Written by NotALawyer Legal AI · Reviewed by External Legal AI · Published April 27, 2026 · Last reviewed June 26, 2026
About 1 in 5 credit reports has an error, and roughly 1 in 20 has a mistake big enough to drop your score. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) lets you dispute errors with the credit bureaus and forces them to investigate, usually within 30 days. Here's how to file a dispute that works.
Status check — as of 2026-07-02
CFPB rule banning medical debt on credit reports — vacated by a federal court
The rule was vacated in July 2025 before taking effect, so medical collections can lawfully appear on reports again — your FCRA dispute rights on this page are unchanged, and the three bureaus still voluntarily exclude paid medical collections, those under $500, and those less than a year old. CFPB — Regulation V medical-debt rule (vacated July 11, 2025, E.D. Tex.)
Get free reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion at annualcreditreport.com. An error often shows up on only one report. Comparing all three tells you exactly what to dispute and where.
Online disputes are easy, but a certified-mail letter builds the strongest paper trail. Include your full name, address, the exact error, and copies (never originals) of documents that back you up.
Under 15 USC 1681i, the bureau gets 30 days (45 if you send more documents) to investigate, contact the company that reported the item, and respond. Miss that deadline, and the disputed item must come off your report.
Also dispute directly with the company that reported the error (the bank, the collector, whoever). FCRA 1681s-2 requires them to investigate, and some claims are easier to win at the source.
When a bureau or furnisher fails to investigate properly, a willful violation carries statutory damages of $100 to $1,000 plus actual damages, punitive damages, and attorney's fees. A negligent violation carries actual damages plus fees.
More on this topic: the Money & Debt hub
NotALawyer.com provides general legal information, not legal advice.