Posted by: John S Kiernan

Sending a credit dispute letter is one way to contest inaccurate information on a credit report. Such a letter basically outlines the problem, explains why the info in question is inaccurate and requests a correction. And it can be sent to a credit bureau or the company that provided the bureau the flawed info.

Credit dispute letters are most common with disputes filed by mail. But you can also send one to accompany a dispute filed online or over the phone. That is a particularly good idea if you have documentation proving there’s a mistake.

Not just any old letter will do, though. A credit dispute letter must contain certain pieces of key information, including your:

• Full Name
• Date of Birth
• Address
• Telephone Number
• Credit Report Confirmation Number (Equifax Only)
• Account Numbers for Affected Loans & Lines of Credit
• Dates Relevant to the Disputed Item
• Evidence of the Inaccuracy, If Any

Once you have the necessary info, actually writing and sending your dispute letter will be a breeze. That’s especially true since you can just edit WalletHub’s template. You can check it out below, followed by some additional guidelines and tips to ensure a successful dispute.

You can also check your latest TransUnion credit report for errors on WalletHub. WalletHub is the only site with free credit reports and scores that are updated on a daily basis.

Review Your Latest Credit Report – 100% Free Credit Dispute Letter Template

For your convenience, here is a credit dispute letter template that includes all the necessary info. You can customize the [items in brackets] to suit your needs.

Your Full Name Report Confirmation Number (Equifax only) Date of Birth Your Address Date Name of Credit BureauAddress of Credit Bureau   Dear [Bureau Name]: I am writing to request the correction of the following errors that appear on my [Equifax/Experian/TransUnion] consumer report:   Dispute 1: Account: [Bank of America credit card – account #123456789****] Error: My credit report says I [paid my bill late] in [March 2017]. But I actually [paid the minimum a few days before the due date]. Please see the attached [confirmation email]. Relevant Dates: The error pertains to my [payment status] for [March 2017]. I first noticed this issue in [June 2017]. And the mistake is still on my report, as of [September 2017].   Dispute 2: Account: [Discover Bank personal loan – account #123456789****] Error: My credit report says I [opened this account] on [September 21, 20016]. But the correct date is [September 12, 2006]. Please see the attached [new-account/welcome email]. Relevant Dates: My [September 2017] credit report misstates the open date for my personal loan. [September 12, 2006] is correct.   Enclosures: [Bank of America credit card payment confirmation] [Discover Bank new-account/welcome email] [Bureau Name] credit report from [September 2017] [Other Supporting Evidence]   For you convenience, I have circled the issue(s) in question on the attached copy of my credit report. Thank you for your assistance.   Sincerely, Your Name

Credit dispute letters are great because you can both include evidence and use certified mail to get confirmation of delivery. So they’re a valuable tool even if you decide to dispute an inaccuracy by phone or online.

Reasons to Send a Credit Dispute Letter

You can’t dispute everything on a credit report, at least not successfully. So before sending a credit dispute letter, make sure you know what’s what.

Here’s a breakdown of what you can and cannot dispute on a credit report:

What You Can Dispute	What You Can’t Dispute (Successfully)
Inaccurate personal information	Accurate information
Erroneous payment history	Negative information that is less than 7-10 years old (assuming it’s accurate)
Duplicate or fraudulent accounts/public records
Negative information from accounts you we an authorized user on

For more information, check out WalletHub’s complete guide on disputing credit report errors.

Dispute Letter Tips & Key Info

You don’t want to accidentally sabotage your chances of getting inaccurate information removed from your credit report, or at least corrected. So it’s important to remind yourself of these key points during the process.

• Don’t include original documents in your credit dispute letter. Send photocopies and keep the originals for your records.

• You don’t need to reference legal obligations. This is especially true with the credit bureaus. They know what’s required of them in terms of investigating and correcting mistakes.

• You should hear back within 45 days. A credit bureau is generally required to complete its investigation within 45 days. But the process usually takes a couple weeks. If you don’t receive any word within a month and a half, you may want to call the credit bureau(s) for a status update.

• You have the right to “suppress” / “block” inaccurate info from identity theft. In short, this prevents it from reappearing on your report once removed.

Sign up for WalletHub to get free daily updates to your credit report and credit score. This will help you spot and dispute errors as soon as they show up.

 

Image: Crystal Eye Studio/Shutterstock

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