How to Dispute a Credit Report Error: A Step-by-Step Guide

By CreditMeadow Editorial Team · Updated October 16, 2026

Knowing how to dispute a credit report error matters because a mistake on your report can cost you. The Federal Trade Commission warns that errors, such as accounts or bankruptcies that aren't yours, can hurt your credit, raise what you pay to borrow, and even derail a loan, insurance, rental or job application. You have the legal right to dispute inaccurate information, and the correction is free.

There are two places to send a dispute: the credit bureau whose report shows the error, and the company that supplied the information to the bureau, called the furnisher. The FTC says both have to correct information that is wrong or incomplete, and they have to do it for free. The steps below cover both.

Step 1: Find the error on each report

Start with current copies. You can check your report from each of the three nationwide credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, once a week for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. Get all three. The FTC notes that each bureau may get its information from different sources, so one report may not match the other two, and you need to dispute with each bureau that has the mistake.

The CFPB's list of common errors makes a good checklist:

A wrong credit limit is easy to miss, and it distorts your credit utilization. Suppose a card with a $5,000 limit and a $1,000 balance is reported with a $2,000 limit (hypothetical numbers). Your utilization on that card would show as 50% instead of 20%.

If an account or inquiry you don't recognize looks like identity theft, the CFPB points you to IdentityTheft.gov, the federal government's site for reporting it and getting help to recover. To tell whether an unfamiliar inquiry is a hard one, see our guide to hard vs soft inquiries.

Inaccurate vs accurate but negative

A dispute is for information that is inaccurate or incomplete. The CFPB says you generally cannot have accurate negative information removed, although you can dispute accurate information that appears more than once. Under the FTC's summary of the rules, a bureau can report most accurate negative information for seven years and bankruptcy information for 10 years.

The CFPB also warns that anyone who claims they can remove current, accurate negative information is probably running a credit repair scam. You don't need to pay anyone to dispute errors: it is a legal right you can use yourself, for free.

Step 2: Gather your proof

Before you write, collect documents that show what the correct information is, for example a statement, a payment confirmation or a letter from the creditor. Both the FTC and the CFPB say to send copies, not originals. Make a copy of the relevant page of your credit report and circle or highlight each item you are disputing.

Step 3: Dispute with each credit bureau

The CFPB says to start with the credit bureau. You can dispute online, by mail or by phone; each bureau's contact details appear on your credit report, and the CFPB lists them as well. If you mail your dispute, use the address on your credit report or the bureau's address for disputes, and include the bureau's dispute form if it has one.

A mailed dispute should include, based on the CFPB's list:

• Your complete name, address and telephone number
• The credit report confirmation number, if available
• Each error you want fixed, with the account number for any account you are disputing
• A clear explanation of why you are disputing each item
• A request that the information be removed or corrected
• A copy of the part of your report with the disputed items circled or highlighted
• Copies of the documents that support your position

You can send the letter by certified mail and ask for a return receipt, so you have a record that it was received. Keep copies of the letter and everything you include. The CFPB publishes sample dispute letters for both credit bureaus and furnishers.

Step 4: Dispute with the furnisher

The furnisher is the company that reported the information, such as your bank, your landlord or your credit card company. To fully protect your rights, the CFPB says you should dispute inaccuracies with both the bureau and the furnisher.

Write to the furnisher by certified mail. The CFPB says you can use the furnisher's address on your credit report or the address the furnisher specifies for credit reporting disputes; the FTC adds that if you can't find a dispute address, you can contact the business and ask for one. Include your complete name and address, each mistake and why it is wrong, and copies of your supporting documents.

How long a credit report dispute takes

These timelines come from the CFPB. A bureau can treat a dispute as frivolous if, for example, it does not say what information is being disputed, so be specific.

Example: counting the days

Suppose your certified mail receipt shows a bureau received your dispute on Monday, March 1, 2027 (hypothetical dates). Thirty days later is Wednesday, March 31, 2027. If you mail additional supporting documents on March 15, inside the 30-day period, the bureau can extend its investigation by 15 days, to Thursday, April 15. If it completes the investigation that day, five business days later is Thursday, April 22.

Keep the return receipt: it is your record that the bureau received the dispute, and the 30-day period runs from receipt.

What happens after the investigation

• The furnisher checks its records. The bureau forwards your dispute and the evidence you sent to the furnisher, which must investigate and report back.
• Wrong or unverifiable information is fixed. If the furnisher finds it reported wrong information, or the information can't be verified, it must update or remove it and notify all the credit bureaus, which must then update your reports.
• You get the results in writing. If the dispute leads to a change, the bureau must also give you a free copy of your report, which doesn't count as your free annual report.
• Past recipients can be told. If you ask, the bureau must send a notice of the correction to anyone who received your report in the past six months, or in the past two years for employment purposes.

Then confirm the fix yourself. The FTC suggests reviewing your report again to make sure the bureau removed the inaccurate information.

If the dispute isn't resolved

• Add a statement to your file. You can ask the bureau to include a brief statement of the dispute in your file and in future reports. The CFPB notes this right applies to disputes you filed with a credit bureau, not those sent only to the furnisher. Expect a fee if you ask the bureau to send your statement to people who recently received your report.
• Look for a dispute notice. If a furnisher keeps reporting information you disputed with it, the FTC says it must tell the bureau about your dispute, and the bureau must include a notice that you dispute the information.
• Escalate. You can submit a complaint to the CFPB or to your state attorney general; your state may have protections beyond federal law. You can also speak with a lawyer. Credit reporting companies that break the law can be liable for damages, and time limits apply to lawsuits.

Once your reports are accurate, your scores are calculated from correct data. To see how each item on a report feeds into the number, read how your credit score is calculated.