Get your free credit report

You can check your credit reports for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. You can get free reports from the three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. 

👉 Learn more about getting your free credit report.  

Look for errors

Go through each report carefully. 

Check for common mistakes: 

• Accounts that don't belong to you (could be identity theft or a mix-up with someone who has a similar name),
• A debt listed as unpaid or in collections that you already paid,
• The wrong balance, credit limit, or payment history,
• A debt shown as open when the account was closed,
• A bankruptcy, judgment, or other item that is more than 10 years old (bankruptcy) or 7 years old (most other negative items) — these must be removed,
• The same debt listed more than once (sometimes after a debt is sold to a collector),
• A repossession listed with an incorrect date — which affects when it falls off your report, and
• Personal information that's wrong: old addresses, wrong employer, misspelled name

📂 Keep records: Print or save your credit reports as soon as you pull them. You'll need the exact information — account numbers, creditor names, dates — when you file a dispute.

Understand who put the information there

Before you dispute, it helps to understand where the information comes from. 

The credit report agency maintains your personal information, like your name, address, and Social Security number.   

Creditors, banks, debt collectors, and courts (called "furnishers") report information to the credit reporting agency about your accounts and debts.  

How to file a dispute with the credit reporting agencies

You dispute the error with the credit reporting agency whose report the errors appears on. An error may appear on only one report, but it can also appear on all three.  

Option 1: Dispute by certified mail (recommended)

Mailing a dispute letter gives you more control. You can explain the error clearly and include copies of any supporting documents. A mailed dispute also creates a documented record.

Your dispute letter should include:

• Your full name, address, and date of birth,
• The last four digits of your Social Security number,
• The name of the creditor and account number you're disputing,
• A clear statement of what is wrong and why,
• What you want the credit reporting agency to do (correct, delete, or update the entry), and
• Copies (never originals) of any documents that support your dispute

Send the letter by certified mail with return receipt requested so you have proof the credit reporting agency received it. Keep a copy of everything you send.

Mail your dispute to:

• Equifax: P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374
• Experian: P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013
• TransUnion: P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016

📂 Send copies, not originals: Always send photocopies of supporting documents. Never send original documents — you may need them later.

Option 2: Online dispute

Each credit reporting agency has an online dispute portal:

• Equifax: equifax.com/dispute
• Experian: experian.com/disputes
• TransUnion: dispute.transunion.com

Online disputes are processed quickly, but you get less control over what the credit reporting agency sees. You won't have a paper trail unless you screenshot each page and the results can be difficult to export.

⚠️Creating an account with a consumer reporting agency may take away your right to sue them later. You may have to agree to an arbitration clause to use their website.

What happens after you file a dispute

The credit reporting agency has 30 to 45 days to investigate your dispute, depending on if more information is received or requested. During that time, the credit reporting agency must contact the creditor or collector that reported the information and ask them to verify it.

The creditor or collector (furnisher) must:

• Review all the information you provided,
• Investigate the dispute, and
• Report the results back to the credit reporting agency.

If the furnisher can't verify the information — or confirms that it's wrong — the credit reporting agency must correct or delete the entry. The credit reporting agency must then send you the results within five business days of completing the investigation, along with a free copy of your updated report if something changed.

Also dispute directly with the creditor or collector

In addition to disputing with the credit reporting agency, you can dispute directly with the furnisher: the creditor, bank, or debt collector that reported the inaccurate information. This is called a "direct dispute."

A direct dispute can be especially useful when:

• The error is in account-level details (balance, payment history, account status), and
• You have documents showing the information is wrong.

Write to the furnisher's address listed on your credit report. Your letter should identify the specific account, explain what is wrong, and include copies of any supporting documents.

The furnisher must:

• Investigate and respond within 30 days and 
• Correct or remove any information it cannot verify.

What to do if the dispute is rejected or the error stays

If the credit reporting agency says the information is accurate and won't change it, you have several options:

Add a consumer statement

You have the right to add a brief statement (up to 100 words) to your credit report explaining your dispute. Future lenders who pull your report will see your statement. This won't change the entry, but it lets you tell your side.

File a complaint with the CFPB

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) accepts complaints about credit reporting agency and creditors. Filing a complaint often prompts a faster response.

File a complaint at: consumerfinance.gov/complaint

File a complaint with the FTC

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also accepts complaints about credit reporting errors at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Consult a consumer lawyer

If a credit reporting agency or furnisher refuses to correct information that you can prove is wrong, you may have a legal claim under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. If you win, the law requires the other side to pay your attorney fees. This means a consumer lawyer may take your case at no upfront cost to you.

Use the NACA attorney finder to find a consumer protection lawyer in Illinois.

How long negative information stays on your report

Even accurate negative information eventually comes off your report. The law sets the following time limits:

• Late payments, collections, repossessions, and charge-offs: 7 years from the date of the original delinquency
• Judgments: 7 years from the date the judgment was entered
• Chapter 7 bankruptcy: 10 years from the filing date
• Chapter 13 bankruptcy: 7 years from the filing date

If an item has been on your report longer than these limits, you can dispute it for removal even if the underlying debt was real.

If the error is because of identity theft

If you find accounts you never opened or debts you never incurred, the cause may be identity theft. In that case, you have additional rights:

• You can file a police report to use in your disputes. In Illinois the police are required to take a report for identity theft.
• You can place a fraud alert on your credit file, which requires lenders to verify your identity before opening new accounts in your name. A basic fraud alert lasts one year. An extended alert (for confirmed identity theft victims) lasts seven years.
• You can place a credit freeze (also called a security freeze) on your file. A freeze prevents new credit from being opened in your name without your permission. It's free, and you can lift it when you need to apply for credit.
• You can request that fraudulent accounts be blocked from your report by sending the credit reporting agency a copy of your FTC Identity Theft Report.

To place a fraud alert or freeze, contact each credit reporting agency directly:

• Equifax: equifax.com
• Experian: experian.com/freeze
• TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-freeze

👉 Learn more about how to deal with identity theft on a debt.

A note on credit repair companies

You may see advertisements for credit repair companies that claim they can remove negative information from your report for a fee. Be careful. These companies cannot do anything for you that you cannot do yourself for free and some are outright scams.

❗ You do not need to pay anyone to dispute your credit report. The right to dispute is free and belongs to you directly. If a company charges a fee to "fix" your credit, that is a red flag.