Credit report mistakes are common — and under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, fixing them is free. Here's exactly how to do it, step by step.
You're entitled to a free report from each of the three nationwide bureaus. Go to AnnualCreditReport.com — the only federally authorized source — and pull all three from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Errors often appear on one report but not the others, so review each separately.
Go through each report line by line. Look for accounts that aren't yours, wrong balances, payments marked late that you made on time, duplicate accounts, outdated debts, and incorrect personal information. Write down the creditor name, account number, and exactly what is wrong for each item.
Collect copies (never originals) of anything that proves the correct information: bank or card statements, cancelled checks, payoff letters, or a police/identity-theft report if the account is fraudulent. Strong evidence makes the bureau's investigation faster and harder to dismiss.
A good dispute letter is short and factual. It should include your full name and address, identify the disputed item by creditor and account number, explain why it's wrong, cite your right to an investigation under 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, and request that the item be corrected or deleted. The letter generator handles all of this automatically.
Send your letter and copies of your evidence to the bureau's dispute address (see our bureau addresses page). Use USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt so you have dated proof the bureau received it. Mailing — rather than disputing online — preserves your full FCRA rights and creates a paper trail.
The bureau generally has 30 days (sometimes 45) to investigate. It must contact the furnisher, review your evidence, and mail you the written results plus a free updated report if anything changed. If the furnisher can't verify the item, it must be removed.
If the dispute is denied but you're still right, you can re-dispute with more evidence, add a 100-word consumer statement to your file, file a complaint with the CFPB, or talk to a consumer-protection attorney. Persistence pays off — keep every document.