How to dispute a credit report error, step by step

Educational information only — not legal advice. CreditDisputeCo is a document-assistance tool, not a law firm.

1. Get your reports from the official source

Start with your actual reports — one from each bureau: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. The official site is AnnualCreditReport.com, the only source authorized by federal law. You're entitled to a free copy of each report at least every 12 months — and since 2021 the bureaus have made free weekly reports available there. You can also get free reports directly from each bureau's website.

2. Find what's actually wrong

Read each report line by line and mark anything inaccurate — not just negative items. Common errors: accounts that aren't yours, wrong balances or payment history, accounts wrongly marked late or in collections, duplicate accounts, wrong personal information, and negative items older than the reporting limit (generally 7 years; bankruptcies 10). Circle each error on a printed copy.

3. Gather your proof

Collect copies — never originals — of anything that proves your point: payment records, bank or court statements, a police report or Identity Theft Report for fraud, and a copy of your ID and proof of address. Enclose copies of the report pages with the errors circled.

4. Write the dispute letter

Your letter should identify you (name, address, date of birth), name each bureau, list every disputed item with the account name and number as printed, explain why each item is wrong, and state what you want (correction or removal). Cite the Fair Credit Reporting Act §611 (15 U.S.C. §1681i) — the section that requires bureaus to investigate disputes. This is exactly what CreditDisputeCo generates for you, with the verified bureau mailing addresses:

• Experian: P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013
• Equifax Information Services, LLC: P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374-0256
• TransUnion Consumer Solutions: P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016

5. Mail it certified, return receipt requested

Send each bureau its own letter by certified mail with return receipt requested. The green card is your legal proof of the delivery date — the 30-day investigation clock starts when the bureau receives your dispute, so keep the receipts stapled to your copies.

6. The bureau investigates (30 days)

Once received, the bureau must complete its investigation within 30 days — extended to 45 days only if you send additional relevant information mid-investigation (§611(a)(1)). It forwards your dispute to the creditor or collector that reported the item (the "furnisher"), which must investigate and respond. You'll get written results plus a free corrected copy of your report if anything changed.

7. If the item comes back "verified"

That's round one, not the end. You have three escalation paths: (1) demand a Method-of-Verification description — under §611(a)(7) the bureau must describe its verification procedure within 15 days of your request, including who it contacted; (2) dispute directly with the furnisher under §623 — the creditor must investigate your direct dispute too (use the dispute address from your report or the creditor's site; never invent one); (3) file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. CreditDisputeCo generates the MOV letter, the furnisher letter, and the CFPB escalation guide.

Ready to start? Create a free account — one dispute package per month, no credit card required.