Getting your credit report free from errors and discrepancies is something that can help improve your credits score and in turn, help you obtain financing, get a job, qualify for insurance and more. Having a good credit score is very important and in order for your credit score to be as high as it should be, you need to inspect your credit report each year with a fine-tooth comb looking for errors. In the event that you find an error, it must be fixed as soon as possible.
Step 1
Obtain your free annual credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus---Equifax, Trans Union and Experian---by visiting FreeAnnualCreditReport.com and requesting your credit report. Please note that it costs extra to see your credit score, but that is not necessary to clean up your credit report.
Step 2
Inspect the reports from each of the three credit bureaus, one at a time, very closely for errors or discrepancies. No matter how small the error, it should be fixed on your credit report. Circle or underline any errors you find. Examples of common errors include: late payments that never occurred, accounts listed that you never opened, foreclosures that should be off your credit report (seven years), bankruptcies that should have been removed from your report (10 years) and accounts that have been paid off but still show little or no open balance.
Step 3
Make two additional copies of any credit report that contains errors. You will be keeping a copy for yourself and mailing the other copies to the creditor and credit bureau.
Step 4
Mail a copy of the credit report with errors to the creditor that is involved in your dispute. Include a written letter explaining your dispute and any documentation to prove it. Use certified mail with return receipt requested to ensure the creditor gets your documentation. It will often take three to four weeks before any action is taken on your dispute, so be patient.
Step 5
Mail a copy of the credit report to each credit bureau that lists errors or discrepancies in your report. Again, mail a written letter explaining your dispute along with any necessary documentation to prove it via certified mail with return receipt requested. It may take as many as four weeks for the credit bureau to investigate your request.
Step 6
Contact each creditor individually within four to five weeks of mailing them to follow up on your dispute. If they have contacted you before this time, this step is not necessary. When they contact your via mail or phone, they will let you know that they have made the fixes and will report the changes to the credit bureau. The credit bureau will simultaneously make any changes they deem appropriate to fix any errors on your credit report.
Tips and Warnings
- Once the credit bureau fixes the errors on your credit report, you can by law request that they notify anyone who may have received your credit report within the past six months that your report has changed and is now accurate. If the credit bureau determines that your claim is not justified and thus doesn't make the changes to your credit report, you may request a 100-character long explanation be put into your credit report next to the item in question that explains your side of the story.
- Don't mail the original copies of your credit report and other documentation to the credit bureau or any creditors. Instead, send them copies of the documents.
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