Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you can dispute inaccurate information on your credit report for free, and the bureau must investigate — usually within 30 days. You never need to pay a credit-repair company to do something the law lets you do yourself.

Step 1: Get your reports and find the error

Review your reports from all three bureaus — you can get them free at AnnualCreditReport.com, and CreditVana shows all three. Look for accounts that aren't yours, wrong balances or payment statuses, duplicate accounts, or outdated negative items. Because your three reports differ, an error may appear on just one.

Step 2: Gather your evidence

Collect anything that proves the error: statements, payment confirmations, letters, or identity documents. The stronger your documentation, the better.

Step 3: File the dispute

Dispute directly with each credit bureau that shows the error — online, by mail, or by phone. You can also dispute with the company that furnished the information (the lender or collector). In your dispute, identify each item, explain what's wrong, state the correction you want, and attach copies (never originals) of your evidence.

Step 4: Wait for the investigation

The bureau generally has 30 days to investigate and respond. If the information can't be verified, it must be corrected or removed. You'll get the results in writing and a free updated report if something changed.

Step 5: Escalate if needed

If a dispute is denied and you still believe you're right, you can add a statement to your file, re-dispute with new evidence, or file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). For specific tactics, see our guides on the 609 dispute letter and removing collections.

Keep watching after you dispute

Monitor your reports so you can confirm the correction stuck and catch new errors early. CreditVana refreshes all three bureaus every 14 days and alerts you to changes.

See all three of your credit scores free with CreditVana →