Credit dispute letter to a credit bureau: a sample you can edit and mail

A credit report dispute letter tells a credit bureau which item in your file you believe is inaccurate or incomplete, why, and what you want done about it. The right behind it is section 611 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. 1681i, and both the FTC and the CFPB publish a sample. We read all three on 13 Nov 2026.

Sending a dispute does not mean the item will be changed or removed. We are not a credit repair organization, and this page is general information, not legal advice.

Sample credit report dispute letter

Edit the brackets. The middle two paragraphs are what goes into the "explain" and "asking for" boxes of the template above.

[Your name]
[Your mailing address]
[Date]

[Credit bureau name]
[Credit bureau dispute address]

Re: Dispute of information on my credit report [report or confirmation number, if you have one]

To whom it may concern:

I am writing to dispute the following information in my file.

The [name of creditor] account ending in [last four digits] is [inaccurate / incomplete] because [say what is wrong and why. For example: it shows a late payment in March 2026, and my statement for that month shows the payment posted on time].

I am requesting that this item be [removed / corrected to show ...]. Please investigate and send me the results in writing.

Enclosed: [a copy of the page of my credit report with the item circled; a copy of my statement; a copy of my ID; a copy of a utility bill].

Sincerely,
[Your name]

This follows the FTC's "Sample Letter to Credit Bureaus Disputing Errors on Credit Reports," whose core is three sentences: "I am writing to dispute the following information in my file," a line saying the item "is inaccurate [or incomplete] because [describe in detail what is inaccurate or incomplete and why]," and "I am requesting that this item be removed [or request another specific change to correct the information]." It cites no statute and makes no threat.

What the FTC and the CFPB say to put in it

In the letter	FTC	CFPB
Who you are	Your complete name and address	Complete name, address and telephone number; the report confirmation number, if available
What is wrong	"each mistake that you want fixed, and why"	"Each error you want fixed, including the account number for any account you may be disputing," with a "clear explanation of why you are disputing the information"
What you want	Ask the bureau "to remove or correct the inaccurate or incomplete information"	"Request that the information be removed or corrected"
Proof	"copies (not originals) of documents that support your request"	"Copies (not originals) of documents that support your position"
The report itself	A copy of your report with the mistakes circled	A copy of the portion of the report with the disputed items "circled or highlighted"

Sources: FTC, Disputing Errors on Your Credit Reports; CFPB, How do I dispute an error on my credit report?

The CFPB's letter guide adds two enclosures for identification: "one copy of a government issued identification card" and "one copy of a utility bill, bank or insurance statement." It lists a Social Security number and a driver's license number as optional in the letter itself.

One letter per bureau, and where each takes mail

The FTC's advice is to "dispute with each credit bureau that has the mistake." A dispute sent to one bureau is not a dispute at the others. If you mail it, the FTC says you can use the address on your credit report or the bureau's address for disputes.

Bureau	Dispute address	Our page, with the source and date checked
Equifax	Equifax Information Services LLC, P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374-0256	Equifax dispute address
Experian	Experian, Dispute by Mail, P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013	Experian dispute address
TransUnion	Use the address on your TransUnion report, or the one on TransUnion's dispute-by-mail page	Not on Certisent yet
Innovis	Innovis Consumer Assistance, PO Box 530088, Atlanta, GA 30353-0088	Innovis freeze and dispute address
LexisNexis	LexisNexis Risk Solutions Consumer Center, P.O. Box 105108, Atlanta, GA 30348-5108	LexisNexis freeze and dispute address

We print an address only after reading it on the bureau's own site. We have not finished that check for TransUnion, so its row has no address. The FTC page linked above lists one.

Government pages do not always agree with each other. The FTC prints the Equifax box with ZIP code 30348. The CFPB's letter guide prints the same box with 30374, and so does Equifax's own form. When two sources differ, the bureau's own page is the one to follow.

