Reviewing Your Credit Report for Errors 0 of 29 Essential All
Money · 29 steps, 7 essential
· sources checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 sources
Reviewing Your Credit Report for Errors Mistakes on credit reports are more common than you'd think — a wrong balance, an account that isn't yours, a payment marked late when it wasn't. Left alone, they can quietly cost you a loan, an apartment, or a better interest rate. Here's how to work through checking your reports and getting anything wrong fixed.
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02
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Dispute with the credit bureau showing the error If you identify an error on your credit report, you should start by disputing that information with the credit reporting company (Experian, Equifax, and/or Transunion). Also dispute with the company that reported the wrong info Fixing an error generally means contacting both the credit reporting company and the company that provided the information. Fixing it in only one place means it can reappear later. Put your dispute in writing, not just a phone call You should explain in writing what you think is wrong, why, and include copies of documents that support your dispute. Be specific and complete A credit reporting company is not required to investigate disputes that it reasonably determines are frivolous or irrelevant, such as disputes that do not contain enough information for the CRA to investigate them. Name the exact item and explain clearly why it's wrong. Use the bureau's own dispute form when there is one Explain in writing what you think is wrong, include the credit bureau's dispute form (if they have one), copies of documents that support your dispute, and keep records of everything you send. Keep copies of everything you send If the dispute stalls or the outcome is wrong, you'll need proof of exactly what you sent and when. Send mail disputes to the right address If you send your dispute by mail, you can use the address found on your credit report or a credit bureau's address for disputes. File a report at IdentityTheft.gov if you suspect identity theft if suspect identity theft Do this as part of recovering your identity, alongside disputing with the bureaus.
Know the timeline so you can hold them to it The credit reporting company generally has 30 calendar days (45 days in some cases) to investigate your dispute. They have five business days to notify you of the results once the investigation is complete. Expect the bureau to loop in whoever reported the info The credit reporting company you sent the dispute letter to must investigate your dispute, forward the dispute and all relevant information you provided to the company that provided the information about you, and report the results back to you. Watch for a "frivolous dispute" notice The company must send you a notice explaining that it has decided the dispute is frivolous and why it has made that determination, and the notice must be sent within five business days after it made the decision. If that happens, add the missing details and resubmit. Pull the updated report to confirm the fix actually happened, rather than assuming it did Expect the furnisher to correct other bureaus too if it agrees it sent bad info if furnisher confirms error If, as a result of your dispute, a furnisher determines they sent the wrong information to a credit reporting company, they must send the correction to various credit reporting companies to which they had provided the incorrect information. Push back if you disagree with the outcome if disagree with outcome You can send the credit reporting company a letter stating you don't agree with the outcome. Note a correction won't use up your free annual report If the error is fixed, you'll receive a copy of your updated credit report, which doesn't count as your free annual report. Re-check all three reports again a few months later A fix at one bureau doesn't automatically carry over to the other two. That’s everything. Nice work.
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