If your credit report contains an error, start with the credit reporting company whose report shows it, then contact the business that supplied the information. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recommends explaining the problem in writing and attaching documents that support your position.

What to include in a mailed dispute

Your letter should identify the information you want corrected and explain why. Include:

  • Your full name, address and telephone number.
  • The credit-report confirmation number, if available.
  • Each disputed item and the account number for any account involved.
  • A clear explanation of the error and a request to correct or remove it.
  • A copy of the relevant report section, with the disputed items circled or highlighted.
  • Copies of supporting documents, rather than originals.

Keep a copy of the letter and everything you send. You can use certified mail and request a return receipt to document delivery to the reporting company. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion also provide online and phone routes; the CFPB's guidance lists their contact options.

Contact the company that supplied the information

That business is called the furnisher. It might be a bank, landlord or credit-card company. Send it a written dispute by certified mail, using the address on your consumer report or the address the business specifies for credit-reporting disputes.

Furnishers generally must investigate and respond within 30 days after receiving your dispute. If the information is wrong or cannot be verified, the furnisher must update or remove it and notify the credit reporting companies. Those companies must then update your reports.

What happens to the reporting-company dispute

The reporting company must investigate, forward your dispute and relevant information to the furnisher, and report the results to you. It can decline to investigate a dispute it reasonably determines is frivolous or irrelevant, including one without enough information to identify the disputed item. It must send a notice explaining that decision within five business days after making it.

A dispute does not guarantee deletion. If the furnisher finds the information accurate and leaves it unchanged, you can ask the reporting companies to add a statement explaining your dispute to your reports. That statement is provided with future requests for your report. You can also submit a credit-report complaint to the CFPB.