Error on your credit report? Check it free every week, and use the 30-day dispute rule

A wrong late payment or a debt that isn't yours can cost you a better rate on a card, a car loan or an apartment. The fix is free. You can check all three credit reports every week, and a credit bureau generally has 30 days to investigate an error once you dispute it.

What are your rights?

Free reports, every week. The FTC says Equifax, Experian and TransUnion let you check each report once a week for free at AnnualCreditReport.com, or by calling 1-877-322-8228. You'll need your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth, and possibly a previous address if you've moved in the past two years. The FTC warns that other sites use lookalike names, and that AnnualCreditReport.com and the bureaus won't email you asking for your Social Security number.

A right to dispute. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the FTC says a credit bureau has 30 days to investigate a dispute. It must give you the results in writing. If your report changes, you get a free copy, and if you ask, the bureau must tell anyone who got your report in the past six months, or for a job in the past two years.

The lender has duties too. The CFPB says the company that reported the information, called the furnisher, generally must investigate and respond within 30 days of getting your dispute. If the information was wrong or can't be verified, it must correct or delete it and tell the bureaus.

Time limits on bad news. Accurate negative information doesn't stay forever. The FTC says most can be reported for seven years, and bankruptcies for 10.

Where medical debt stands

By 2023 the three bureaus had removed paid medical collections, and medical debts less than a year old, from credit reports. They also removed medical collections under $500, a change the CFPB said took effect on April 11, 2023. That doesn't cover a credit card balance, even if you used the card for a medical bill.

A broader CFPB rule to keep medical bills off credit reports never took effect. On July 11, 2025, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas vacated it, at the joint request of the CFPB and the groups that sued, in Cornerstone Credit Union League v. CFPB. State rules can differ, so check with your state attorney general.

A worked example

This is an illustration, not a real case.

Before applying for a store card in December, Jordan pulls all three reports. Two problems show up. Experian lists a $340 medical collection from an urgent care visit. TransUnion shows a 30-day late payment on a card Jordan paid on time.

The $340 collection is under $500, so under the bureaus' policy it shouldn't be there. Jordan disputes it with Experian. For the late payment, Jordan disputes with TransUnion and also writes to the card issuer, attaching a bank statement showing the payment cleared before the due date. Both have about 30 days to respond. Jordan waits for the results before applying for the card.

What to do now

1. Pull all three reports at AnnualCreditReport.com. They can differ.
2. Mark each error on a copy of the report: accounts you don't recognize, wrong balances, wrong late payments, old debts past their time limit.
3. Dispute in writing with the bureau. Say what's wrong and why, include the account number, and attach copies, not originals, of your proof. The CFPB has template letters, and suggests certified mail with a return receipt.
4. Dispute with the furnisher too, in writing, by certified mail.
5. Keep copies and dates, and check the written results when they arrive.
6. If it's identity theft, report it at IdentityTheft.gov.

Questions

Does checking my own report hurt my score? No. The CFPB says requesting your own report doesn't affect your credit scores.

What if the bureau says my dispute is frivolous? It can refuse to investigate a dispute it reasonably considers frivolous, for example one that doesn't say what's wrong. The CFPB says it must tell you within five business days. Send it again with the details and proof.

What if the error stays after the investigation? You can ask the bureaus to add a statement explaining your dispute to your file, and you can submit a complaint to the CFPB.

Ways to save

Errors that come from identity theft often start with a stolen password. Our guide to free credit freezes and fraud alerts explains how to lock your files. For your logins, Promo Magpie has pages for password manager NordPass and from Proton, where Proton Unlimited starts at $9.99 a month on yearly billing.

When you shop through Promo Magpie, part of the commission the shop pays us goes to the charity or club you pick. You pay the same price.

Sources: FTC: free credit reports, checked November 8, 2026, FTC: disputing errors on your credit reports, checked November 8, 2026, CFPB: how do I dispute an error on my credit report?, checked November 8, 2026, CFPB: does requesting my credit report hurt my score?, checked November 8, 2026, CFPB: paid and under-$500 medical debt (archived blog), May 8, 2023, CFPB: medical information rule, vacated July 11, 2025, CFPB: consumer reporting companies list, checked November 8, 2026