number to get your free credit reports.
Equifax
You can get your credit report free with a myEquifax account. Here's what you'll need to create your account:
First and last name
Date of birth
Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
Mobile phone number
Current address
Once you plug those items into the myEquifax sign-up form, you'll just follow the prompts to complete your enrollment.
Experian
Experian offers free credit reports and FICO Scores. To get your credit reports, you'll need to register using the last four digits of your Social Security number and your mobile phone number.
Once you've done that, Experian will send you a text message link for verification. You'll click the link and follow the prompts to create your free account.
Inside your Experian account, you can:
View your Experian credit report
Access helpful money tools, like Experian Boost, which could help you grow your credit score when you pay bills
Compare loan and credit card offers
You also have the option to add your Equifax and TransUnion credit reports to your Experian account, for a fee.
Achieve is not a Credit Repair Organization and does not provide, or offer, services or advice to repair, modify, or improve your credit.
TransUnion
TransUnion offers free weekly credit reports online. To get yours, you'll enroll with your:
Name
Address
Date of birth
Email address
Mobile number
The last four digits of your Social Security number
TransUnion creates your account and verifies your identity. Once you're logged in, you can request a free credit report or submit a credit error dispute.
You can check all three credit reports for free once a week at AnnualCreditReport.com.
Should you get one credit report or all three? If you want to do a thorough credit report check, it's a good idea to pull all three to compare them.
What to look for on your credit report
What kinds of mistakes could be on my credit report? That's a good question to ask so you know what to look for as you check for credit report accuracy.
Common credit report error examples include:
Incorrect payment history, including improperly reported late payments or loans in default that you're current on
Incorrect balances or inaccurate credit limits
Collection accounts reported incorrectly
Open accounts that are listed as closed or closed accounts that are listed as open
Duplicate accounts
Accounts that don't belong to you
Accounts opened fraudulently in your name
Incorrect name, address, phone number, or employment history
You can report possible identity theft, like an account you never opened, at the Federal Trade Commission's IdentityTheft.gov and get a personalized recovery plan. Then send each credit bureau your identity theft report, proof of identity, a list of the fraudulent items, and a statement that they aren't yours. The bureaus generally must block that information within four business days after they receive everything.
Here's one thing to know: Negative items on a credit report don't count as errors if the information is correct. For example, if you have an account showing two late payments and you really did pay late, your dispute is likely to be unsuccessful. You can dispute an accurate item if it shows up more than once on your credit report.
How to dispute an error on your credit report
Each credit bureau has a process for how to dispute credit report errors, which you can do over the phone, by mail, or online. An online dispute is the easiest and fastest method.
To file a credit report dispute online, you'll contact the credit bureau and complete the dispute form. Be prepared to tell the credit bureau:
Which account you want to dispute, with the account number and creditor name
The error that you would like the credit bureau to address
Why you believe the item on your credit report is inaccurate
How you would like the error to be resolved (corrected or removed)
You may be asked to upload documentation to submit a credit report dispute. Some of the documents you may be asked for include:
A driver's license of valid, government-issued ID
Utility bills or other proof of residence
Court papers that show a legal name change
Your Social Security card
W-2s or other tax forms
Receipts that show payment of a debt
A debt relief agreement
Canceled checks
A police report if you filed a claim for identity theft
Bank statements
You'll upload copies of any documents the credit bureau asks for and keep the originals. Here's where you can go to file a credit report dispute online:
If the same error appears on more than one credit report, you'll need to dispute it with each bureau individually.
What to include in a dispute letter
If you'd rather send your dispute by mail, put these items in your letter:
Your full name, address, and phone number
Each error and why it's inaccurate
A request to correct or remove each error
A copy of your credit report with the errors circled or highlighted
Copies (not originals) of documents that back up your dispute
Send your letter by certified mail with a return receipt, so you'll have proof the bureau got it.
Dispute the error with the lender too
You can also dispute the error with the company that reported it, like your lender, card issuer, or other creditor. You don't have to wait for the credit bureau's decision first.
Send your dispute to the address the company gives for disputes. The company generally must investigate and report back to you within the same window the credit bureau has.
Will disputing an error on your credit report affect your credit score?
