The most common credit report errors, and how to spot them
Last updated: Sources checked: September 2026
Errors on credit reports tend to cluster in seven places. Go through each report once for each place, with your own records beside you. An error is something specific you can show is wrong: a wrong balance, a wrong date, an account that is not yours.
An item that is negative is not an error. An item that is accurate and within its reporting period is not an error, even if you wish it were not there.
1. Personal information
Check name spellings and variations, your Social Security number digits, current and past addresses, and employers. Names or addresses you do not recognize may point to a mixed file or identity theft. See mixed credit file.
2. Account ownership
Confirm every account is yours. Check that authorized-user accounts are labeled as authorized-user, that joint accounts are actually joint, and that nothing was opened in your name without you.
3. Duplicate accounts
The same debt can appear twice: the original creditor and a collector both showing a balance owed, or the same collection listed by two agencies. See duplicate accounts.
4. Payment history
Each late mark should match a month you were really late. Check the dates. Check accounts included in a bankruptcy: after discharge they should show a zero balance.
5. Balances, limits, and status
Check current balances and credit limits. Check whether the account is shown as open or closed, and whether a closed account is shown as closed by you or closed by the lender, since those read differently. Check that paid or settled accounts were updated.
6. Collections and charge-offs
Check the creditor and collector names, the balance, and the date of first delinquency. Check whether the item is older than the reporting period. Under bureau policy, paid medical collections and medical collections under a set amount are excluded from reports. See medical debt.
7. Public records and inquiries
Check bankruptcy dates and chapter. Check hard inquiries: an inquiry you authorized is accurate even if you did not get the credit. An inquiry you did not authorize is worth disputing. See hard inquiries.
Build your evidence as you go
For each possible error, note the bureau, the item, and what is wrong. Then attach your proof: a statement, a payment confirmation, a letter from the creditor. A dispute with specific evidence is easier for a bureau to act on than a general complaint.
Do this today
Take one report and run section 1 and section 2 only. Mark anything that does not match your records.