You can dispute inaccurate or incomplete information on your credit report, but not everything is eligible for dispute. Understanding what can and cannot be challenged is essential for effective credit repair and protecting your financial reputation.
What You Can Dispute
You are allowed to dispute any item on your credit report that you believe to be incorrect, incomplete, or the result of fraud. This includes:
Accounts that don’t belong to you, including those resulting from identity theft.
Incorrect account information, such as inaccurate balance, credit limit, or payment history, or accounts wrongly listed as open/closed.
Incorrect late payments or collection entries that are not yours or are reported inaccurately.
Outdated information, such as negative items that should have aged off (for example, most collections should drop after seven years).
Inaccurate personal information, such as name misspellings, unfamiliar addresses, or wrong Social Security numbers.
Bankruptcy records that are outdated or not actually filed by you.
If you encounter any of the above, gather supporting documentation and file a dispute with the relevant credit bureau(s) online, by phone, or by mail. If the dispute is found valid, the credit bureau must remove or correct the inaccurate item and notify all three main credit bureaus.
What You Cannot Dispute
Certain information on your credit report—if it is accurate and timely—cannot be removed or changed through a dispute:
Accurate negative information, such as legitimate late payments or collections that are correctly reported, even if these hurt your score.
Correct personal information, like your legal name, date of birth, current and former addresses, and Social Security number, so long as they are accurately tied to your identity.
Correct public records, such as bankruptcies, liens, or judgments, if they are accurate and within the legal reporting period.
Your credit scores themselves—they are calculated outputs based on your report data and cannot be disputed; only the underlying data can.
Requests for credit (credit inquiries), if they were authorized and accurately reported.
What Happens if Your Dispute is Rejected?
If a credit bureau deems your dispute to be “frivolous” (e.g., lacking enough detail or repeatedly contesting the same accurate information without new evidence), they are not required to investigate and will notify you of the refusal. If the disputed item remains, you can request a statement of dispute to be added to your file, explaining your position for future credit reviewers.
Conclusion
You have the right to challenge any inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information on your credit report, but valid data cannot be disputed merely for being unfavorable. Periodically review your credit reports for accuracy and promptly dispute any errors to maintain a healthy credit profile.
