Know Your Rights

FCRA

Fair Credit Reporting Act

The FCRA gives you the right to accurate, fair, and private information in your credit file. Credit bureaus and creditors must follow strict rules — and violations can cost them up to $1,000 per incident.

Right to dispute errors

You can dispute any inaccurate or incomplete information on your credit report. Bureaus must investigate within 30 days and remove items they cannot verify.

Generate Dispute Letter

Free annual credit report

You are entitled to one free credit report per year from each bureau — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — at AnnualCreditReport.com. This is your legal right.

Negative items must expire

Most negative items — late payments, collections, charge-offs — must be removed after 7 years. Bankruptcies after 10 years. If they stay longer, that is a violation you can dispute.

Dispute Outdated Item

Right to know who pulled your report

You have the right to know every company that has accessed your credit report in the past two years. Unauthorized inquiries can be disputed and removed.

Dispute Unauthorized Inquiry

Right to add a statement

If a dispute is not resolved in your favor, you can add a 100-word consumer statement to your credit file explaining your side of the story.

Right to damages for violations

If a bureau or creditor willfully violates the FCRA, you can sue for actual damages, statutory damages up to $1,000, plus attorney fees.

FDCPA

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

The FDCPA protects you from abusive, unfair, and deceptive debt collectors. They have strict rules about when and how they can contact you — and violations carry real consequences.

Right to stop collector calls

Send a written cease-and-desist letter and debt collectors must stop contacting you. Violations of this right carry fines up to $1,000 per incident plus damages.

Collectors cannot call at unreasonable hours

Debt collectors cannot call before 8 AM or after 9 PM your local time. They also cannot call your workplace if you tell them your employer disapproves.

Right to verify the debt

Within 30 days of first contact, you can request written verification of the debt. The collector must stop collection activity until they provide this verification.

No harassment or abuse

Collectors cannot threaten violence, use obscene language, make false statements, or repeatedly call to harass you. These are federal violations.

No false or misleading statements

Collectors cannot lie about who they are, the amount you owe, or threaten legal action they cannot or do not intend to take.

Right to sue for violations

You can sue a debt collector in federal court within one year of the violation. You may recover actual damages, up to $1,000 in statutory damages, and attorney fees.

ECOA

Equal Credit Opportunity Act

The ECOA prohibits credit discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, or because you receive public assistance. Every person deserves equal access to credit.

Right to know why you were denied

If you are denied credit, the lender must tell you why in writing within 30 days. You can then dispute the reason or correct the issue.

No discrimination in lending

Lenders cannot deny you credit, charge higher rates, or offer worse terms based on your race, gender, religion, national origin, marital status, or age.

Income from public assistance counts

Lenders cannot discount or ignore income you receive from public assistance programs when evaluating your credit application.

Right to have credit in your own name

You have the right to apply for and maintain credit in your own name, regardless of marital status.

Right to sue for discrimination

If you believe you have been discriminated against, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) or sue in federal court.

Ready to fight back?

Use your rights. Generate a dispute letter and start removing errors from your report today.

Generate a Dispute Letter