Credit Report Dispute Letter (FCRA Template + 30-Day Reinvestigation)

[Your Full Name (and any prior names)]
[Date of Birth]
[Last 4 of SSN]
[Current Address]
[Prior Addresses — past 2 years]
[Phone Number]

[Date]

[Bureau Name — choose one per letter]
[Bureau Dispute Address — see addresses below]

Sent via certified mail, return receipt requested

Re: Formal Dispute Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681i — Credit File Disputed Item(s)
File / Report Number: [If you have your credit report's reference number, include it]

Dear Dispute Department:

I am writing pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 1681i to formally dispute the following item(s) in my credit file, which I believe to be inaccurate, incomplete, or otherwise improperly reported:

  Item 1
    Furnisher / creditor name as listed on the report: [Name]
    Account number (as it appears on the report — last 4 or partial is fine): [Number]
    Specific dispute: [E.g., "This account was paid in full on [date] and should be reported as paid, not as a collection." Or: "I have no record of opening this account and may be the victim of identity theft." Or: "This item is more than seven years old and should be removed under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)."]
    Correction requested: [E.g., "Update the account status to 'paid' and remove all derogatory notations" / "Delete the account entirely" / "Remove the item from my file"]

  Item 2 (repeat as needed)
    [...]

Supporting documentation is enclosed:

  • A copy of the credit report with the disputed items circled or highlighted;
  • [Copies of paid receipts / settlement letters / court records / bank statements / canceled checks / police reports / FTC Identity Theft Report / any prior dispute correspondence]
  • [If identity-theft related: my FTC Identity Theft Report obtained from IdentityTheft.gov, and a statement that the items did not result from any transaction by me, sufficient to invoke the four-business-day block under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2.]

Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681i:

  1. You must conduct a reasonable reinvestigation of the disputed item(s) free of charge and complete it within 30 calendar days of receipt of this dispute (15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(1)(A));
  2. You may extend the 30-day window by no more than 15 additional days only if I provide additional relevant information during the initial 30 days (15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(1)(B));
  3. You must, within 5 business days of receipt, provide notice of this dispute to the furnisher of the disputed information (15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(2));
  4. You must provide me, within 5 business days of completing the reinvestigation, written results and a free copy of my credit file as revised (15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(6)); and
  5. If the disputed information cannot be verified as accurate, you must promptly delete it from my file or modify it as appropriate (15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(5)).

[Include if applicable:] I am also exercising my right under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2 to require you to block the reporting of any information in my file that resulted from identity theft. I have included my FTC Identity Theft Report; please block these items within 4 business days as required by § 1681c-2(a).

Please send all written correspondence to the address above. If you have questions, please contact me in writing.

Sincerely,

[Your Signature]
[Your Printed Name]

Enclosures: [Listed above]