What Can Be Disputed on a Credit Report

The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to dispute any information on your credit report that is inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable. Here's a practical breakdown of what's disputeable — and what isn't.

What You Can Dispute

Inaccurate Personal Information

Wrong name spelling, wrong Social Security number, wrong address, wrong date of birth, or wrong employer. While this data doesn't directly affect your score, errors here can cause your credit file to be mixed with someone else's — especially if you have a common name.

Wrong Account Status

An account showing as open when it was closed, showing as past due when it's current, or reporting "included in bankruptcy" when it wasn't. These errors directly affect your score and are common after account settlements or payoffs.

Duplicate Accounts

The same debt showing twice — once from the original creditor and once from a collection agency, without the original being marked "sold" or "transferred." This is a FCRA violation because it makes you look like you have more debt than you do.

Wrong Balance or Credit Limit

A balance that's higher than what you actually owe, or a credit limit reported lower than your actual limit. A lower-than-actual limit artificially inflates your utilization ratio and hurts your score.

Re-Aged Debt

The most common collector violation: reporting a delinquency date newer than the original date the account first went past due. This artificially extends how long the negative item stays on your report. Under FCRA § 605, a collection agency cannot reset the 7-year clock by reporting a newer date.

Accounts That Aren't Yours

Could be identity theft, mixed files (your file merged with someone else's), or a relative's account erroneously linked to yours. Always dispute immediately.

Incorrect Late Payment Dates or Severity

A payment showing as 60 days late when it was 30 days late. A payment showing as late at all when you paid on time. Each of these is worth disputing with documentation (bank statements, payment confirmations).

Paid Collections Showing as Unpaid

A collection account that you've paid or settled still showing "unpaid" or the wrong balance. This is common and always worth disputing to get the accurate status reflected.

What You Generally Cannot Dispute

• Accurate negative information: A genuine late payment you made, a charge-off you legitimately accrued, a collection from a debt that is truly yours. The FCRA protects accurate information — disputing it will result in "verified" without removal.
• Accurate bankruptcy filings
• Court judgments (though timing and amount can sometimes be disputed)

The "Unverifiable" Loophole

Even if a negative item is accurate, the bureau must be able to verify it with the furnisher within 30 days. If the original creditor no longer has records (common with very old debts or multiple debt sales), the item must be removed even if it was technically accurate. This is why some legitimate disputes succeed on very old accounts — not because the debt was wrong, but because it can't be verified.

How to Document Your Dispute

For the strongest disputes, include:

1. A clear written explanation of what is wrong and why
2. A copy of your credit report with the disputed item circled
3. Supporting documents: payment receipts, bank statements, letters from creditors
4. Your government-issued ID and proof of address

Use our Dispute Letter Generator to create a properly formatted letter, or see How to Dispute a Credit Report Error for the full process.