How to Find and Dispute Errors on Your Credit Report

According to a Federal Trade Commission study, roughly one in five consumers has an error on at least one of their credit reports. Some of these errors are minor, like a misspelled name. Others are serious enough to lower your credit score by 25 points or more and can affect your ability to get a loan, rent an apartment, or even land a job.

If you have been through bankruptcy or are dealing with significant debt, errors on your credit report can be especially damaging. Discharged debts still showing a balance, accounts you do not recognize, or inaccurate late payment records can all hold back your financial recovery. Here is how to find these problems and get them fixed.

Get Copies of All Three Reports

The three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, each maintain a separate file on you. Creditors do not always report to all three, so an error might appear on one report but not the others. You need to check all three.

You are entitled to one free report from each bureau every twelve months through AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the only federally authorized source for free reports. Pull all three at once so you can compare them side by side.

What to Look For

Go through each report line by line. Pay particular attention to these common errors:

• Accounts that are not yours. This could be a sign of identity theft or a mixed file, where someone else's information has been merged with yours. This happens more often than you might think, especially if you have a common name.
• Incorrect account balances. After bankruptcy, all discharged debts should show a zero balance. If a creditor is still reporting an outstanding amount on a discharged debt, that is an error that needs to be fixed.
• Wrong payment history. Check that late payments are reported for the correct months. A single misreported late payment can drag your score down significantly.
• Duplicate accounts. Sometimes the same debt appears twice, once under the original creditor and again under a collection agency. Both entries should not show an outstanding balance.
• Closed accounts reported as open. If you closed an account or it was included in bankruptcy, it should not show as an active, open account.
• Wrong personal information. Check your name, address, Social Security number, and employer. Incorrect personal details can lead to mixed files and account confusion.

How to File a Dispute

When you find an error, you have the right under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to dispute it directly with the credit bureau. The bureau is required to investigate your dispute within 30 days and notify you of the results. Here is how to do it effectively:

Put it in writing. While all three bureaus offer online dispute portals, I recommend sending a written dispute letter by certified mail with return receipt requested. This creates a paper trail that can be important if the dispute is not resolved and you need to escalate.

Be specific. Identify exactly which item on your report is wrong and explain why it is wrong. Do not send a generic letter saying you disagree with your report. Specificity gets results.

Include supporting documents. If a discharged debt is still showing a balance, include a copy of your bankruptcy discharge order. If an account is not yours, explain that clearly. Send copies, not originals, of any supporting paperwork.

Dispute with the creditor too. In addition to disputing with the credit bureau, you can send a dispute letter directly to the creditor or collection agency reporting the wrong information. They are called "furnishers" under the law, and they have their own obligation to investigate and correct errors.

What Happens After You Dispute

The credit bureau will forward your dispute to the company that provided the information. That company has 30 days to investigate and respond. If they cannot verify the accuracy of the information, the bureau must remove or correct it.

You will receive the results of the investigation in writing. If the dispute is resolved in your favor, the corrected report will be sent to you for free. If the item is verified as accurate and you still believe it is wrong, you can add a 100-word consumer statement to your report explaining the dispute.

In some cases, disputed items are removed during the investigation but later reappear on your report. If that happens, the bureau is required to notify you within five days of reinserting the information. You can dispute it again if it was reinserted in error.

Errors That Are Especially Common After Bankruptcy

People who have recently completed a bankruptcy case should watch for these specific problems:

• Discharged debts showing a balance instead of zero
• Debts listed as "charged off" or "in collections" without noting that they were included in bankruptcy
• The bankruptcy itself listed incorrectly, wrong chapter, wrong filing date, or wrong discharge date
• Debts that were reaffirmed in bankruptcy not reflecting current payment history

Getting these items corrected is an important part of the credit rebuilding process. For a broader look at that process, see our page on rebuilding your credit after bankruptcy.

When to Get Legal Help

Most credit report disputes can be handled on your own by following the steps above. But if a bureau or creditor refuses to correct an error after you have disputed it properly, or if the same error keeps reappearing, you may have a claim under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Violations of this law can result in damages, and attorney fees are typically recoverable, meaning it may not cost you anything out of pocket to pursue the claim.

If you are dealing with persistent credit report errors, especially ones related to a bankruptcy filing, do not hesitate to reach out. We can evaluate whether the bureau or creditor is violating your rights and what steps to take next.