HowtoDisputeCreditReportErrors

Credit reports aren’t perfect. In a Federal Trade Commission study, about one in five consumers had an error corrected on at least one of their three reports after disputing it, and roughly one in twenty had a mistake serious enough to affect the terms they’d be offered on a loan ⁷ . The good news: you have a legal right to dispute errors, the process is free, and the law puts real deadlines on the credit bureaus.

1 in 5 consumers had an error corrected on a credit report after disputing it, in an FTC study.

What’s worth disputing

Look for information that is genuinely wrong, such as:

• Accounts that aren’t yours (a sign of mixed files or identity theft)
• A payment marked late that you actually paid on time
• Wrong balances, credit limits, or account status (for example, “open” when you closed it)
• The same debt listed twice
• Negative information that’s older than the law allows. Most negative items can only be reported for about seven years ³

A real error that was dragging your score down can help once it’s removed. But there’s no guaranteed number of points. How much your score moves depends on what the error was and the rest of your profile.

The “609 letter” myth

You’ll see people online sell “Section 609 letters” that supposedly force the bureaus to delete anything they can’t verify. That’s a misunderstanding of the law, and it’s worth getting right.

You don’t need a magic letter or a secret legal phrase. A clear, documented dispute is what makes the law work for you.

How to dispute, step by step

1. Get your reports. Pull all three from AnnualCreditReport.com. It’s free, weekly, and it’s the official source ⁸ .
2. Identify each error and gather proof: a bank statement, a payment confirmation, a letter from the creditor.
3. Dispute in writing with both parties: the credit bureau and the company that reported the information (the “furnisher”). Disputing with both is what the CFPB recommends, because the furnisher has to investigate too ¹ .
4. Include copies, never originals, of your documents, and keep a copy of everything you send. Mailing your dispute with tracking gives you a paper trail.

The CFPB publishes free sample dispute letters you can adapt ² . There’s no need to pay anyone for a template.

What the law requires, and when

Once a credit bureau gets your dispute, the Fair Credit Reporting Act sets the clock:

• It must forward your dispute to the company that reported the information (generally within 5 business days).
• It must run a reasonable reinvestigation, usually within 30 days. That window can extend to 45 days if you send additional information during the first 30 ⁴ .
• If an item is found to be inaccurate, incomplete, or can’t be verified, the bureau must delete or correct it.
• It must give you the results in writing (generally within 5 business days of finishing), and a free updated report if anything changed.

Where to send disputes

You can dispute online, by phone, or by mail. Mail gives you the clearest paper trail. Here is each bureau’s current dispute contact:

A clear, documented dispute is the whole game. It’s not a special letter, and not a paid service. Start with your reports, point to the proof, and let the deadlines work for you.