How Long Are Collections On Your Credit Report?

How Long Are Collections On Your Credit Report?

Jun 16, 2022

Defaulting on debt obligations will compel your original creditor sometimes to sell your debt to a debt collector. The three central credit bureaus also receive adverse information after your debt is in the collection.

After some time, they must remove the collection amount from your report. If you want to remove the collection earlier or believe it is an error, there are many ways to find remove it from your credit report.

This article focuses on helping you through the steps to take before removing collection accounts from your credit report.

How to Get Collections of Your Credit Report?

Research And Check All Credit Reports

To receive information on your collection account, review all your credit reports. Annualcreditreport.com can help you achieve your goal and provide a free report copy annually. However, the coronavirus pandemic also has its benefits because it allows you to check all your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus free of charge until April 20, 2022.

Any collections paid or unpaid will be listed in your credit report, including the balances you owe. In addition, the due dates of the accounts delinquency will also be recorded. If you are unaware of the original creditor or if it is not listed on your report, you can request the collection agency to provide the information.

After receiving the report, compare the collection details listed against the records in your possession. If you don’t have any documents, view your payment history with the original creditor by logging into the account listed.

Ascertain The Accounts Legitimacy

When reviewing the collection listed against your name, ensure the debt belongs to you. If it doesn’t, or you made payments on time, dispute the error to remove it from the collection on your report.

Choose An Action Plan

Below are three action plans you can try to remove collections listed on your report.

  1. Dispute Incorrect or Incomplete Collection Accounts: If you notice incorrect or incomplete collection figures on your credit report, you have the power to dispute the information directly with the credit bureaus or the creditor. The fair credit reporting act provides you the freedom to do so. You can argue the collection using dispute forms on the credit bureau’s website. However, if you find it challenging, you can utilize the services of a debt collection attorney near you for help.
  2. After disputing the collection, the credit reporting agency has a month to investigate your claim. If they determine your information is incorrect, they take the collection amount from your report. However, if the reverse is true, the collection amount remains on your account for up to seven years.
  3. Request for Goodwill Deletions: If you find a paid collection on your report, you can merely ask the debt collector or original creditor to remove the collection. The request generally entails sending the debt collector or collection agency a goodwill deletion letter detailing your mistake, asking for forgiveness, and showing improvements in your payment history.
  4. A goodwill deletion letter does not guarantee the removal of the collection for your credit report. However, if the collector removes the account, it helps you qualify for better terms on credit cards, mortgages, and personal loans.
  5. Wait for the Debt to Fall off: If the legitimacy of the debt is undisputed and you can’t convince the debt collector to remove it from your report, the only alternative available is to hire the services of a business lawyer attorney in Tulsa or to wait until the debt falls off. After seven years of its delinquency, the collection amount should fall off your report. Unfortunately, the collection remains on your account and impacts your overall credit score. However, its impact lessens as time passes.

Paid or unpaid collections legally remain on your credit report for seven years after they initially became delinquent. Collection reports can cause severe damage to your credit score. However, how much it impacts depends on the credit scoring model you use for the calculation and whether the account is paid or unpaid.

If you are confused with how credit scoring models work or are unaware of how to proceed to remove the collections from your report, Aaron Bruner law can provide you expert guidance to overcome the challenges confronted and get your credit report back on track.

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