Guides / Collections on your credit report

How to remove a collection account from your credit report

A collection account can lower your credit score for years. If it is wrong, not yours, too old, or cannot be verified, you can dispute it for free. If it is accurate, you still have options to limit the damage.

1. Get your credit reports and find the collection

Get your free reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion at AnnualCreditReport.com. For each collection, note the collector, the original creditor, the balance, and the date of first delinquency. A collection may appear on only one or two reports.

2. Check whether it is accurate

Look for debts that are not yours, wrong balances, the same debt listed more than once (by the original creditor and a collector, both showing a balance), a debt you already paid or settled, or a collection that is too old. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, most collections can be reported for up to 7 years from the original delinquency, and paying or selling the debt does not restart that clock (see the CFPB).

3. Ask the collector to validate the debt

If a collector contacted you recently, send a debt validation request in writing. If you dispute within the 30-day period in the collector’s validation notice, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires it to stop collecting until it sends verification. Our debt validation guide explains how.

4. Dispute errors with the credit bureaus

Send a dispute to each bureau that shows the error, online or by certified mail, with copies of your proof. The bureau generally must investigate within 30 days and delete information that is inaccurate or cannot be verified. You can also dispute directly with the collector that reported it. Our credit report dispute guide walks through the details.

5. If it is accurate, limit the damage

Accurate collections generally stay until the reporting period ends, but you can still act. Paid collections are ignored by newer scoring models such as FICO 9 and VantageScore 3.0 and 4.0. The three nationwide bureaus also stopped reporting paid medical collections and medical collections under $500. Some people ask a collector to request deletion in exchange for payment (“pay for delete”), but collectors do not have to agree. If you negotiate, get any agreement in writing before you pay. If a collector or bureau will not fix a real error, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB.

What your letter should include

• Your full name, address, and date of birth or last four of your SSN (as the bureau requests)
• The collector’s name and the account number as it appears on your report
• Why the item is wrong (not yours, paid, duplicate, wrong amount, too old)
• A request to delete or correct the collection
• Copies of your proof, such as payment records or a validation response
• A copy of the report page with the item highlighted

Keep a copy of everything you send, and note the date you sent it.

Frequently asked questions

Will paying a collection remove it from my credit report?

Not automatically. An accurate collection can stay on your report even after you pay it, though it will show as paid, and newer scoring models ignore paid collections. Paid medical collections should no longer appear on reports from the three nationwide bureaus.

How long does a collection stay on my credit report?

Generally up to 7 years from the date the original account first became delinquent. Paying it, or the debt being sold to a new collector, does not reset that date.

Should I use a credit repair company?

You do not need one. Anything a credit repair company can legally do, like disputing inaccurate items, you can do yourself for free. Be wary of any company that promises to remove accurate information.