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How to Dispute an Error on Your Credit Report
A step-by-step guide to identifying a factual credit report error, supporting a dispute, and keeping records of the response.
Identify the specific error
Get your reports and compare the account, balance, payment history, dates, and personal details with your records. A negative item is not necessarily inaccurate. Write down the exact fact you believe is wrong and what the correct information should be.
Send a supported dispute
The CFPB recommends contacting the credit reporting company and the company that supplied the information. Identify the item, explain why it is wrong, request the correction, and include copies of supporting documents. Keep originals and a copy of everything you send.
Review the result
Read the investigation response and check the updated report. If the issue remains, keep the correspondence and consider the next options described by the CFPB. QVA’s free letter tool can help assemble a draft, but you must verify the facts and send the dispute yourself.