How to Remove Negative Items From Your Credit Report

Negative marks on your credit report can hurt your credit score and affect your ability to qualify for financial products, so it's often stressful to discover them. But if an inaccurate item is showing up on your credit report, you have recourse to address the mistake.

Take a deep breath, then scroll down. This guide will walk you through exactly what to do if you find yourself in this spot.

Here's how to remove negative items from your credit report

Removing negative items from your credit report typically involves filing a dispute with one (or multiple) credit bureaus as well as potentially contacting the creditor or debt collector directly.

Identify errors

Many potential issues can show up on a credit report, which can affect your scores. These may include late or missed payments, charge-offs, collections, bankruptcies and hard inquiries. (Negative items on your credit report can stem from bills like credit cards, medical bills or utility bills.)

Other types of credit report inaccuracies that may be more common, like misspelled names and incorrect address or employment information. However, these issues are not considered negative items because they don't affect your credit score(s).

If you notice a sudden drop in your credit score, receive an alert about a debt you don't recognize or notice something that looks off during a routine check of your credit, you may be dealing with an inaccurate negative item on your credit report. Don't worry: There are processes to resolve the situation.

First, you'll need to get a copy of your credit report. To do so, simply navigate to AnnualCreditReport.com and follow the steps to request reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You're entitled to a free online report from each of these three major credit bureaus every week.

Once you have your credit reports, read through them to see if there's anything you need to address.

File a dispute with the credit reporting agency

If there are negative, inaccurate marks on your credit report, you should file a dispute with the credit reporting agency.

While the credit bureaus may try to steer you toward disputing the information with the creditor or debt collector reporting the info, it's important to know your rights. The credit bureaus are required to investigate disputes, and their websites have easy-to-find buttons where you can contest inaccuracies.

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, "you should explain in writing what you think is wrong, why, and include copies of documents that support your dispute."

Each credit agency has a web address and phone number that you can use for disputes:

• Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-reportservices/credit-dispute/ or 800-864-2978
• Experian: experian.com/disputes/main.html or 888-397-3742
• TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-disputes/dispute-your-credit or 800-916-8800

For any serious issues, however, many experts recommend submitting a dispute via certified mail. According to the Federal Trade Commission, this is advisable because you can pay for a return receipt, which will give you a rock-solid record showing that the credit bureau received your dispute.

What should you say in your letter? This CFPB guide includes a template letter for mailed disputes and more information about the documents you can attach to your request.

Disputes can sometimes be resolved in less than a day, however, under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the process can take up to 30 days

Hopefully, the credit bureau or bureaus will quickly delete or correct the issue you've reported. If the outcome of the dispute isn't what you wanted, you can add a "statement of dispute" to your credit report, which gives lenders reviewing your credit file the ability to see your side of the story.

But assuming you have a good case, don't stop there. A next step could be to submit a second dispute with additional evidence to advance your case.

You can also file complaints with the CFPB and your state attorney general's office. If you're interested in the latter option, the processes vary by state, so consult the proper agency's website for more information.

File a dispute directly with the creditor

Going through the credit bureaus isn't your only option. In some cases, you'll have better luck submitting a dispute to the creditor or debt collector reporting the inaccurate information. For example, if a lender you're using reported an incorrect balance, you may be able to give them a call and get it corrected.

In other instances, you may not even recognize the lender.

While it's rare, bookkeeping errors could even result in someone else's debt could show up on your credit report if, say, you have a similar name to them. If you can track down the company that misreported information, ask them to correct it. In either event, you'll want to file a formal dispute.

This means mailing a dispute letter to the furnisher explaining what's wrong. (You can find a simple letter on the CFPB website.) Again, it's recommended that you use certified mail to create a paper trail. Attach any relevant documents to bolster your case, and consider printing out a copy of your credit report with the error or errors marked in pen.

You can typically find the furnisher's address on your credit report. Creditors and debt collectors are obligated to investigate and respond to disputes. If your dispute is successful, they must notify the credit bureaus to correct your reports.

Consider professional help

Disputing errors on your credit report doesn't have to cost a bunch of money. Aside from potential postage costs, you can often get issues corrected for free.

If you prefer a more hands-off approach and cost isn't a consideration, there's a whole industry of credit repair companies than can dispute errors on your behalf. Also, if you've been a victim of identity theft and have a laundry list of items to dispute, you may find it easier to enlist professional help.

Make sure to carefully research your options before paying for a credit repair service, as the industry has its share of controversies and scams. Money's editorial team has spent thousands of hours researching the best credit repair companies.

Can removing negative items improve your credit score?

Removing negative items from your credit report can drastically improve your credit score. That's because the main credit scoring models, VantageScore and FICO, use formulas to calculate your credit score (an indicator of your creditworthiness) based on the information in your credit report.

Delinquencies, charge-offs, bankruptcies, repossessions and foreclosures can bring down your credit score by 100 points or more. If you're able to remove a negative item from your credit report, you could potentially see your credit score shoot back up by roughly the same amount.

This matters because having a strong credit score can help you qualify for the best credit cards, mortgage rates and auto loans (and snag low rates on them). A good credit score can also make it easier to secure an apartment and obtain affordable insurance. Even if you're not looking to borrow money now, working on your credit is important because it will help position you well for the future.

Should you dispute accurate information on your credit report?

Contesting accurate information on your credit report — like large balances you owe or late payments — is risky. Your dispute is unlikely to succeed, and the act of submitting the dispute can actually cause a negative item like a collection account to be updated to show recent collection activity, potentially worsening your credit issues. The credit bureaus may also start to assume all your disputes are frivolous, which could make it harder to correct problems down the road.

When accurate-but-negative items are bringing down your credit, the best solution is to address the root issue. That may mean improving your budgeting so you can start chipping away at debts or picking up some extra work. Autopay features can also help you stop missing payments.

If you're behind on credit card or other loan payments and have negative items on your credit report as result, it's likely going to be more difficult to get these removed from your credit report. Collections, repossessions and foreclosures can stay on your credit report for seven years, while the maximum is 10 years for bankruptcies.

There are a few things you can try.

First, send the creditor a "goodwill deletion" request. This works best if you've only missed a payment or two and have already taken steps to get your account back in good standing. In your goodwill deletion request, you should explain what happened and detail if any specific hardships or mix-ups caused the issue. Unfortunately, with a goodwill request, you're really just at the mercy of your creditor — they have no obligation to help you if the negative item was accurately reported.

Another option is to try to negotiate a pay-for-delete agreement. In short, this involves contacting the creditor or debt collection agency and offering to pay off the debt in question (or an agreed upon amount) in exchange for a commitment in writing that they will remove the negative item from your report. Lenders technically aren't supposed to remove accurate items like collections, so this is a long shot. But some consumers have reported success with the pay-for-delete method and it may be worth considering.

The good news: The most recent credit scoring models don't penalize consumers as much — or at all — for paid-off collections. That should offer you some comfort if your attempts at removal are unsuccessful. Just focusing on paying off your debt and potentially negotiating partial payments (or exploring payment plans) can go a long way to improving your credit.

Summary of this guide to fixing credit report errors

Removing negative items from your credit report involves disputing the errors with the credit reporting agencies and contesting the issues with the creditor or debt collection agency reporting the inaccurate information. Consumers are entitled to an accurate credit report. But it can take some legwork to fix issues. You can consult this guide as a resource for help removing negative, inaccurate information from your reports.

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