Credit Report Errors: What to Check

Start with one rule: negative does not mean inaccurate

A late payment, collection, charge-off, or other negative item may be unpleasant and still be reported accurately. The CFPB says accurate negative information generally cannot simply be removed through the dispute process. Focus on facts you can identify as inaccurate, incomplete, duplicated, or not yours.

Credit report error checklist

Identity and file errors

• Wrong name, address, or phone number.
• Another consumer's information mixed into your file.
• Accounts created through identity theft.

Ownership errors

• An account that does not belong to you.
• You are listed as an owner when you were only an authorized user.
• An unfamiliar company is reporting an account you cannot connect to any account you recognize.

Account-status and date errors

• A closed account is reported as open.
• An account is reported late or delinquent when your records indicate otherwise.
• The date opened, last payment date, or date of first delinquency appears wrong.

Balance and limit errors

• The current balance is incorrect.
• The reported credit limit is incorrect.

Duplicate reporting

• The same debt appears more than once, possibly under different company names.

What evidence should you gather?

Gather records that address the specific fact you believe is wrong. Depending on the issue, that could include account statements, payment confirmations, closure letters, correspondence from a creditor or collector, identity-theft documentation, or a copy of the relevant credit-report section. Use copies rather than sending away original documents.

Write down the credit reporting company, company furnishing the information, account identifier, exact field you believe is wrong, what it currently says, and what you believe it should say. Specific disputes are easier to investigate than broad requests to “fix my credit.”

What if you don't recognize the company?

Investigate before assuming the account is fraudulent. The CFPB notes that accounts may be sold or assigned to a third-party collector, and retail cards may appear under the issuing bank's name rather than the store's name. If you investigate and still believe the information is incorrect or not yours, follow the appropriate error or identity-theft path.

Use the account-not-mine field guide →

Primary sources

• CFPB: Common credit report errors
• CFPB: Accurate negative information
• CFPB: Unfamiliar creditor names
• FTC: Disputing errors on credit reports