Collections on Your Credit Report: Time Limits and Disputes

An accurate collection account can generally stay on your credit report for seven years, counted from 180 days after you first fell behind; then it must come off. If a collection is wrong or can't be verified, you can dispute it, and the credit bureau usually has 30 days to investigate and must delete or fix it.

What the law says

• Credit reports may not include accounts placed for collection or charged off that are more than seven years old. 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)(4)
• The seven-year period starts 180 days after the delinquency began, not when the account went to collection or was sold. 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(c)(1)
• These time limits don't apply to reports used for credit or life insurance of $150,000 or more, or a job paying $75,000 or more a year. 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(b)
• Bankruptcies can stay on a credit report for up to ten years. CFPB, How long does negative information remain on my credit report?
• No one has the right to remove accurate negative information from a credit report; errors can be disputed for free. CFPB, How long does negative information remain on my credit report?
• When you dispute an item, the credit bureau must complete a reasonable reinvestigation within 30 days of receiving your dispute, extendable by up to 15 days if you send more information during that time. 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(1)
• If the item is inaccurate, incomplete, or cannot be verified, the bureau must promptly delete or correct it. 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(5)(A)
• The bureau must give you written notice of the results within 5 business days after finishing the reinvestigation. 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(6)(A)
• If the dispute isn't resolved, you can add a brief statement of dispute to your file (the bureau may limit it to 100 words). 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(b)
• You can check your reports from each of the three nationwide bureaus for free weekly at AnnualCreditReport.com. FTC, Disputing Errors on Your Credit Reports

How to file a complaint

Dispute errors in writing (or online/by phone) with each credit bureau reporting them, and also with the business that supplied the information. If the problem isn't fixed, submit a complaint to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint or (855) 411-2372; for credit report inaccuracies the CFPB asks that you dispute with the bureau first. FTC, Disputing Errors on Your Credit Reports; CFPB, Submit a complaint

Related

• Your Rights Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)
• What Is Wage Garnishment?
• Zombie Debt: What to Do About Old, Time-Barred Debt
• Debt & Collections by state

General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.