Finding credit report errors

A dispute works when the information is wrong. It does not work when the information is accurate and you wish it were not. This topic helps you sort every item on your reports into one of four groups: inaccurate, incomplete, obsolete, or accurate.

The four groups

• Inaccurate. The information is wrong: a balance, a date, an account that is not yours.
• Incomplete. The information is missing something that changes how it reads, such as a paid status that was never updated.
• Obsolete. The item has been reported longer than the law allows.
• Accurate and timely. The item is correct and within its reporting period. A dispute is not the right tool.

The guides

• The most common credit report errors: seven places errors hide.
• What can and cannot be removed from a credit report: an honest account of the limits.
• Duplicate accounts on a credit report: when the same debt shows up twice.
• Mixed credit file: someone else’s information on your report.

The free Error Detection Kit turns the seven places into a checklist you can run once per bureau.

Sources

• FTC: disputing errors on your credit reports
• Cornell LII: 15 U.S.C. 1681c (requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports)

Next steps

• The most common credit report errors, and how to spot them

  Seven places credit report errors hide: personal information, account ownership, duplicates, payment history, balances, collections, and inquiries.

• What can and cannot be removed from your credit report

  A credit dispute can correct inaccurate, incomplete, or obsolete information. It generally cannot remove accurate negative items. Here is the line.

• Find the errors on your credit report in 30 minutes

  A free PDF to find credit report errors in 30 minutes: error checklist, starter dispute letter, bureau reference card, and dispute timeline. No card numbers.