What Happens After You Dispute Your Credit Report?

How long does a credit bureau have to investigate a dispute?

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a credit bureau generally must finish its investigation within 30 days of receiving your dispute. That period can be extended up to 45 days in some situations:

• If you send additional information that's relevant to the investigation during the 30-day period, the bureau can take up to 15 more days.
• If you're disputing information after getting a free report through AnnualCreditReport.com, the law allows up to 45 days.

The clock generally starts when the bureau receives your dispute, not when you mail it. That's one reason people use certified mail with a return receipt, or save the confirmation from an online dispute.

What happens behind the scenes

1. The bureau notifies the company that reported the information (the "furnisher," such as a lender, card issuer, or collector). It generally must do this within 5 business days of receiving your dispute and pass along the relevant information you provided.
2. The furnisher investigates. It reviews the information you sent and reports its findings back to the bureau. If it finds that what it reported was inaccurate, it must notify all the nationwide bureaus it reported to so they can correct it.
3. The bureau finishes its investigation and updates your file based on the results.
4. The bureau sends you the results in writing, generally within 5 business days after it finishes.

What the results can say

Your results letter will tell you how each disputed item came out. In general, the possibilities are:

• Updated or corrected: the information was changed, for example a corrected balance or payment status.
• Deleted: under the FCRA, information that's found to be inaccurate or incomplete, or that can't be verified, must be modified or deleted.
• Verified as accurate: the furnisher confirmed the information, and it stays on your report.
• Frivolous or irrelevant: a bureau can stop investigating a dispute it decides is frivolous or irrelevant, for example if you didn't give enough information to investigate. If it does, it must tell you within 5 business days and explain why.

If the dispute results in a change, the bureau must give you a free copy of your report. That copy doesn't count as your free annual report. The notice should also explain your right to ask how the investigation was done and your right to add a statement to your file.

If your report was corrected

• Check the other bureaus. If the same error appeared on other reports, make sure each one was corrected. If not, dispute with that bureau too.
• Ask the bureau to notify recent recipients. If you ask, the bureau must send the correction to anyone who got your report in the past six months, or the past two years for employment purposes.
• Watch for the item coming back. Deleted information can't be put back in your file unless the furnisher certifies that it's complete and accurate. If it is reinserted, the bureau must notify you in writing within 5 business days.

If your dispute came back "verified"

A verified result means the furnisher told the bureau the information is accurate. If you still believe it's wrong, here are your options:

1. Read the results carefully. Make sure the bureau investigated the item you meant and understood your explanation.
2. Ask how the investigation was done. You can request a description of the procedure the bureau used, including the name, address, and phone number of the furnisher it contacted if reasonably available. The bureau must provide this within 15 days of your request.
3. Dispute directly with the furnisher. Send your explanation and documents to the company that reported the information.
4. Send new information. If you have documents you didn't include the first time, you can submit a new dispute with them.
5. Add a statement of dispute. You can ask the bureau to include a brief statement explaining your side in your file. Bureaus can limit it to 100 words if they help you write it. It will be included or summarized in future reports.
6. File a complaint. You can submit a complaint about a bureau or a furnisher to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
7. Get legal advice if you think your rights under the FCRA were violated. A consumer attorney or legal aid office can tell you what applies to your situation.

If the information is accurate, it can legally stay on your report. Most negative information can be reported for up to seven years, and some bankruptcies for up to ten.

Will my credit scores change?

There's no way to predict that. Credit scores are calculated by different scoring models using the full contents of your report, and each bureau's report can differ. A correction might change a score, or it might not. Nobody, including us, can promise a particular result.

Keep good records

Save your results letters with copies of what you sent. A simple log with the date sent, the method, confirmation numbers, the date of the response, and the result makes it much easier to follow up. If you haven't sent a dispute yet, start with our step-by-step dispute guide and the dispute letter template.

Education only. This article is general educational information, not legal or financial advice. Clear Credit Coach is not a law firm or a credit repair organization and doesn't contact credit bureaus or creditors on your behalf. Results vary, and accurate, timely information can legally stay on your credit report.