The deadlines in the statute

Most guides stop at "30 days." Section 1681i has more clocks than that, and one more sits in section 1681j:

What happens	Deadline	Where
The bureau finishes its reinvestigation	Before the end of the 30-day period that begins on the date it receives your dispute	1681i(a)(1)(A)
You send more relevant information during those 30 days	The period may be extended by up to 15 days	1681i(a)(1)(B)
You dispute after getting your annual report under 1681j(a)	45 days after the bureau receives the request	1681j(a)(3)
The bureau tells the company that supplied the item	Within 5 business days of receiving your dispute, with all relevant information you sent	1681i(a)(2)
The bureau decides the dispute is frivolous or irrelevant	It notifies you within 5 business days of deciding, with reasons	1681i(a)(3)
The bureau sends you the results in writing	Within 5 business days after it completes the reinvestigation	1681i(a)(6)
You ask how the item was verified	A description of the procedure within 15 days of your request	1681i(a)(7)

Every one of these runs from a date of receipt. That is the practical reason the CFPB says "you can choose to send your dispute letter by certified mail and ask for a return receipt, so that you have a record that your letter was received."

The 15-day extension has a limit of its own: it does not apply if, during the 30 days, the item is found to be inaccurate or incomplete or the bureau determines it cannot be verified.

What the bureau has to do with your letter

In the statute's order:

1. Reinvestigate, at no charge. It must "conduct a reasonable reinvestigation to determine whether the disputed information is inaccurate" and record the current status of the item or delete it.
2. Read what you sent. It "shall review and consider all relevant information submitted by the consumer."
3. Fix or delete what does not hold up. If an item "is found to be inaccurate or incomplete or cannot be verified," the bureau must promptly delete or modify it and tell the furnisher.
4. Report back. The written results come with a consumer report based on your file as revised, and with notices of your right to add a statement and to ask for the description of the procedure.
5. Not quietly put it back. A deleted item may be reinserted only if the furnisher certifies it is complete and accurate, and the bureau must tell you in writing within 5 business days of reinserting it.

What a dispute letter cannot do

• It cannot remove accurate information. The FTC puts it this way: "As long as the information is correct, a credit bureau can report most negative information for seven years, and bankruptcy information for 10 years."
• It has to give the bureau something to investigate. The CFPB's example of a dispute a bureau may treat as frivolous is one that does "not specify what information is being disputed." Name the account, the entry and the reason.
• It does not decide the outcome. The bureau forwards the dispute to the company that supplied the item, and in the FTC's words that business "must investigate and report the results back to the credit bureau." That is why both agencies tell you to write to the furnisher too.

Write to the furnisher as well

The CFPB's guide says: "It is important to dispute inaccurate information with both the credit reporting company that created the report and the company that first reported the inaccurate information." It has a separate sample letter for that, and so does the FTC.

The FTC adds a practical point: "Many businesses want disputes sent to a particular address. If you can't find a dispute address on your credit report or online, contact the business and ask for the correct address to send your letter."

If the item is a collection account and the collector has contacted you recently, a different law and a different letter may apply. See our dispute letter to a debt collector.

If the result does not settle it

The statute gives three follow-ups, and the results notice has to mention each:

• Ask how it was verified. On request the bureau must describe the procedure it used, "including the business name and address of any furnisher of information contacted," within 15 days.
• Add a statement. "If the reinvestigation does not resolve the dispute, the consumer may file a brief statement setting forth the nature of the dispute." The bureau may limit it to one hundred words if it helps you write a clear summary, and later reports that contain the item must note that you dispute it.
• Ask for notices to past recipients. After a deletion or a dispute notation, you can ask the bureau to notify anyone you name who received your report in the past six months, or in the past two years for employment purposes.

The CFPB also takes complaints about credit reporting at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.

Mailing it with Certisent

The steps are in the box below. Two things to know first.

Your enclosures pass through our system to be printed. A dispute usually includes a copy of your ID and a page of your credit report. If you would rather not upload those, each bureau also takes disputes online or by phone, and the CFPB lists the links and numbers.

We print and mail what you write. We do not write the dispute, pick the items or follow up with the bureau, and we cannot promise a delivery date.