How Long Do Negative Items Remain on a Credit Report?
As you may know, your credit report contains various information ranging from employment and housing history to credit card and mortgage account activity. It also contains negative information such as collection accounts, charge-offs, bankruptcies, judgments, and tax liens.
Many people who have negative information on their credit report often ask, “From what date are negative items removed from my credit score.”
The answer can vary depending on the type of account, and the associated activity on said account. A general rule of thumb is that typical paid revolving and installment accounts stay on your credit report for 10 years from the date of last activity. Most bankruptcies will remain on your credit report for 10 years. Tax liens remain on your credit report for 7 years from the date they were paid. Lawsuit or judgment information is typically reported for 7 years, and credit inquiries typically stay on your credit report for about 2 years.
Here’s a list of how long negative items stay on your credit report:
Bankruptcy Chapter 13: 7 years from the filing date
Bankruptcy Chapter 7, 11, or 12: 10 years from the filing date
Charge-off: 7 years from the date of original delinquency
Collection: 7 years from date of original delinquency
Credit Inquiries: 2 years
Foreclosure: 7 years from filing date
Judgment: 7 years from date it was reported
Paid Tax Lien: 7 years from date paid
Paid and Closed Revolving/Installment Accounts: 10 years
Unpaid Tax Lien: 15 years
Positive information may remain on your credit report indefinitely, unless the account is closed or inactive.
A few other important things to note:
A collection or charge-off that is paid will not extend the maximum period of reporting beyond 7 years. Collection agencies may try to extend the date by keeping the account active if you make a recent payment, and essentially reset the 7 year period of reporting. If this happens to you, simply write a letter to the credit bureaus and they should remove the collection or charge-off by the original 7 year mark. It is against the law for collection agencies to extend this time period, so make sure you know your rights.
Also note that collection accounts and charge-offs will remain on your credit report for 7 years whether they are paid or not. If you pay them, it will simply change the status to paid, but the account(s) will still remain on your credit report (how to read your credit report). The only way you can legally remove collections and charge-offs any earlier is to write a dispute letter to the credit bureaus claiming the information is reporting in error.
Information is collected different by the three main credit bureaus, and they may vary in how long they report information, and how they report information. That’s why it’s important to get a tri-merge credit report that contains information for all three credit bureaus.
Learn how to remove negative items from credit history.