This is the core credit-dispute letter. Under FCRA Section 611 (15 U.S.C. §1681i), when you dispute an inaccurate item in writing, the credit bureau must conduct a reasonable reinvestigation — generally within 30 days (up to 45 if you send more information during the window) — and delete or correct anything it cannot verify.
Before you write
Pull your reports free at annualcreditreport.com and identify the exact item: the furnisher’s name, the account number as shown, and precisely what is wrong (not mine / wrong balance / wrong status / never late / duplicate). Attach copies (never originals) of any proof. Dispute with each bureau that shows the error.
The letter
[Your full name]
[Your current address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Date of birth] [Last 4 of SSN]
[Date]
[Equifax / Experian / TransUnion - dispute address]
Re: Dispute of inaccurate information - FCRA Section 611
Report / confirmation number (if any): [number]
To whom it may concern:
I am disputing the following item on my credit report as inaccurate. Under the
Fair Credit Reporting Act, please reinvestigate it and correct or delete it.
Furnisher / account name: [name]
Account number (as shown): [number]
What is inaccurate: [e.g. "This account is not mine" / "Reported 30 days late
in [month/year]; I was never late - see attached statements" / "Balance is
wrong" / "Status should be paid/closed" / "Duplicate of account [#]"]
What it should say: [correct information]
Enclosed: [copies of proof - payment records, statements, ID, etc.]
Please complete your reinvestigation within the time required by FCRA Section 611,
notify me of the results in writing, and send me an updated copy of my report. If
the item cannot be verified, please delete it.
Sincerely,
[Your signature]
[Your printed name]
How to send it
Send by certified mail with return receipt to the bureau’s dispute address and keep copies and the receipt. You can also dispute online or by phone, but mail with proof of delivery creates the cleanest record and preserves your rights best. If only one or two bureaus show the error, dispute only with those.
Notes. Disputing the bureau and disputing the furnisher (the lender/collector) are both options — doing both can help. Only dispute information you believe is genuinely inaccurate; frivolous disputes can be dismissed. If a corrected item later reappears, that “re-aging”/re-insertion has its own protections — the bureau must notify you. If the bureau “verifies” an item you know is wrong, see method of verification. General information, not legal advice.