You are allowed a free copy of your credit report every 12 months. You are also allowed a copy if you’ve been denied a loan or credit, are unemployed and looking for a job, or were the victim of fraud or identity theft.

Payments marked late that you know you paid, bills listed twice, bills more than 7 years old, open credit lines or accounts that you think you closed, and inaccurate credit limits. The 3 credit reports might not be exactly the same. It’s normal for some agencies to report more than others.

It’s easy to check your bank statements with online banking. If you don’t have online access, call your bank to get a full account and payment history. It’s also possible that you’ll find out you really did miss a payment. In this case, submitting a goodwill letter to your creditor is a good option to try and get that removed.

If you know who stole your identity, you can also report the fraud to the police. Some fraud red flags to look out for include addresses or names on your credit report that you don’t recognize, accounts that you don’t own, payments to companies you don’t recognize, or payments that you can’t verify.

For example, “To whom it may concern, I have been a loyal customer for over five years, and I would like to first thank you for your services throughout the years. I am writing to ask that a goodwill adjustment be made to my account. This is not a dispute about the accuracy of credit reporting. ” You can also write an email instead of a letter if you have the creditor’s contact information. Follow the same steps for a goodwill letter. If you don’t have a good history with the creditor, then a goodwill letter will probably not work. In this case, you’ll have to call and negotiate a removal.

For example, “During the time that the late payment occurred, I became hospitalized due to an illness. Unfortunately, this caused me to lose my job and I wasn’t able to make my payments on time. ”

For example, “I am about to begin the process of purchasing a new car. When reviewing my loan options, the loan officer notified me that the late payment was preventing me from taking advantage of low interest rates. "

For example, “Once I overcame my illness, I was able to find a new job. I have been making consistent payments since then. I would also like to note that I had been making consistent payments before my illness. Since I have a pretty consistent record, I am asking that you please give me a second chance, and remove the late payment from my account. ”

For example, “Thank you for your time and consideration. I really appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me for any additional documentation that would assist you in reaching a positive outcome. ”

Make sure to request a “return receipt request” service. This way you can keep track of what the creditor received for your records. You can also send this as an email to the lender’s email address.

Be prepared to plead your case again when you contact the lender. Remind them that you’ve been a great customer and made an honest mistake during a hard time. This might sway them.

A customer service number is typically located at the bottom of the webpage. The first person you talk to is probably just a customer service rep who won’t be able to make any change to your credit history. You’ll have to specifically ask for a manager or someone with the authority to make the change. It’s very important to stay polite and courteous with everyone you speak to. Representatives are much more willing to work with polite people instead of rude people. It’s definitely understandable to feel stressed, but don’t take it out on the people you’re speaking with.

Some creditors have hardship plans for people who have experienced these problems. You can negotiate a lower rate or lump sum payment to satisfy your debt with these plans. In the future, it’s always best to contact your creditor right away if you experience a hardship. This way, they can work with you right off the bat instead of waiting until you’ve fallen behind.

This method works well if you only have 1 or 2 late payments on your account.

If you have a payment that is more than 120 days late, then this method may not work.

Continue to be friendly and courteous if you take this route. Say something like, “Unfortunately, if you can’t do anything to help me, I’ll have to find another creditor to work with. " Stay calm and don’t yell. Note that this might only work if you were a good customer. If you have a poor credit history with this creditor, they might not be sad to see you leave.

Equifax: https://www. equifax. com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-dispute/# Transunion: https://www. transunion. com/credit-disputes/dispute-your-credit Experian: https://www. transunion. com/credit-disputes/dispute-your-credit Note that this option is only appropriate if you believe the late fee is a mistake or fraud. If there actually is a late payment on your record, you have to contact the lender instead of the reporting agencies.

If you already have an account, you can just sign in normally.

If you want to dispute multiple late payments, then you’ll probably have to select each one separately. The particular process for selecting and submitting disputes might be different for each agency. Follow the directions for each one and contact customer service if you have any problems.

There might also be a dropdown menu to further categorize your dispute. Select the option that matches your dispute the closest.

Relevant documents are bank statements showing that you paid the bill, letters from your creditor saying that the bill was paid, or any other documents that prove the payment should be removed. Circle parts of the documents that prove your claim. For example, the date of a payment is relevant to your case.

By law, the agencies have to send a notice of credit correction to anyone that you ask them to. If you were trying to get a loan or rent an apartment, for example, you can ask them to send a report to the lender and landlord to prove that the charge was a mistake. If the agency finds that the charge was legitimate but you still don’t agree, you can request that a dispute notice be added to your report. That way, people who view the report will see that you’re in the process of challenging the charge.

To submit a CFPB complaint, visit https://www. consumerfinance. gov/complaint/ and fill out the necessary information. In most cases, the CFPB can get back to you within 15 days.

Make sure to include copies of the original documents instead of the original ones.

Experian, P. O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion, Baldwin Place, P. O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19022 Equifax Information Services, LLC, P. O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374

If the agency cannot verify the information’s accuracy on your report, then they will remove it.