The short answer
Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, if you tell a consumer reporting agency that you dispute the completeness or accuracy of an item in your file, the agency must conduct a reasonable reinvestigation, free of charge, and record the current status of the item or delete it, within the windows described below. The bureau forwards your dispute to the company that furnished the information, considers what you sent, and decides. A dispute letter is the written form of that notice.
You can also dispute directly with the furnisher, the creditor or collector that reported the item. FCRA Section 623, 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2, and the CFPB's Regulation V set the circumstances in which a furnisher must investigate a direct dispute. Sending both is allowed, but the Section 611 clock runs only on the dispute the bureau receives, so the bureau letter is the one to track.
The letter does not decide anything by itself. It identifies an item, states a factual reason it is wrong, encloses evidence, and asks for reinvestigation and written results. The bureau and furnisher decide the outcome after they investigate, which is why the template below never demands a particular result.
When a letter fits better than the online form
All three bureaus accept disputes online, and the portals are faster to file: Equifax, for example, issues a confirmation code you can use later. The FCRA does not require a letter, and for a simple correction with no documents to enclose, the online form may be all you need.
A mailed letter fits when you want the dispute in your own words rather than a menu of dispute reasons, when you have documents to enclose in full, and when you want a dated record of receipt. Certified mail with a return receipt gives you the date the bureau received the dispute, which is the date the Section 611 clock starts. Paper also produces a complete record of what you claimed and what you enclosed, which matters if you later file a statement of dispute or a CFPB complaint.
What to include
The CFPB and FTC dispute guides, and the FTC's own sample letter, agree on the contents. Each bureau adds its own identification rule, which the bureau address pages list. The letter should contain:
- Your full name, current mailing address and date of birth.
- The identifying details that bureau's own instructions ask for. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion each ask for your Social Security number and date of birth on a mailed dispute; the bureau address pages list exactly what each one asks for. Do not include more than the bureau asks for.
- The report or confirmation number, if one is printed on your report.
- The item exactly as it appears on the report, including the creditor or furnisher name and the account number as shown.
- The specific inaccuracy: which field is wrong, such as the balance, a payment date, the status, or the account belonging to you at all.
- What you believe is correct, stated as a fact you can support.
- Copies, never originals, of documents that support your position, and a copy of the report page with the item circled.
- A request that the bureau reinvestigate the item and send you the results in writing, which Section 611(a)(6) requires it to do.
Keep the letter to items you have a factual basis to dispute, and say what is wrong with each one. Under Section 611(a)(3), a bureau may decline to reinvestigate a dispute it reasonably determines is frivolous or irrelevant, including one that does not give it enough information to investigate, and it must tell you so within 5 business days.
What to leave out
- Section 609 letter myths. FCRA Section 609 is a disclosure right that lets you request your file. It does not require a bureau to produce a signed contract, and it contains no deletion rule. Cite Section 611 for a dispute, and use a 609 request only to obtain your file.
- Demands for signed contracts or "method of verification" boilerplate in a first letter. A bureau reinvestigates through the furnisher; it does not hold your contract. Section 611(a)(6)(B)(iii) and (a)(7) do give you the right to ask for a description of the reinvestigation procedure within 15 days of a request, but that is a follow-up after results, not a first-letter demand.
- Threats. A sentence about lawsuits or damages does not change the reinvestigation and reads as a form letter. State the facts and the request.
- Boilerplate copied from templates. Identical letters are the pattern bureaus have learned to flag under Section 611(a)(3). Use the template below as a skeleton and fill it with your report's specifics, in your own words.
- Disputing everything at once. A blanket dispute of every negative item, with no reason given for each, invites a frivolous determination. Dispute the items you can explain.
The credit dispute letter template
The template below is written in the first person and is built around one item. It cites 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, identifies the item as the report shows it, states the inaccuracy and the correct information, lists the enclosures, and asks for reinvestigation and written results. It makes no demand about the outcome, because the bureau decides that. For more than one item, repeat the item block for each, or send one letter per item; both are common.
[Your full name] [Your mailing address] [City, State ZIP] [Date of birth] [Social Security number, or the last four digits, exactly as this bureau's instructions ask] [Date] [Equifax, Experian or TransUnion] [The dispute mailing address that bureau currently publishes] Re: Dispute of inaccurate information under FCRA Section 611 (15 U.S.C. § 1681i) Report or confirmation number: [number printed on your report, if available] To whom it may concern: I am writing to dispute the following item on my credit report, which I believe is inaccurate or incomplete. Item disputed: [creditor or furnisher name exactly as the report shows it] Account number as shown: [account number exactly as printed on the report] Report date: [date on the report you are working from] What is inaccurate: [state the specific problem, for example: the report shows a payment 60 days late in March 2025, and my statement shows the payment posted on March 3, 2025] What I believe is correct: [state the correct information, for example: this account has never been paid late] Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, I request that you reinvestigate this item, forward the enclosed information to the furnisher, and send me written notice of the results, along with a copy of my report if it changes as a result. Enclosed are copies, not originals, of: [the report page with the item circled; the documents that support your position, such as a statement, letter or payment record; any proof of identity and proof of address this bureau's instructions ask for] Please send the results to me at the address above. Sincerely, [Signature] [Printed name] Enclosures: [list each enclosed document]
Where to send it
Send a separate letter to each bureau whose report shows the item. A dispute sent to one bureau is not a dispute with the others. Each bureau publishes its own dispute mailing address, and the dispute address hub lists all three as the bureaus print them, with the date each was checked and the online and phone alternatives.
