How to Remove Bad Information From Your Credit

Inaccurate information on your credit reports can greatly affect your credit score and your ability to get credit. Credit reporting agencies are required to display accurate information on your credit accounts, and get the account information from your creditors. If the creditor is providing bad information, you can file a dispute with the credit-reporting agency. Upon receiving the report, the agency will launch an investigation to obtain the accurate information.

Instructions

Transunion

1

Navigate to Transunion's online dispute website (see Resources).

2

Click the button labeled "First Time? Click Here" to setup a user account. You may already have a user account at Transunion if you use the credit monitoring or annual credit report services. Log in with your username and password.

3

Click "Report Inaccuracy" under the "Credit Report" option on the user navigation bar.

4

Click "Submit Dispute" to open the investigation panel. Click "Request Investigation" by any account that has bad or problematic information on it. Select the dispute reason. Click "Submit" after completing your selections.

Equifax

5

Navigate to Equifax's dispute page on its website (see Resources).

6

Provide your Equifax report number, if you have one. Provide the additional requested information. Click "Submit."

7

Respond to the identity verification questions on the next page. Click "Submit" when finished.

8

Click "Start a new dispute." Navigate to the "Negative accounts" section on your credit report. Click any inaccurate listings and select "Dispute this item." Click a reason for the dispute and click "Add Dispute."

Experian

9

Navigate to the Experian website and its Credit Dispute Center (see Resources).

10

Order an Experian credit report, if you haven't obtained one within the past 90 days. Several Experian report ordering options are given on the page, with options ranging from free for the annual report to a subscription for the reports that come with online credit-monitoring services.

11

Click the option labeled "Yes, I have a credit report number" and click "Submit."

12

Input the credit-report number and information for any field marked as required. Click "Submit" once you have completed the form. The Experian credit report appears on the screen. Click "Dispute this item" by any account that you feel is inaccurate or has bad information. Provide the nature of your dispute and click "Submit your dispute."