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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIf a FICO score looks wrong, dispute the inaccurate information in the credit report that produced it—not the score as if it were a separate account. Pull every relevant report, identify the exact entry that is incorrect or incomplete, and send a documented dispute to each credit reporting company (Equifax, Experian and/or TransUnion) and to the company that furnished the information. A corrected report can change future score calculations, but no agency can promise a particular number of points or identical updates across every score.
This U.S.-focused guide explains how to find the error, prepare evidence, file both disputes, track the investigation, and escalate when the response is incomplete.
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What you are actually disputing
A credit score is a calculation based largely on data in a credit report. The report contains the account and identity information; the score is an output generated by a particular scoring formula for a particular lender or product. There is usually no separate “FICO score record” for you to edit.
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| What you see | What it represents | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Credit report | Accounts, payment history, balances, limits, dates and identity data supplied to a reporting company | Whether each entry belongs to you and is complete, current and accurately dated |
| FICO or other score | A model’s calculation from report data, a stated model and a report source at a particular time | The model or product name, report source and date pulled before concluding the score itself is wrong |
Correcting report data may affect later calculations. The available CFPB guidance does not establish a guaranteed increase, a particular number of points or simultaneous changes to every score.
Get and compare all of your reports first
Use the official free-report route
Obtain reports from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies through AnnualCreditReport.com. CFPB guidance modified May 14, 2024, says consumers can review reports online for free once a week from each company. The CFPB also described an additional Equifax report offer through December 2026; because that offer is time-limited, verify its current availability when you request a report.
Checking your own report is a consumer-initiated review and does not hurt your credit score. Save a copy of each report, including the date obtained and any confirmation number, before marking up an excerpt for a dispute.
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Do not assume that one bureau’s version is the only version. Compare the reporting company, furnisher, account identifier, ownership or status, payment history, dates, balance, credit limit and whether the debt appears more than once. An item may be present at one company and absent at another, or the same account may contain different values.
| Report area | Errors to look for | Useful proof |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Wrong name, phone number or address; a mixed file involving someone with a similar name | Government identification, address records, correspondence and the report page showing the mismatch |
| Account ownership | An account that is not yours, an identity-theft account, or an account incorrectly attributed to you instead of an authorized user | Account records, identity-theft documentation, creditor correspondence and proof of your relationship to the account |
| Status | A closed account shown as open, or an account marked delinquent when it was current | Closing confirmation, statements, payment confirmations and account agreements |
| Payment history | A late payment reported despite timely payment, or a payment applied to the wrong month | Bank statements, canceled-payment records, receipts and the creditor’s payment ledger |
| Dates | Incorrect opening date, payment date or first-delinquency date | Original statements, notices, contracts and dated correspondence |
| Amounts | Wrong balance or credit limit | Recent statements, payoff letters, payment confirmations and notices of limit changes |
| Duplication | The same debt listed more than once, possibly under different names or account numbers | Matching creditor, balance, dates and account details across the duplicate entries |
Separate a factual report error from a disagreement with a scoring model. If every underlying entry is accurate, a different score from a lender may reflect model, product, source or timing differences rather than a report defect.
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Prepare a specific, evidence-based dispute
State exactly what is wrong
The CFPB recommends a written explanation that identifies the disputed information, explains why it is wrong and includes copies of supporting records. List each account or identity field separately. Explain the correct value and the action you want: correction, deletion of an item that does not belong to you, or removal of a duplicate.
Include the report page or excerpt with the disputed entry clearly marked. Identify yourself with the information needed to match the file and include the report confirmation number when one is available. Send copies, never irreplaceable originals, and keep a complete copy of everything submitted.
Organize your supporting records
- Place the report excerpt first, followed by evidence for that particular item.
- Use dates, amounts and account identifiers that match the report so an investigator can locate the entry.
- For identity theft, include the identity-theft materials or creditor correspondence that explain why the account is not yours.
- Do not send unrelated documents or a generic form that fails to identify the account and the factual error.
Choose a submission channel that leaves a record
Online and phone disputes are available, but follow the current instructions on the relevant company’s dispute page or on the report itself because addresses, links and telephone routes can change. For a mailed dispute, certified mail with a return receipt is optional; it documents delivery but is not a legal requirement and does not improve the merits of the dispute.
A focused letter can use this structure:
Subject: Dispute of inaccurate credit-report information
Name and identifying information: [your name and details used on the report]
Report confirmation number: [if available]
I dispute the following entry:
- Reporting company:
- Furnisher:
- Account identifier:
- Location on report:
- Information shown:
The information is inaccurate or incomplete because: [specific facts].
The correct information is: [specific correction].
Please investigate and correct or remove the entry, and send me the results.
Enclosures: marked report excerpt and copies of supporting records.
Use the bracketed text only as a template: replace every field with your own information before sending.
Send the dispute to both responsible sides
Dispute with each affected credit reporting company
Send a separate dispute to every nationwide reporting company whose report contains the error. If all three reports contain the same inaccurate account, dispute it with all three. Use each company’s current online, mail or phone instructions rather than relying on an old address copied from another source.
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Dispute with the furnisher
Also send the dispute to the company that supplied the data, known as the furnisher. Depending on the item, that may be a lender, card issuer, landlord or another company. The furnisher has the account records needed to verify ownership, status, payment history, dates, balance or limit.
