How To Dispute Credit Report Errors
If you have recently applied for a mortgage and gotten some bad news about your credit report that you think you should dispute then this post is for you. Disputing errors on a credit report is a major part of the credit repair process. More information on What Is Credit Repair – The Basic Steps of Credit Repair.
- Step 1 Review Your Credit Report – The first place to start is with your credit report. If you have not gotten a copy of your report then you need to get a copy so you can review it. If you have gotten a copy of it, review your report and make detailed notes regarding any errors you see.
- Step 2 Make Sure You have Proof of the Error – Technically, US Credit Laws require credit bureaus to report accurate information on your credit report. Your creditors report information to the credit bureaus and without opposing information credit bureaus basically assume that information is accurate. As this is the case, if it is wrong it will stay there until it is corrected either by you or the creditor. If you have proof of the errors you need to supply it with your dispute. Make sure you only give the credit bureau copies of any paperwork you send them – keep your originals.
- Step 3 Must Dispute Each Mistake On Each Bureau – If you find the same mistake on several bureaus, you must write your dispute letter to each bureau and supply them with the proof you are using to dispute the errors.
- Step 4 Additional Information To Send With Your Dispute – there is a minimum amount of information that you will need to supply with your credit report dispute letter.
- Copy of your driver’s license or state ID card – helps to prove your identity and provides correct home address
- Copy of Social Security Card – help prove your identity and ties you to your credit account
- The full name of the creditor or collection agency
- The account number and name for the account you are disputing
- Short, to the point, concise reason for dispute (each dispute must have this explanation)
- Fully copy of your credit report
- Step 5 Pick how you want to dispute your credit report – you can do it online, or by mail. You may want to do it both ways to ensure the credit bureaus get your information. Below are the phone numbers, links to each credit bureaus dispute resolution department, and the mailing address for submitting your credit report disputes by mail. If you have questions about whether your dispute would be better filed through the mail or online – pick up the phone and call the bureaus and ask them. If you want help on what to include in your dispute, you can also call the specific credit bureau to find out what you need to send.
Contact numbers and online dispute sites:
- Equifax: (800) 685-1111 (Equifax.com Disputes)
- Experian: (888) 397-3742 (Experian.com Disputes)
- TransUnion: (800) 888-4213 (Trans Union Disputes)
Fixing errors on your credit report by mail:
What follows is a list of addresses for the major credit reporting agencies.
Equifax Information Services, LLC
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta,GA 30374
Experian
P.O. Box 2104
Allen, TX 75013-0949
TransUnion Corp.
P.O. Box 2000
Springfield, PA 19022-2000
You should receive a letter in approximately 4-6 weeks regarding the status of the dispute. Mark the date you sent your dispute on your calendar, and keep detailed records in case there are any further problems. See Sample Credit Dispute Letter