Correcting Errors

Once you receive a copy of your credit report, check it for errors. Under federal law, you have the right to have any incomplete or inaccurate information corrected by a credit bureau at no charge. To correct an error, follow these two steps:

Inform the credit bureau of the problem in writing within 30 days of receiving your report. (The bureau is legally obligated to correct the error and will usually reinvestigate the disputed information by going to the source of the information.)

If the bureau fails to correct the error to your satisfaction, you can send the bureau a written statement of no more than 100 words explaining the situation. Provide photocopies or other proof to support your claim. In many instances, the bureau must show this statement with any future reports that include the disputed information.