How to repair your credit yourself — free, step by step

Step 1: Get all three credit reports — free

Go to AnnualCreditReport.com, the only site authorized by law for free reports. You can now get reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion every week, free. Each bureau's report can be different, so check all three.

Look for: accounts you don't recognize, late payments you didn't make, wrong balances, paid or closed accounts still shown open, duplicate accounts, inquiries you didn't authorize, wrong names or addresses, and negative items older than seven years.

Step 2: Dispute every error

Errors are common — credit reporting was the subject of 88% of all complaints the CFPB received in 2025. You can dispute online, by phone or by mail; mail with a return receipt gives you proof of what you sent. The bureau must investigate within 30 days, and items it can't verify must be corrected or deleted.

Write your dispute letter free →

Also dispute with the company that reported the item, and if a debt collector contacts you about a debt you don't owe, dispute it in writing within 30 days of their first letter.

Step 3: Pay every bill on time from now on

Payment history is about 35% of a FICO score — the biggest single factor. Set up autopay for at least the minimum on every card and loan. One missed payment reported 30+ days late can stay on your report for up to seven years, but its effect fades as you add months of on-time payments.

Step 4: Lower your credit card balances

"Amounts owed" — mostly your credit utilization, the share of your card limits you're using — is about 30% of a FICO score. Lower balances usually help as soon as the next statement is reported. Paying before the statement closes, paying the highest-rate card first, and avoiding new charges all help. See how fast extra payments clear a card:

Step 5: Protect what's working

• Keep old cards open — they add to your available credit and the length of your history (about 15% of a FICO score).
• Apply for new credit only when you need it — each application adds a hard inquiry (new credit is about 10%).
• Starting from scratch? A secured card or credit-builder loan, paid on time, builds history.

How long does credit repair take?

Are credit repair companies worth it?

The FTC is direct about this: "Anything a credit repair company can do legally, you'll be able to do for yourself for little or no cost." Under the Credit Repair Organizations Act, a company:

• can't charge you until it has performed the services it promised,
• must give you a written contract with the services, total cost and time frame,
• must let you cancel within three business days without charge,
• can't lie about what it can do.

Red flags: payment up front, a promise to remove accurate negative items, advice to create a "new credit identity", or telling you not to contact the credit bureaus yourself.

Never file a false identity theft report. The FTC warned in 2026 that influencers are pushing this "trick" — it's a crime that can bring fines or prison, and it can leave your credit worse off.

The truth about "609 letters"

Section 609 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to see the information in your credit file. It isn't a loophole that forces bureaus to delete accounts. Accurate items stay. The letters that work dispute specific information that is wrong — the bureau then has to verify it or remove it.