How to Dispute Credit Reports Online

Many consumers do not realize the majority of people have errors on their credit report. These errors, many of which are sometimes unintentional can affect your credit score. The credit bureaus, Equifax, Transunion and Experian have taken steps to make the dispute process more efficient. One of those ways is to dispute any issues on your credit reports online. Follow these steps to properly dispute items or on your credit report via the web.

Instructions

1

Obtain all of your credit reports from the bureaus. It is important that you obtain all three credit reports from Trans Union, Experian and Equifax. Though you may see an error on Transunion, this same error may be or on your Experian report. You have the option of having your credit report mailed to you, but it is easier to set up accounts online with all three credit bureaus. Once you set up an account you can either purchase your credit report or by law, in many states, you are entitled to a free credit report each year--so you may not have to pay.

2

Locate any errors on your credit report. Carefully go through each credit report online and locate any errors. Since you are doing this online, right next to the account entry you will see a button that says 'dispute this item'. You will be able to either type in the error, or you have a series of disputes listed for you that you can choose from. Still include an explanation for the error as well, as it further strengthens your case for having the error removed.

3

Keep a record of your disputes. You can either print out your credit report and circle the accounts you disputed or you can jot them down on paper. The credit bureaus, based on the Fair Credit Reporting Act backed by the Federal Trade Commission, have 30 to 45 days to investigate and respond to your dispute. If they find the dispute is accurate, they will fix it on your credit report. If they do not respond to your request in 45 days, then the account or the error is automatically removed. Since all of this is done online you will get correspondence through your email address and they will also mail you.