Duplicate accounts on your credit report: how to fix them

A duplicate is the same debt reported twice in a way that makes it look like you owe it twice. It is not a duplicate for an old account to stay on your report as history alongside the collection that replaced it. It is an error when both entries show a balance owed for the same debt.

What a normal sequence looks like

A common path is this. A credit card goes unpaid. The card issuer charges it off. The issuer sells the debt or places it with a collector. After a sale, the original creditor generally should report that it no longer owes you anything on the account, and the new owner reports the balance. You then see two tradelines. One is the closed original account, and one is the collection.

That is normal. Two lines on the report do not mean you owe twice.

What a real duplicate looks like

• The original creditor and the collector both show a balance owed for the same debt.
• The same collection agency reports the same account twice, with different account numbers.
• Two different collectors both show the same debt as theirs, with the same amount.
• An account appears both as an open account and as a collection, both with a balance.

In each case, a lender reading the report sees more debt than you have.

How to check

1. Write down each tradeline you think is duplicated: name, account number last digits, balance, dates.
2. Compare the original account number, the date opened, and the date of first delinquency. If they match, the entries likely describe one debt.
3. Look at the statuses. A closed original with a zero balance next to a collection is generally normal. Two active balances for one debt is the problem.

How to dispute

Dispute with each bureau where the duplicate appears. Say which two tradelines are the same debt and what is wrong: both show a balance owed. Attach any proof, such as the original account statement and a collection notice that names the original creditor. Use plain language and keep copies.

You can also dispute directly with the furnisher that is reporting incorrectly. See how to dispute directly with the creditor.

The bureaus must follow reasonable procedures to assure the maximum possible accuracy of the information they report about you. A duplicate balance is a good example of when to ask them to apply that standard.

When it is not a duplicate

If the two entries are for two different accounts, they are not duplicates, even if the creditors are related. If a collector bought the debt and the original creditor shows a zero balance, the debt is reported once. If you are not sure, a dispute that asks the bureau to verify the accuracy of both entries is reasonable.

Sources

• CFPB: credit reports and scores
• FTC: disputing errors on your credit reports
• Cornell LII: 15 U.S.C. 1681e (compliance procedures)
• Cornell LII: 15 U.S.C. 1681i (procedure in case of disputed accuracy)

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.

• How to dispute a credit report error: the complete process

  The full process for disputing a credit report error yourself: get reports, mark errors, gather proof, file with each bureau, track 30 days, read the result.

• How to dispute a collection that isn't yours

  A collection that is not yours can be disputed with the bureaus and the collector. First rule out a mix-up, then dispute with proof and ask for validation.