← Back to Credit Score
Negative Items and Their Impact
Understanding how different negative items affect your credit score
Late Payments
Impact: 30-110 point drop. Severity increases with how late (30, 60, 90+ days) and how recent.
Collections
Impact: 50-150 point drop. Remain for 7 years from original delinquency date.
Charge-Offs
Impact: 120+ point drop. Creditor writes off debt as uncollectible.
Bankruptcies
Impact: 130-240 point drop. Chapter 7 stays 10 years, Chapter 13 stays 7 years.
Foreclosures
Impact: 85-160 point drop. Remains for 7 years from filing date.
Tax Liens
Impact: 80-130 point drop. Can stay 7 years after payment or indefinitely if unpaid.
Mitigating Impact
- Dispute inaccurate items
- Negotiate pay-for-delete
- Add positive accounts
- Build payment history