Medical Debt on Your Credit Report: What the Rules Are Now
Under the three credit bureaus' current voluntary policy, paid medical collections are removed, medical collections under $500 aren't reported, and unpaid medical collections can't appear until a year after they're sent to collections. The CFPB's 2025 rule to remove most medical debt from credit reports was vacated by a federal court in July 2025. Some states add their own protections.
On this page
Medical debt works differently from other collections on your credit report — but not because of a federal law. Here are the current rules, what happened to the CFPB's rule, and what to do if a medical bill is on your report or headed to collections.
The current rules (bureau policy)
In 2022–2023, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion changed how they handle medical collections:
| Medical collection | Current bureau policy |
|---|---|
| Paid | Removed from credit reports (since July 2022) |
| Original balance under $500 | Not reported (since April 2023) |
| Unpaid, $500 or more | Can't appear until one year after it goes to collections |
These are voluntary policies the bureaus adopted, not federal law. They're still in effect as of this page's review date, but they can change.
What happened to the CFPB medical debt rule?
The CFPB finalized a rule in January 2025 that would have removed most medical debt from credit reports used by lenders. A federal court in the Eastern District of Texas vacated it in July 2025, before it took effect. So there's no federal rule doing that today. Some states have passed their own limits on medical debt reporting or collection — check your state attorney general's website.
If a medical collection is on your report
- Pull all three reports at AnnualCreditReport.com.
- Check each medical collection: Is it paid? Under $500? Less than a year in collections? Yours? The right amount?
- If it fits any rule above, dispute it with every bureau showing it. Include proof of payment if it's paid. How to dispute · Sample dispute letter.
- If it's not yours or the amount is wrong, dispute that too — and if a collector is contacting you, send a validation letter inside the 30-day window.
If a medical collector is contacting you
A third-party agency collecting a medical bill is a debt collector under the FDCPA. You get every protection: a validation notice within five days of first contact, the right to dispute in writing within about 30 days and make it stop collecting until it verifies (15 U.S.C. § 1692g(b)), the right to tell it in writing to stop contacting you, and the conduct rules on calls, threats, and third parties. Debt validation letter · What collectors can't do.
Free toolValidation Deadline CalculatorHow long you have to dispute a debt in writing.Medical bills are often wrong or disputed — an insurance claim that was never processed, a charge billed twice, or a surprise out-of-network bill. A validation request gets you an itemization of the amount the collector claims.
Before a medical bill goes to collections
- Ask for an itemized bill and check it against your insurance explanation of benefits.
- Ask your insurer to reprocess anything denied or coded wrong.
- Ask about financial assistance. Nonprofit hospitals must have written financial assistance policies under federal tax law (IRC § 501(r)), and many apply them based on income. Ask even if the bill is old.
- Ask for a payment plan in writing if you need time.
- If it was a surprise out-of-network bill for emergency care or certain care at an in-network facility, federal surprise-billing protections may apply.
How long can a medical collection stay?
If it's reportable at all, the same FCRA rule as other collections applies: seven years from 180 days after the delinquency began. How long collections stay.
Free toolRemoval Date CalculatorWhen must a collection come off your credit report?Key takeaways
- Paid medical collection on your report? Dispute it.
- Under $500? It shouldn't be reported.
- Less than a year in collections? It shouldn't be reported yet.
- These are bureau policies, not federal law — and they can change.
- Third-party medical debt collectors must follow the FDCPA like any other collector.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a federal law that keeps medical debt off credit reports?
Not currently. The CFPB finalized a rule in January 2025, but a federal court vacated it in July 2025. The protections in place come from the bureaus' own policy and, in some places, state law.
Can a medical debt collector still contact me?
Yes. A third-party collector of a medical bill is covered by the FDCPA, so you have validation rights, the right to stop contact in writing, and all the conduct protections.
Should I ask the hospital for financial assistance even after the bill went to collections?
It's worth asking. Nonprofit hospitals are required to have written financial assistance policies, and some apply them to older bills.
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Sources
- CFPB: Medical debt
- Equifax, Experian, TransUnion joint announcement on medical debt reporting (March 2022)
- FCRA § 611, 15 U.S.C. § 1681i
- 15 U.S.C. § 1692g — validation of debts
- IRS: Requirements for 501(c)(3) hospitals — financial assistance policies (IRC § 501(r))