Credit dispute letter templates, and where to send them
This is the hub: one printable letter that works for Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, plus the three addresses to send it to. It is your own statutory right under 15 U.S.C. §1681i, you send it yourself, and what happens next is decided by the bureau or a court — not by us.
Addresses checked against the bureaus’ own dispute pages; statute text read in full at law.cornell.edu on 15 October 2026. Checked 15 October 2026.
First: which letter do you actually need?
Two different statutes, two different recipients, and most people confuse them. If the information sits on your credit report, it goes to the bureau under §1681i. If a collector is chasing you for the debt, the request to prove it is a separate letter under §1692g. The two are independent and neither starts the other’s clock.
Something is wrong on your report
Balance that is not yours, a duplicate account, a paid account still showing a balance, a collection you have already settled. This is a bureau dispute.
The letter below is this one. Addresses are on this page.
Someone is trying to collect the debt
Letters, calls, a lawsuit. This one is a request that the collector prove the debt is theirs and the amount is right.
See the debt collector dispute letter — it is a different template with a different citation.
Start online — then use mail if you need to
All three bureaus lead with the online route, and for good reason: it is faster, gives an instant confirmation, and starts the statutory clock without waiting for the mail. Equifax describes an online service so you can do it yourself; Experian’s dispute page leads with “Dispute online”; TransUnion offers online but documents mail as the alternative. The letter below is that documented mail route.
| Bureau | Dispute free online | Mail dispute address |
|---|---|---|
| Equifax full page |
equifax.com/personal/disputes | Equifax Information Services LLC P.O. Box 740256 Atlanta, GA 30374-0256 |
| Experian full page |
experian.com/help/dispute-credit | Experian Dispute by Mail P.O. Box 4500 Allen, TX 75013 |
| TransUnion full page |
Online and mail details, plus a verification caveat | TransUnion Consumer Solutions P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016-2000 |
TransUnion routes to our own page on purpose: we could not open transunion.com from our fetcher, so that address was confirmed from archived captures of 13 January and 19 February 2026 rather than a live page. Confirm it on transunion.com before you mail. It is also the address most often printed slightly differently — see the full address comparison.
The letter
One template covers all three bureaus. Replace every bracket, and change only the bureau name and address at the top. Keep the bracketed identity line short unless the bureau’s own instructions ask for more.
What to enclose, and how to send it
- Mark the line you are disputing. One item per letter; a letter listing eleven problems invites a “frivolous” determination it does not need.
- Send copies, never originals. The report page and your ID are enough.
- Certified mail, return receipt requested. The 30 days runs from when the bureau receives the dispute, not from your postmark. Keep the green card.
- One letter per bureau. Each file and each clock is separate, and the same account often appears at some bureaus and not others.
The 30-day clock, precisely
Under §1681i(a)(1)(A) the agency must complete its reinvestigation before the end of the 30-day period beginning on the day it receives your notice, free of charge. Under §1681i(a)(1)(B) that period may be extended by up to 15 additional days, but only if you send information during those 30 days that is relevant to the investigation. If the information is inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable, §1681i(a)(5)(A) requires prompt deletion or correction and notice to the furnisher — and under §1681i(a)(5)(B)(i) the burden sits with the furnisher: deleted information cannot return unless that person certifies it is complete and accurate. If the agency calls the dispute frivolous or irrelevant it must tell you within 5 business days, with reasons and what information it needs, under §1681i(a)(3)(B).
Where to go next
- One bureau at a time: Equifax · Experian · TransUnion, with each bureau’s own page, address quirks and ZIP conflicts.
- A collector is chasing you: the debt collector dispute letter — the collector-side template under §1692g.
- You need the full validation letter: the debt validation letter — the long version with all five required contents spelled out.
- An account was sold and written off: the charge-off guide, including the seven-year clock under §1681c(a)(4).
- The bureau upheld it, or nobody answered: where to file by state.
Questions people actually ask
Which dispute letter do I need?
It depends who holds the information. To correct an entry on your credit report, write to the bureau that holds the file, under §1681i. To make a collector prove the debt itself, write to the collector, under §1692g. They are independent, they run on different clocks, and one does not start the other.
Do I have to mail it, or can I dispute online?
Both work, and all three bureaus lead with the online route. Equifax describes an online service so you can do it yourself; Experian’s dispute page leads with “Dispute online”; TransUnion offers online but documents mail as the alternative. Online is usually faster and gives an instant confirmation. Mail is the documented route, and the one you want when a particular document has to be attached to the dispute.
How long does a bureau have to investigate?
Thirty days from the day it receives your dispute, free of charge, under §1681i(a)(1)(A). It may take up to 15 additional days if you send it relevant information during those 30 days, under §1681i(a)(1)(B). Note that this is different from the collector’s five-day clock, which is calendar days — that one is on a different statute entirely.
Do I need a separate letter for each bureau?
Yes. Each bureau keeps its own file and runs its own reinvestigation, and the same account is frequently reported to some bureaus and not others. An entry corrected at one bureau may sit untouched at another, so check every report you pull instead of assuming one letter covers all three.
What should I put in the envelope?
The letter naming the specific item you dispute, a copy of the report page showing that item with the line marked, a copy of a government-issued photo ID, and a return address.
Sources
- 15 U.S.C. §1681i — Procedure in case of disputed accuracy — (a)(1)(A) the 30-day duty, (a)(1)(B) the extension, (a)(3)(B) the frivolous notice, (a)(5) deletion and the furnisher’s burden, (b) the 100-word statement.
- The three addresses, checked against the bureaus’ own dispute pages. Where we could not open a bureau page we say so on the row rather than guessing — that is why the TransUnion entry routes internally.
- Read 15 October 2026. Confirm the address before you mail.
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