How to Dispute on Equifax

Disputing an aspect of an Equifax credit report is as simple as filling out an online form on the company website, but doing so effectively requires documentation. The right to dispute a credit report is guaranteed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), although the cost of investigating a dispute is borne by Equifax itself.

Instructions

1

Gather documentation that supports your contention that some aspect of your credit report is inaccurate. Written proof of an agreement with a creditor is crucial to proving a dispute. An oral agreement with a creditor cannot be proven and is not admissible as evidence to Equifax.

2

Fill out the online form on the Equifax website disputing an aspect of the credit report. Provide as much information as possible regarding the dispute. If an entry purported to be fraudulent, Equifax will examine the data to determine what happened.

3

Contact the creditor responsible for the disputed entry or entries and discuss the issue with them. This can accelerate the dispute resolution. Any agreement or admission made with the creditor must be made in writing. Request a fax or letter outlining the agreement. Consider using the form letter contained in the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guide to reporting credit report errors (See Resources).

4

Send the documentation supporting your dispute to Equifax when it's requested. Send copies of the documents and not the original ones. Keep everything related to the dispute in your personal files.

5

Wait at least 30 days for the dispute to be resolved. Equifax investigates disputes for at least that time to determine if it is frivolous or not. The more documentation that you can provide Equifax, the faster that it can be resolved.

6

Consider filing a complaint to the FTC if your dispute does not result in resolution and you have significant documentation that supports your contention.

7

Request credit reports to be sent out to relevant creditors or employers if the dispute turns in your favor. Equifax is obligated by law to provide free credit reports to a number of individuals and organizations if a dispute is successfully resolved. See Resources for further details.