A dispute by itself doesn't affect your credit score, according to TransUnion. Your scores could change if the bureau corrects or removes an item.
If you ask for the removal of a previous address you never lived at, your score is unlikely to change, since your address isn't one of the credit score factors. If you ask for the removal of a fraudulent account, your score could change.
If the change to your report is positive, you may see a positive credit score impact. If the change to your report is negative, the impact on your score could also be negative.
What to expect after filing your dispute
Once you submit your request, the credit bureau launches a dispute investigation. As part of the credit dispute process, the credit bureau will attempt to verify whether the information you've challenged is correct or not.
How long does it take to resolve a credit dispute?
Credit bureaus generally have 30 days to investigate your dispute. The bureau gets up to 15 more days if you send relevant information during that window. Once the investigation ends, the bureau has five business days to send you the results in writing.
If your dispute leads to a change, you'll get a free copy of your updated credit report. Give clear details, because a bureau can stop investigating a dispute it decides is frivolous, like one without enough information. The bureau must tell you why within five business days.
What if the dispute doesn't work?
Credit report disputes sometimes result in a change to your credit file, but not always. If the credit bureau verifies that the information is correct, no correction or removal is made.
What if you disagree with the outcome? You could escalate a credit report dispute and sue the credit bureau, but that's an extreme step. Before you think about that, you could try these methods to deal with a rejected credit dispute.
Add a statement to your credit file. If you believe the credit bureau is wrong, you could add a statement to your credit file that explains the nature of the dispute and the item you believe is inaccurate.
Dispute your credit report with the creditor. If you haven't already, you could dispute the error with the creditor that reported the information. Contact the business to find out where to send disputes, then draft a letter that includes the details of the dispute and why you believe the information is inaccurate.
File a complaint with the CFPB. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau takes credit reporting complaints, forwards them to the company, and works to get you a response.
If the business finds that there is an error, it has to tell the credit bureau to remove or correct the information on your credit report. Getting the creditor to stop reporting the information is one way to remove data from your credit reports.
Tips for keeping your credit report clean
There are a few ways to keep your credit report free of errors that don't require a lot of effort. Here's how to do it:
Check your reports regularly. Once a year is good; once a quarter might be better if you're worried about errors on your report.
Sign up for credit monitoring. Free credit monitoring services keep an eye on your credit reports for you. You'll get a notification if there's a change to your credit report that affects your credit score.
Consider a credit freeze. A credit freeze locks down your credit report so that no one can apply for new credit in your name. You might consider this option if you don't plan to apply for credit any time soon. You need to place a freeze on your credit with each bureau separately.
You could also do things to improve your credit, like pay bills on time and pay down debt. A debt expert could help you decide whether a debt consolidation loan is appropriate for your situation. You can prequalify for a personal loan through Achieve Personal Loans. Many lenders, including Achieve Personal Loans, use a soft inquiry for prequalification. A soft inquiry doesn't affect your credit score. Find out if you prequalify.
A free budgeting app could also help you stay on top of your finances.
Achieve is not a Credit Repair Organization and does not provide, or offer, services or advice to repair, modify, or improve your credit.
Author Information
Written by
Kimberly is Achieve’s senior editor. She is a financial counselor accredited by the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education®, and a mortgage expert for The Motley Fool. She owns and manages a 350-writer content agency.
Reviewed by
Rebecca is a senior contributing writer and debt expert. She's a Certified Educator in Personal Finance and a banking expert for Forbes Advisor. In addition to writing for online publications, Rebecca owns a personal finance website dedicated to teaching women how to take control of their money.
Frequently asked questions about credit report mistakes
If you dispute an error that's eventually removed and it shows up on your credit again, you should re-file a dispute with the credit bureau. You should also follow up with the business or company that reported the information to ask them to correct it.
You can file multiple credit report errors at the same time. You'll just need to list all the errors on the same dispute form and provide details about each one. If you want to dispute the same errors with all three credit bureaus, you'll submit separate disputes with each bureau.
It's a good idea to check your credit report for mistakes at least once a year. If you want more frequent updates on changes to your reports, you may want to sign up for a free credit monitoring service.
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