How to Dispute Errors on Your Equifax Credit Report

About Equifax

Equifax is one of the three major national credit bureaus, along with Experian and TransUnion. Founded in 1899 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Equifax maintains credit files on more than 220 million consumers in the United States. Equifax gained particular notoriety in 2017 when a massive data breach exposed the personal information of approximately 147 million people.

Because each bureau collects data independently, your Equifax report may contain different information (and different errors) than your Experian or TransUnion reports. This is why it is important to check and dispute with each bureau separately.

How to Get Your Equifax Credit Report

Before you can dispute errors, you need a copy of your Equifax credit report. You can obtain one through:

• AnnualCreditReport.com — The only federally authorized source for free annual credit reports. You are entitled to one free Equifax report every 12 months.
• Equifax.com — You can request a report directly through Equifax's website. They offer a free basic report as well as paid monitoring services.
• After a denial — If you are denied credit based on your Equifax report, you are entitled to a free copy within 60 days of the denial.
• Fraud victim — If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to additional free reports.

Common Errors on Equifax Reports

Equifax reports can contain many types of errors. Review your report carefully for:

• Personal information errors — Wrong name spelling, incorrect address, wrong Social Security number, or wrong date of birth
• Account errors — Accounts that are not yours, wrong balance or credit limit, incorrect payment history, or accounts listed as open when they are closed
• Collection errors — Collections for debts you do not owe, duplicate collection entries, or collections that should have aged off
• Public record errors — Incorrect bankruptcy information or outdated judgments
• Inquiry errors — Hard inquiries you did not authorize
• Mixed file errors — Information from another person's credit file mixed into yours (common with similar names or family members)

Three Ways to File an Equifax Dispute

Option 1: Dispute by Mail (Recommended)

Filing your dispute by certified mail is the recommended method because it creates a legal paper trail and allows you to include detailed explanations and supporting documentation.

Mail your dispute to:

Equifax Information Services LLC
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374-0256

Your dispute letter should include:

1. Your full legal name, current address, and date of birth
2. Your Social Security number (last four digits is acceptable for privacy)
3. A clear identification of each item you are disputing (account name, account number, and the specific information that is inaccurate)
4. An explanation of why the information is wrong
5. A specific request (remove the item, correct the information, etc.)
6. Copies (never originals) of supporting documents
7. A reference to your rights under FCRA Section 611

Send via USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt Requested. Keep copies of everything you send, including the certified mail receipt.

Option 2: Dispute Online

You can file disputes online through the Equifax website at equifax.com/personal/disputes. You will need to create an account and verify your identity. While convenient, online disputes have limitations:

• Limited space to explain your dispute
• You may inadvertently agree to binding arbitration in the terms of service
• No physical paper trail proving what you submitted
• Harder to include detailed supporting documentation

Option 3: Dispute by Phone

You can call Equifax at (866) 349-5191 to file a dispute. Phone disputes are the least recommended method because:

• No written record of exactly what you disputed
• You cannot submit supporting documentation during the call
• Difficult to reference specific FCRA provisions

What Happens After You File

After Equifax receives your dispute, the process follows a legally mandated timeline under FCRA Section 611:

1. Equifax sends your dispute to the data furnisher — Within 5 business days of receiving your dispute, Equifax must forward it to the company that reported the information (the furnisher).
2. The furnisher investigates — The furnisher must review the dispute and all relevant evidence, then report back to Equifax.
3. Equifax sends you results — Within 30 days of receiving your dispute (45 days if you sent additional information during the investigation), Equifax must send you a written notice of the results.

The results will be one of three outcomes:

• Modified — The information was updated or corrected.
• Deleted — The disputed item was removed from your report.
• Verified — Equifax claims the information is accurate and it remains unchanged.

If any changes are made, Equifax must provide you with a free updated copy of your credit report.

If Equifax Denies Your Dispute

If Equifax verifies the disputed information and refuses to make changes, you have several options:

1. Request the Method of Verification

Under FCRA Section 611(a)(6)(B)(iii), you can send a letter to Equifax demanding they disclose exactly how they verified the disputed information, including the name, address, and phone number of the furnisher they contacted. This often reveals that Equifax simply forwarded your dispute electronically (through a system called e-OSCAR) and the furnisher clicked "verified" without actually investigating.

2. Dispute Directly with the Furnisher

Under FCRA Section 623, send a dispute letter directly to the company that furnished the information to Equifax. The furnisher has an independent obligation to investigate and cannot simply rubber-stamp a verification.

3. File a CFPB Complaint

File a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. The CFPB will forward your complaint to Equifax, and the bureau is required to respond. CFPB complaints often result in more thorough investigations.

4. Add a Consumer Statement

Under FCRA Section 611(b), you can add a 100-word consumer statement to your credit report explaining the disputed information. While this does not affect your credit score, it provides context to anyone reviewing your report.

5. Consult an FCRA Attorney

If Equifax is reporting inaccurate information and refusing to correct it after a proper dispute, you may have grounds for a lawsuit. The FCRA provides statutory damages of $100 to $1,000 per violation, plus actual damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees. Many FCRA attorneys work on contingency, meaning you pay nothing upfront.

Equifax-Specific Tips

• Equifax uses e-OSCAR — Like the other bureaus, Equifax uses the electronic dispute system e-OSCAR to communicate with furnishers. This system reduces complex disputes to simple codes, which is why detailed mail disputes are more effective.
• Check for data breach impacts — If you were affected by the 2017 Equifax data breach, your information may be particularly vulnerable to mixed-file errors and identity theft. Extra scrutiny is warranted.
• Equifax has a dedicated fraud department — If your dispute involves identity theft, contact the Equifax fraud department at (800) 525-6285.
• Keep records of everything — Equifax has been criticized for losing dispute documentation. Always keep copies and send by certified mail.

How ScoreWipe Makes Equifax Disputes Easy

ScoreWipe analyzes your Equifax credit report, identifies every disputable error, and generates customized dispute letters that cite the specific FCRA sections relevant to each issue. Our platform handles the formatting and legal language so you can focus on what matters: getting your credit report corrected.