How to Dispute TransUnion Credit Report Errors

TransUnion is one of the three national credit bureaus. Like Experian and Equifax, it gathers credit-related data and demographic information on consumers and sells it to lenders, insurers, human resources departments and others who need it for decision making. Although TransUnion and the other two agencies do not doublecheck their information for mistakes, consumers can check it themselves. The Fair Credit Reporting Act outlines a dispute process that can force TransUnion to fix any errors on your credit report.

• 1

  Order a TransUnion credit report from the agency, or through the official Annualcreditreport.com website. Note that although TransUnion normally charges a fee for copies of credit reports, the law requires it to provide one free report per year to consumers who request it through Annualcreditreport.com.

• 2

  Circle or highlight questionable entries on the TransUnion credit report. Mistakes may be as blatant as timely payments that a lender reported as late, or as subtle as slightly misspelled creditor names, according to Motley Fool's consumer finance expert Dayana Yochim. Inaccurate negative items are the most important ones to challenge, because removing them will quickly improve your credit score.

• 3

  Print or copy any documentation that proves TransUnion is reporting incorrect data. For example, you can copy your canceled checks, or print out your electronic billing statement, to challenge erroneous delinquent payment reports. Though not legally required for a dispute, this gives your claim more credibility.

• 4

  Print out the TransUnion mail dispute form on the agency's website (see Resources). TransUnion also allows telephone and email disputes, but the Federal Trade Commission recommends sending written correspondence by registered mail.

• 5

  Complete the dispute form, individually listing each mistake on the TransUnion credit report. Use the back of the form if you need more space. Fill out the demographic information, attach any evidence that supports your claims, and send the form by registered mail to the TransUnion address specified on the form.

• 6

  Review your new TransUnion credit report within 45 days to make sure they eliminated all the errors. According to TransUnion, it will correct entries where appropriate, and delete any entries that creditors do not verify.