How to Dispute a Credit Report Error (Step-by-Step Guide)

Federal law gives you free access to your credit report from each of the three major bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — at AnnualCreditReport.com. That is the only federally authorized source; you never need to pay for your own report.

Download all three. Errors often appear on one bureau but not the others, so checking a single report is not enough.

Go line by line through each tradeline (account) and check the details. The most common credit report errors include:

• Accounts that do not belong to you (mixed files or identity theft)
• Late payments you actually made on time
• Incorrect balances, credit limits, or account statuses
• Collections that were paid or settled but still show as open
• The same debt listed twice — often under two collection agencies
• Accounts that should have aged off (most negatives must be removed after 7 years)

Write down every item that looks wrong, on which report it appears, and why it is inaccurate. Facts are your leverage.

Bureaus offer quick online dispute forms, but a written letter sent by mail creates a paper trail, lets you say exactly what is wrong in your own words, and preserves your full legal rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Your dispute letter should identify you (name, address, date of birth, last 4 of SSN), list each disputed item with the account number as shown on the report, state clearly why it is inaccurate, and request deletion or correction. Keep the tone factual — no templates full of legal bluster, no "credit sweep" tricks. Accurate, specific disputes are the ones that work.

Selah Slate generates this letter for you automatically from your uploaded report — properly formatted for each bureau, with your items and reasons laid out cleanly.

Send each letter by USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt if you can. It costs a few dollars and gives you proof of the date the bureau received your dispute — which starts their legal clock.

Include a copy (never the original) of a government ID and a utility bill or bank statement showing your current address.

Under the FCRA, a bureau generally must investigate your dispute and respond within 30 days (up to 45 in limited cases). They must contact the company reporting the information (the furnisher), consider your evidence, and delete or correct anything that cannot be verified.

Track the deadline for every letter you mail. Selah Slate does this automatically with a 35-day tracking window, so you know exactly when a bureau is out of time.

You will receive investigation results by mail or online. Three things can happen: the item is deleted (celebrate!), the item is updated (check the update is actually correct), or the bureau says it was "verified."

"Verified" is not the end of the road. You can send a Method of Verification (MOV) letter demanding to know how it was verified, dispute directly with the furnisher, or file a complaint with the CFPB. See our guide on what to do when a bureau says verified.