Sending only one side can leave the incorrect data in the other company’s systems. Keep the reporting-company submission and furnisher submission consistent, but tailor each one to the recipient’s entry and account records.
Understand the investigation timeline
What the reporting company does
The reporting company must investigate, send the dispute and relevant information to the furnisher, and report the result to you. Keep the submission date, delivery proof, confirmation number and every response in one file.
What the furnisher does
According to the CFPB page reviewed September 2, 2026, furnishers generally must investigate and respond within 30 days after receiving a dispute. If the furnisher determines that the information is wrong or cannot be verified, it must correct or remove it and notify the reporting companies. The reporting companies then update their reports.
| Stage | Your action | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Submission | Send the marked report excerpt, explanation and evidence to every affected reporting company and the furnisher | Save confirmation numbers, delivery records and copies |
| Investigation | Watch for requests for clarification and keep your evidence available | The furnisher generally investigates and responds within 30 days of receipt |
| Correction | Obtain fresh reports and compare the corrected fields | Wrong or unverifiable information is corrected or removed and the reporting companies are notified |
| Verified accurate | Review the explanation and decide whether new evidence exists | The item remains, but you can request a statement of dispute and consider escalation |
When a dispute is labeled frivolous or irrelevant
A company may reject a dispute as frivolous or irrelevant when it lacks enough information—for example, when it does not identify the information being challenged. CFPB guidance says the company must explain that decision and send notice within five business days after making it. A vague, repeated template without account-specific facts is less useful than a concise dispute tied to a marked entry and documentary proof.
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Check the result instead of assuming the score changed
When the response arrives, obtain the affected report again and compare the exact field: account status, payment month, date, balance, limit, ownership and duplicate listings. A response letter alone does not show whether every bureau changed its file.
After a correction, scores may be recalculated when a lender or scoring service next receives updated data. The timing and amount of any change depend on the scoring model, the report source and the rest of the file. Compare a score only when the model or product, report source and date pulled are known; comparing two unlabeled numbers can create a false error claim.
If the company says the information is accurate
Ask for a statement of dispute
If the furnisher maintains that the entry is accurate, you may ask the reporting company to include a brief statement explaining the dispute in your file and in future reports. Keep the statement factual and concise. It should identify the specific issue rather than argue generally that the score is unfair.
Submit new, material evidence—not the same unsupported form
Review the investigation response for the records it considered. If you have a document that was not previously supplied, send a focused follow-up identifying the new evidence and the precise field it disproves. Repeating an identical, unsupported dispute does not add facts for an investigator to evaluate.
Escalate an unresolved dispute
File a CFPB complaint
If a reporting company or furnisher does not respond, misses the stated process or gives an inadequate response, you can submit a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Include a timeline, copies of your dispute, delivery proof, investigation response and the exact correction you sought.
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Contact your state attorney general
You may also complain to your state attorney general. State procedures and available remedies vary, so describe the companies involved, the report entries and the steps already taken.
Consider qualified legal help
The CFPB notes that consumers may have potential lawsuits and damages for violations, subject to legal time limits. Whether a claim exists depends on the facts and applicable law. Consult a qualified lawyer or legal-aid service for advice about deadlines, evidence and remedies rather than relying on a guaranteed-outcome advertisement.
Identity theft and mixed-file errors need extra care
Accounts opened through identity theft
An account you never opened is different from an accurate account that merely lowers your score. Gather identity-theft documentation, the creditor’s notices and any account records, then identify the account as unauthorized in disputes to both the reporting company and the furnisher. Keep copies of every submission and response.
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Mixed files and similar names
If another person’s account appears because of a similar name, address or other identifier, point out the mismatched identity details and supply records that establish your correct identity and addresses. Ask for the unrelated account and associated payment history to be removed from your file.
Authorized-user confusion
Check whether the report incorrectly lists you as the owner rather than an authorized user, or lists an account that should belong to another consumer. State the relationship precisely and attach records that show who opened and controlled the account.
Free disputes versus credit-repair scams
The legal right to dispute inaccurate report information is free. You do not need to pay a company to submit a factual dispute to a reporting company or furnisher.
Accurate negative information generally cannot be erased merely because it lowers a score. Duplicate entries, identity-theft accounts, accounts that are not yours and information that is wrong or cannot be verified are potential errors; a promise to remove accurate negative data is a warning sign. Be especially cautious of anyone demanding payment before reviewing your reports, telling you to dispute every item regardless of accuracy, or guaranteeing a specific score increase.
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Quick Recap
A practical sequence you can follow
- Pull the current reports from all three nationwide reporting companies and save dated copies.
- Record the score’s model or product, report source and date if you are investigating a score difference.
- Mark each inaccurate identity, ownership, status, payment, date, balance, limit or duplicate entry.
- Match every disputed entry to statements, payment records, account correspondence or identity-theft documentation.
- Write a separate, specific explanation for each item and request correction or removal.
- Send the dispute to every affected reporting company and to the furnisher, using current submission instructions.
- Keep copies, confirmation numbers, delivery evidence and a calendar of response dates.
- Review the investigation response and pull fresh reports to verify the actual change.
- If the item remains unresolved, request a statement of dispute and consider a CFPB complaint, state attorney general complaint or qualified legal advice.
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