Start with your official credit reports

AnnualCreditReport.com is the federally authorized source for free credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Free online reports are currently available weekly. Checking your own credit report is a soft inquiry and does not lower your credit score.

The three reports may not be identical because creditors and other furnishers do not necessarily report information to every nationwide credit reporting company. Review all three when possible.

Protect your information while requesting reports

Credit-report services may ask identity-verification questions based on information in your file. Enter current and prior addresses carefully and use only the authorized site or the bureau's official channels. If online verification fails, follow the official telephone or mail process and send copies—not originals—of any documents requested.

Watch for look-alike websites

Be cautious of sites that imitate the official free-report service or require enrollment in a paid product before showing a report. Navigate directly to AnnualCreditReport.com rather than relying on an unfamiliar advertisement or message.

Review each report systematically

Section	What to check
Personal information	Name variations, partial Social Security number, addresses, phone numbers, and employers
Accounts	Ownership, balances, payment status, open or closed status, credit limits, and important dates
Collections	Whether the debt belongs to you, the reported amount, the collector, and possible duplicate reporting
Public-record information	Whether any reportable public-record information belongs to you and is accurately reported
Inquiries	Businesses that accessed the report and whether you recognize the inquiry

Common credit-report errors

An account belonging to someone with a similar name or identifier
An account opened through identity theft
A closed account reported as open
An authorized-user account reported as individually owned
Incorrect late payments, balances, credit limits, or dates
The same debt appearing more than once in a way that inaccurately duplicates the obligation
Information that was corrected but later reappeared
Incorrect addresses or other identifying information

Dispute inaccurate or incomplete information

Identify the exact item. Note the credit reporting company, furnisher, account, and specific field you believe is wrong.
Gather supporting records. Use copies of statements, payment records, identity-theft records, court documents, or correspondence when relevant.
Dispute with the credit reporting company. Explain what is inaccurate or incomplete, why, and what correction you are requesting.
Also dispute with the furnisher when appropriate. CFPB guidance recommends disputing inaccurate information with both the credit reporting company and the company that supplied the information.
Keep a complete record. Save what you submitted, supporting documents, confirmation numbers, correspondence, and delivery proof.
Review the result. Compare the updated report with the original and confirm that the investigated item was corrected, deleted, or otherwise resolved as stated.

Know the dispute timeline

Credit reporting companies generally must investigate a dispute within 30 days. The period can be 45 days in certain circumstances, including some disputes connected with a free annual credit report or when additional relevant information is submitted during the investigation. Furnishers generally must investigate and respond to direct disputes within 30 days.

Keep the date your dispute was received and check the specific notice from the credit reporting company for the applicable deadline in your case.

If the problem may be identity theft

Use IdentityTheft.gov to report identity theft and build a recovery plan. You may also consider a fraud alert or a credit freeze. Both are free, but they work differently.

Fraud alert: tells businesses checking your credit to take additional steps to verify your identity.
Credit freeze: restricts access to your credit file and can make it harder for an identity thief to open new credit in your name.
A freeze must be placed with each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies separately.

Accurate negative information is different from an error

The dispute process is designed for information that is inaccurate or incomplete. It does not require a credit reporting company to remove information that is accurate and still legally reportable. Paying a collection or charge-off may change the balance or status, but payment does not automatically erase the account from the report.

Most negative information can generally remain on a credit report for seven years, while some information—such as bankruptcy—may remain longer under federal law.

Avoid credit-repair scams and risky shortcuts

Do not pay someone merely for promising to remove accurate negative information.
Do not create a false identity, credit profile number, or substitute identifier.
Be cautious of guaranteed score increases or guaranteed deletion claims.
Do not sign blank dispute forms or submit disputes you know are false.
Do not let a company automatically dispute every negative item without reviewing whether the information is actually inaccurate.
You can dispute inaccurate credit-report information yourself without paying a credit-repair company.

If a dispute remains unresolved

Read the investigation result carefully and determine whether supporting records or facts were overlooked. Depending on the circumstances, you may submit additional information, contact the furnisher, request that a statement of dispute be included, or consider other rights available under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

For CFPB complaints about inaccurate or incomplete credit-report information, the CFPB's current 2026 process generally expects the consumer to dispute the issue directly with the credit reporting company first and wait until the dispute is no longer pending or 45 days have passed.

Connect credit repair to broader financial stability

Credit-report accuracy is one part of financial stability. Use OACRA Find Services to locate financial-help, benefits, housing-stability, employment, and other reentry resources by state. Confirm current eligibility, funding, documentation, service area, and availability directly with the organization.

Official sources

Last reviewed August 16, 2026. Credit-reporting rights and procedures can depend on the type of report, dispute, and information involved.

Correct Credit Errors

Check Credit Reports and Correct Errors