In short
Dispute an error directly with each bureau that shows it (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion), and also with the company that reported it. Disputing is free, the bureau generally has 30 days to finish, and information it cannot verify must be deleted or corrected. If the dispute fails, a CFPB complaint is the usual next step; credit reporting is by far the most common CFPB complaint topic. Get free reports only at AnnualCreditReport.com, freeze your credit for free, and do not pay a credit repair company upfront.
How complaints work in this industry
- A credit bureau must reinvestigate a dispute free of charge and finish within 30 days of receiving it; the period can be extended by up to 15 days if you send more relevant information during the 30 days. 15 U.S.C. 1681i
- A dispute filed after you receive a free annual report from a nationwide bureau must be completed within 45 days. 15 U.S.C. 1681j
- The bureau must notify the company that supplied the information within 5 business days, and send you the results in writing within 5 business days after finishing; if it calls a dispute frivolous, it must tell you within 5 business days. 15 U.S.C. 1681i (Cornell LII)
- You can also dispute directly with the company that supplied the information (the furnisher), at the address it gives for disputes, with the account, the disputed item, your reasons and supporting documents; it has the same time limit as a bureau. CFPB: Regulation V 1022.43
- The CFPB sends each complaint to the company; companies generally respond in 15 days, and in some cases give a final response within 60 days. CFPB: complaint process
Your leverage
- Information found inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable must be promptly deleted or corrected, and deleted information cannot be put back unless the furnisher certifies it is accurate, with written notice to you within 5 business days. 15 U.S.C. 1681i (Cornell LII)
- If the dispute does not resolve the problem, you can add a brief statement of dispute to your file, and ask the bureau to send notice of a correction to recent recipients of your report. 15 U.S.C. 1681i (Cornell LII)
- Disputing mistakes or outdated items on your credit report is free. FTC: fixing your credit FAQs
- Most negative information stays on a report for seven years and bankruptcy information for 10 years; after that it should come off. FTC: fixing your credit FAQs
- A credit freeze is free to place and lift, and must be placed with each of the three bureaus. An initial fraud alert lasts one year, an extended fraud alert lasts seven years for identity theft victims with an FTC or police report, and the bureau you contact for a fraud alert must tell the other two. FTC: credit freezes and fraud alerts
- The three bureaus offer free weekly credit reports through AnnualCreditReport.com, or by phone at 1-877-322-8228. FTC: free credit reports
Traps
- A furnisher need not investigate direct disputes about identifying information, inquiries, public records or fraud alerts, or disputes it reasonably believes come from a credit repair organization; send those to the bureau instead. CFPB: Regulation V 1022.43
- In 2025, companies returned approximately 469,800 CFPB complaints as suspected fraud and 63,200 because an unauthorized third party submitted them, with one nationwide bureau accounting for most of these returns; such complaints are not published. CFPB 2025 Consumer Response Annual Report Someone who files for another person must say so, and companies generally need the consumer's signed written authorization. CFPB: submit a complaint
- Credit repair companies cannot remove accurate information, and it is illegal for them to charge you before they help you. They must give a written contract that includes a three-day right to cancel without charge. FTC: fixing your credit FAQs
- Only AnnualCreditReport.com is authorized to fill orders for the free reports you are entitled to by law; other sites that offer "free" reports, scores or monitoring may be selling something else. FTC: free credit reports
Scams to watch for
- The FTC says an email, pop-up ad or phone call from someone claiming to be from AnnualCreditReport.com or a credit bureau is probably a scam; the site and the bureaus will not email you asking for your Social Security number or account information. FTC: free credit reports
- Look-alike versions of AnnualCreditReport.com and spoofed emails that appear to come from it try to collect your personal information. Experian: is AnnualCreditReport.com safe?
- Credit repair scammers insist you pay first, tell you not to contact the credit bureaus directly, or tell you to dispute accurate information, lie on credit applications or file a false identity theft report. FTC: fixing your credit FAQs
- Scammers who pose as the FTC may claim to help with a made-up identity theft problem after a fake security alert. FTC Data Spotlight, August 7, 2025
By the numbers
- The CFPB received approximately 5,806,800 credit or consumer reporting complaints in 2025, 88% of all complaints it received; approximately 5,102,800 were about Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. CFPB 2025 Consumer Response Annual Report
- Companies closed 51% of credit or consumer reporting complaints sent to them with an explanation, 40% with non-monetary relief and 0.02% with monetary relief (2025). CFPB 2025 Consumer Response Annual Report