No bureau requires certified mail, but the CFPB and FTC both suggest it with a return receipt so you can prove the date of receipt. Keep a copy of the letter and every enclosure, and keep the mailing receipt with them.
The FCRA Section 611 timeline
Section 611 sets deadlines on the bureau, not on the outcome. Each window below carries the subsection it comes from; the day the bureau receives your letter is the day the clock starts.
| Event | Window | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bureau forwards your dispute to the furnisher | Within 5 business days of receiving it, with the relevant information you provided | 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(2)(A) |
| Bureau completes its reinvestigation | Within 30 days of receiving your dispute | 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(1)(A) |
| Extension when you send more relevant information during the 30 days | Up to 15 additional days, for 45 in total | 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(1)(B) |
| Dispute that follows a free annual file disclosure | Not later than 45 days after the bureau receives the dispute | 15 U.S.C. § 1681j(a)(3) |
| Written notice of the results | Not later than 5 business days after the reinvestigation is completed | 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(6)(A) |
| Item found inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable | Promptly deleted or modified, as appropriate, based on the results | 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(5)(A) |
| Bureau decides the dispute is frivolous or irrelevant | Notice to you within 5 business days of that determination | 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(3)(B) |
| Description of the reinvestigation procedure, on your request | Within 15 days of the bureau receiving your request | 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(7) |
Two limits apply everywhere. Accurate information cannot be removed by disputing it: the FTC states that no one can legally have accurate, current information taken off a report. And the statute's rule for unverifiable information, that it must be deleted or modified, is a duty the bureau carries out after its own reinvestigation; a letter can invoke it but cannot decide it.
What happens next
Results. The bureau must send written notice of the results within 5 business days after it finishes, and the FTC notes that if the reinvestigation changes your report you are entitled to a free copy. Read the results against your letter: the item may be corrected, deleted, or verified as reported.
Statement of dispute. If you disagree with the result, Section 611(b) lets you file a brief statement of dispute, which the bureau may limit to 100 words if it helps you write it, and Section 611(c) requires that statement or a summary of it to travel with the item in later reports. You can also ask for the description of the reinvestigation procedure under Section 611(a)(7).
CFPB complaint. A complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is forwarded to the bureau, which is asked to respond. The CFPB complaint guide on this site explains when that step is worth taking and what to attach.
Identity theft. If the item exists because someone used your identity, Section 611 is not the only route. FCRA Section 605B, 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2, requires a bureau to block information that resulted from identity theft within 4 business days of a complete request, which includes a copy of an identity theft report as defined in 12 CFR 1022.3(i). The 605B guide walks through that packet.
Analyze your report, then prepare and mail the letter yourself
Upload your report for a free read-only analysis. 605b.ai reads the report's own text, flags items worth a closer look, and maps each one to the statute that fits. With a one-time purchase you can use statute-specific letter templates to prepare a Section 611 dispute, then review, print, sign and mail it to the bureau yourself.
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Every deadline, statutory element and definition above was checked against the statute, regulation or agency page listed here on 2026-09-04. The statute text governs; if a page here has moved, search the section number on the same site.
- FCRA Section 611, 15 U.S.C. § 1681i (reinvestigation procedure and timelines), statute text at Cornell LII (checked 2026-09-04)
- FCRA Section 612, 15 U.S.C. § 1681j (45-day reinvestigation window after a free annual report) (checked 2026-09-04)
- FCRA Section 623, 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2 (furnisher duties and direct disputes), statute text at Cornell LII (checked 2026-09-04)
- FCRA Section 605B, 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2 (identity theft block) (checked 2026-09-04)
- CFPB: Regulation V, 12 CFR 1022.3 (definitions, including identity theft report at 1022.3(i)) (checked 2026-09-04)
- FTC: Sample letter to credit bureaus disputing errors on credit reports (checked 2026-09-04)
- FTC: Disputing errors on your credit reports (checked 2026-09-04)
- CFPB: How do I dispute an error on my credit report? (checked 2026-09-04)
- CFPB: How long does it take to resolve an error on a credit report? (checked 2026-09-04)
- CFPB: What if I disagree with the results of my credit report dispute? (checked 2026-09-04)
- AnnualCreditReport.com: the official site for free annual credit reports (checked 2026-09-04)
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