Interactive tool
Fall-Off Timeline
Negative marks age off your credit report on a fixed schedule, and most of their weight fades long before they are gone. See when each one drops off, and why you do not need to pay anyone to "remove" them.
How the different marks compare
Every negative mark type at once. Taller means a heavier typical impact; longer means it stays on the report longer, and the shape shows the weight fading as the mark ages. Tap a mark below to isolate its curve.
Relative impact over time, by mark type. No score numbers: these are relative comparisons only.
- Hard inquiry
- Late payment
- Collection / charge-off
- Chapter 13 bankruptcy
- Chapter 7 bankruptcy
These are relative comparisons, not point losses; your actual impact depends on your whole credit profile. The curve shapes are illustrative of the real pattern that recent marks fade as they age. Collection severity is an estimate. Sources.
Add your own marks
Add one or more negative marks to see them on a real timeline below. Month and year only. Estimate if you are not sure of the exact date; the result moves by a little, not a lot.
Your timeline
Your marks on a real calendar. Each curve starts when the mark appeared and fades as it ages; the flag is when the last one drops off. For a hard inquiry, the scoring impact fades by about a year even though the record stays on for two.
Sources
- FCRA 15 U.S.C. 1681c - reporting time limits (FTC)
- Experian - how long hard inquiries stay (2 years on report; ~12-month impact)
- Equifax - how long information stays on a credit report
- myFICO - how credit inquiries affect your score (~12-month impact)
Retention periods are the hard FCRA / bureau rules. Relative severity uses FICO's published "from a perfect score" figures for ordering only, never as points you will lose. The decay shape is illustrative of the sourced pattern that recent marks weigh more and fade with age.