Credit Bureau Dispute Letter for a Collection Account (Sample)

This page gives you a credit bureau dispute letter for a collection account and a follow-up letter for when a dispute comes back "verified." For the full process — auditing your reports, what the bureau must do, and how to escalate — see How to Dispute a Collection With the Credit Bureaus.

What a dispute can and can't do

Under Section 611 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can dispute information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. The bureau must investigate, generally within 30 days, and correct or delete anything that's inaccurate, incomplete, or can't be verified (15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)). It's not an eraser for accurate information — and claiming an account isn't yours when it is would be a false statement.

Real errors on collection accounts are common: wrong balances, the same debt showing a balance twice, a newer date of first delinquency than the real one (re-aging), accounts past the seven-year window, paid accounts still showing unpaid, or a missing "disputed" note after you disputed with the collector.

What to include

• Your full name, current address, and date of birth.
• The collector's name and the account number as it appears on the report.
• Exactly what's wrong and why. Not "this is inaccurate." Instead: "The balance is reported as $1,247. The collector's own letter dated March 3 shows $894."
• What you want done: correct it or delete it.
• A list of enclosed documents.
• A request for the results in writing.
• One paragraph per account if you're disputing more than one.

Attach copies, never originals: receipts or bank statements showing payment, settlement letters, old statements showing when you fell behind, collector letters showing a different balance, an identity theft report if applicable, plus a copy of your ID and a recent utility bill or similar proof of address. The bureau must forward all relevant information you send to the company that reported the account (§ 1681i(a)(2)).

Sample dispute letter

[Your Full Name]
[Your Current Address]
[City, State ZIP]
Date of birth: [MM/DD/YYYY]

[Date]

[Bureau Name — Equifax / Experian / TransUnion]
[Current dispute mailing address from the bureau's website]

Re: Dispute of inaccurate information — Fair Credit Reporting Act § 611

I am disputing the following information in my credit file as inaccurate or incomplete.

Account: [Collector name], account number [as shown on report]
What is wrong: [Be specific. Example: "The balance is reported as $1,247. The collector's letter dated March 3, 2026 (enclosed) shows $894."]
[Or: "The date of first delinquency is reported as June 2023. My original creditor statements (enclosed) show I first fell behind in August 2020 and never caught up."]
Requested action: Please correct this information or delete it if it cannot be verified.

Enclosed (copies):
1. [Document]
2. [Document]
3. Copy of my driver's license / state ID
4. Copy of a recent utility bill showing my current address

Please investigate as required by 15 U.S.C. § 1681i and send me the results in writing.

Sincerely,

[Signature]
[Printed Name]

Follow-up: request the method of verification

If the bureau says the information was verified and you still believe it's wrong, you can ask how it verified it. The bureau must give you a description of the procedure, including the business name and address of the company it contacted (and phone number, if reasonably available), within 15 days of your request (15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(6)(B)(iii), (a)(7)).

[Your Full Name]
[Your Current Address]
[City, State ZIP]

[Date]

[Bureau Name]
[Dispute mailing address]

Re: Request for description of reinvestigation procedure — 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(7)

On [date], I disputed the following account: [collector name, account number as shown]. Your results dated [date] state the information was verified.

Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(7), please provide a description of the procedure used to determine the accuracy and completeness of this information, including the business name and address of any furnisher contacted and its telephone number if reasonably available.

I continue to dispute this information because [specific reason]. [Optional: I have enclosed the following new information: ___.]

Sincerely,

[Signature]
[Printed Name]

Before you send

After you send it

The bureau generally has 30 days from receiving your dispute to finish (up to 45 in some cases), and must send you results in writing within five business days of finishing. You'll get one of three outcomes: deleted, updated, or verified. If something deleted later reappears, the bureau must notify you in writing within five business days. Full process and escalation options.