How to Get Something Removed Off Your Credit After Seven Years

Most entries on your credit report are required to be deleted after seven years. The clock begins on the date an account first became delinquent, which is not always the date the account is reported on your credit report. For example, some accounts may be transferred to different collection agencies during the seven-year period. Because of this, a collection account may newer than the actual debt. You may dispute accounts that are too old to be on your credit report with the credit bureau that reports the account.

Instructions

1

Obtain a copy of your credit report. Under federal law, you are allowed one free credit report per year through annualcreditreport.com. You may order a credit report through the site for each of the three credit bureaus. The three credit reporting bureaus are TransUnion, Experian and Equifax.

2

Review information reported on each report to locate accounts that are older than seven years. If you believe a debt or negative mark that is reported as an account newer than seven years, you may still dispute the item.

3

Prepare your dispute. Often, you may dispute items online with the credit reporting bureau. When you order a report from annualcreditreport.com, you are taken to each bureau's site individually. Look for the "Dispute" button next to the account you wish to remove. If the credit bureau does not permit online disputes, you may complete the credit bureau's paper dispute form and mail it the credit bureau for processing (see Resources). Experian encourages the online method for disputing Experian credit report information.

4

List your reason for the dispute. For disputes older than seven years, you can simply state the account is too old. Request the account be deleted. You may dispute most accounts older than seven years, but you may not dispute bankruptcies or tax liens. These items remain on your report for at least 10 years.

5

Submit the dispute. The credit bureau has 30 days to process your request and will notify you of the results by the same method you use to dispute the item. If you dispute online, you may receive email notification of the results. If you dispute by mail, a letter is sent to you containing the results.