Published: 10/21/26
You're getting ready to apply for a car loan, you pull your credit reports, and there it is: an account you've never opened. Or a late payment on a bill you know you paid on time. It's a frustrating thing to find, especially right before a big application. The good news is that fixing it follows a set process, and it doesn't cost you anything.
You can dispute information you believe is inaccurate directly with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, online, by mail, or by phone, at no cost. Explain what is wrong and include copies of supporting documents. The credit bureau generally has 30 days to investigate, sometimes 45, and must send you the results in writing.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) says you can dispute information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete with each credit bureau that reports it.
Disputes are about accuracy. You cannot have negative information removed if it is accurate, and most negative information stays on a report for seven years, the CFPB notes. If you're not sure what an entry means, start there: What Is a Charge-Off? and Charge-Off vs. Collection explain two of the most common ones.
A common worry is whether disputing will hurt your credit. Experian says filing a dispute has no direct impact on credit scores. If the investigation changes your report, your scores may go up, go down, or stay the same, depending on what changed.
Do you need to dispute with all three bureaus? Only the ones that show the error. An error on one credit report may not appear on the others. As Equifax explains, not all lenders and creditors report to all three nationwide credit bureaus, and some report to only one or two, so the information on each bureau's report may differ.
So before you file anything, put your Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion reports side by side and note which ones show the problem. You can get free weekly credit reports from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com (FTC).
Disputing mistakes on your credit report is free, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) confirms. The steps are the same at all three bureaus:
Where to file. Each bureau takes disputes online, by phone, or by mail. Contact details were verified on each bureau's own dispute page on Oct 9, 2026:
The CFPB and the FTC recommend that a dispute include:
The right supporting document depends on the error. A few examples:
Download the Credit Report Dispute Checklist: what to include, where to send it at each bureau, and a tracker for all three. [Link to the HubSpot-hosted PDF once Cady uploads it.]
“My team hears this one a lot: people assume that starting a dispute will automatically remove an item. You need to dispute with each bureau that’s reporting it, include documents that show why it’s wrong, and allow time for the review.”
Corrine Yzaguirre, Director of Customer Care, ScoreSense
Once a bureau receives your dispute, it generally has 30 calendar days to investigate, or 45 days in some cases (CFPB). When the investigation is complete, the bureau has 5 business days to notify you of the results.
So how will you know if it was fixed? The bureau must give you the results in writing. If the dispute results in a change, it must also give you a free copy of your credit report, so you can see the correction for yourself.
You can also dispute directly with the business that supplied the information, such as a lender or card issuer. That business generally must investigate as well.
Sometimes the bureau comes back and says the information is correct. If you still disagree, you have two options.
First, you can ask for a statement of the dispute to be added to your file. Second, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB online or by phone at (855) 411-2372.
Contact each credit bureau that shows the error, online, by phone, or by mail. Explain what is wrong and include copies of supporting documents. Disputing is free.
TransUnion takes mailed disputes at P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016, according to the Federal Trade Commission. You can also dispute online at dispute.transunion.com or call (800) 916-8800.
Equifax takes mailed disputes at Equifax Information Services LLC, P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374, according to Equifax. You can also dispute online or call 1-888-378-4329.
A credit bureau generally has 30 days to investigate, or 45 days in some cases. It then has five business days to send you the results.
Your contact information, the accounts and errors you are disputing, why you believe they are wrong, a copy of your report with the errors marked, and copies of any supporting documents.
Disputes are for information that is inaccurate or incomplete. According to the CFPB, you cannot have accurate negative information removed, and most of it stays on a report for seven years.
Finding an error on your credit report is stressful, but the path to fixing it is clear: confirm which reports show it, document what's wrong, file with each bureau that has it, and keep a record until you get results in writing.
The first step, comparing all three reports, is the one that decides where you file. If you'd like to see all three in one place, this is where ScoreSense matters.
ScoreSense® gives members access to their credit scores and credit reports from all three national credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, in one place, with daily monitoring of their Experian credit report. The ScoreSense Dispute Center is a self-directed tool that provides information and step-by-step guidance to help members prepare and personally file their own disputes directly with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Customers must personally submit their disputes directly to the applicable credit bureaus. ScoreSense does not file, submit, transmit, or manage disputes on a customer's behalf.
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Corrine Yzaguirre is Director of Customer Care at One Technologies, the company behind ScoreSense, where she has worked since 2011 and leads the team that helps members understand what’s on their credit reports.
Sources checked Oct 9, 2026.