Fixing Credit Report Errors: The Dispute Playbook

Roughly one in five reports contains a material error. Bureaus fix maybe half of disputes in your favor. The playbook is paperwork, not magic.

The process

Pull all three reports free at annualcreditreport.com — the only official source. Mark every wrong address, duplicate collection, or account that isn't yours.

Dispute in writing with the bureau that shows the error: identification, the report copy with errors circled, and evidence. By law they have 30 days to investigate; the tradeline comes off if the furnisher can't verify it.

Where disputes fail

Vague disputes—'this is inaccurate’—get classified as frivolous and dismissed. Specific disputes—‘this collection reports $812; the paid-in-full letter attached shows $0’—are processed.

Collections older than seven years and debts you never owed are clean deletions. Accurate-but-ugly history isn’t a dispute—it’s a time problem.