Guide
Your credit dispute rights under the FCRA
The Fair Credit Reporting Act is the federal law behind every dispute letter. Here's what it actually guarantees you — in plain English.
Educational information only — not legal advice. CreditDisputeCo is a document-assistance tool, not a law firm.
You can dispute inaccurate information — for free
Under FCRA §611 (15 U.S.C. §1681i), you have the right to dispute any item in your file that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. You never need to pay anyone to do this — not a credit-repair company, not software, not us. The right is yours by law, and exercising it costs nothing but postage.
Bureaus must investigate within 30 days
Once a bureau receives your dispute, it has 30 days to complete its investigation (§611(a)(1)). The window extends to 45 days only if you send additional relevant information while the investigation is underway. The bureau must forward your dispute and supporting documents to the creditor or collector that reported the item, and send you written results — plus a free corrected copy of your report if anything changes.
You can demand to know how they verified it
If a bureau replies that an item was "verified," you can request a description of the procedure it used to verify it — a Method-of-Verification request under §611(a)(7). The bureau must respond within 15 days, naming the furnisher it contacted and that furnisher's business address and phone number where reasonably available.
Old negative items must drop off
Under FCRA §605 (15 U.S.C. §1681c), most negative information can only be reported for 7 years from the date of first delinquency; bankruptcies for 10 years. A collection account can't be "re-aged" with a newer date to stretch that window (§605(c)). If obsolete items are still reporting, that's disputable.
Creditors have duties too
The companies that report your data — "furnishers" — must investigate when you dispute directly with them under FCRA §623 (15 U.S.C. §1681s-2), and they may not report information they know is inaccurate. A direct furnisher dispute goes to the dispute address on your report or the creditor's website — never invent an address.
Frivolous disputes can be declined
The one exception worth knowing: under §611(a)(3), a bureau may decline a dispute it reasonably determines is frivolous or irrelevant — for example, the same item disputed repeatedly with no new information. It must tell you within 5 business days and explain why. Dispute real errors with specifics and supporting documents, and this won't apply to you.
Where to complain if the process fails
If a bureau or furnisher won't follow the law, file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (online, or by phone at (855) 411-2372). For identity theft, start at IdentityTheft.gov for a personal recovery plan and an Identity Theft Report.