How to Report Negative Credit Issues
- 1). Obtain a free copy of your credit report from one of the three credit bureau approved services: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You are entitled to one free copy of your credit report from each of these services every 12 months.
- 2). Review your credit report and compare your personal records, such as receipts, paid-in-full notices and your personal credit account numbers, to locate negative or false information on the report.
- 3). Write down all information that does not pertain to you, or appears false on the credit report. For example, you may have an account that appears that does not belong to you, or is showing up unpaid even though you have receipts showing you paid the debt.
- 4). Fill out a dispute form, or write a letter to the credit reporting company you received your credit report from detailing the inaccurate information. If the debt was paid, include copies of the receipts that clearly show the date the debt was paid. If the debt has gone beyond the seven to ten year statute of limitations, include a copy of the collection statement clearly showing the date the debt went into collection. When you have a debt that goes unpaid, the creditor has a seven to 10 years to collect the debt. Once that statute of limitations has passed, they are forced to write the debt off.
- 5). Submit your dispute form. The credit reporting company has 30 days to respond to your dispute and investigate.