How to Erase Late Payment History on Credit Report

If you pay your bills late, your credit will suffer-- that much is common knowledge. Most companies don't report you to credit agencies until after your bills are 30 days past due. However, a single 90-day late payment can be as damaging as filing bankruptcy, a tax lien, a collection, or a repossession. It doesn't matter whether the bill was for $100 or $10,000. So if you've had even a single late payment, it is important that you get this removed from your record immediately.

Instructions

Contact Your Creditor

1

Contact your creditor. If you've only had a few missed payments, they will oftentimes remove them with a phone call and a follow-up written request. Ask them for a "Goodwill Adjustment." It is common practice to do this for good customers that only have a few missed payments. Paying on time makes up 35% of your overall credit score, so don't overlook its importance.

2

Contact the credit bureaus. In general, a 30 to 60-day late payment is acceptable and will be removed. It is when payments go past 90 days that things begin to get troublesome. Remember that these can stay on your report for up to seven years and can be as damaging as a bankruptcy. If your creditor refuses to remove this, then you should contact the credit bureau directly. You can do this by going to Experian.com or by calling them at 1-888-397-3742.You can also go to Equifax.com or Transunion.com

3

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. If you have a long history of missed payments, it will obviously be more difficult to get late payments removed. However, if you can show your creditors that you are responsible by paying your bills on time for six or more consecutive months, then it would be a good idea to try to get them to remove the late payments again. For pre-written legal letters to get your credit repaired, you can try Nolo.com.