How Long Does Information Stay on Your Credit Report?

Understanding how long different types of information stay on your credit report is crucial for managing your financial health. By maintaining a positive payment history, managing your credit accounts wisely, and keeping personal information up to date, you can build a solid credit profile over time. Regularly reviewing your credit report and addressing any inaccuracies or disputes promptly can help ensure the accuracy and reliability of your credit information. Remember, an informed approach to credit management can pave the way for a healthier financial future.

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Your credit report plays a crucial role in determining your financial health. It’s a comprehensive record of your credit history, including your borrowing habits, payment history, and outstanding debts. But have you ever wondered how long certain information stays on your credit report?

How long do derogatory marks stay on your credit report?

If your poor or fair credit score is keeping you from receiving a car loan, mortgage, or credit card, this doesn’t have to be the way your life is from now on. You may be surprised at how quickly your credit score can improve. Once you understand what’s holding you back from good or excellent credit and the ways that your credit report removes negative payment history over time.

Negative items appear on your credit report for two reasons:

1. You did something that creditors consider bad, like miss a payment or declare bankruptcy.
2. There was a mistake in reporting, either by the original creditor, collector or credit bureau.

If you come across an item on your credit report that is a mistake, it is essential to engage in credit repair by disputing it with the credit bureau. The credit bureau is given a 30-day timeframe to verify the accuracy of the information. If they are unable to do so, they are obligated to remove the item from your credit report.

But oftentimes, the negative information in your report is legitimate. In other words, you really incurred the penalty and the information is correct. If so, then there aren’t many legal options for how to get something bad off your credit report.

Most negative payment history automatically drops off your credit report after a specific number of years. You usually just need to wait it out and take steps to build credit in the meantime. If you make timely payments on all current credit accounts, your credit score should improve significantly once your old, negative credit history drops from your credit report.

Following up after the clock runs out

Even if negative items are legitimately earned, you must make sure they only affect your credit for the allotted time. You basically need to follow up by reviewing your credit after the item should expire. Then you check to make sure it no longer appears.

So, let’s say you missed a payment in June 2011:

• The creditor would only report the missed payment to the credit bureaus once it was 30 days late.
• That means the missed payment got reported in August 2011.
• Missed payments stay on your credit report for seven years from the date they were reported.
• As such, the last month it should appear on your credit report is August 2018
• Thus, you should check your credit report in September 2018 to make sure the missed payment item is gone.

Negative items on your credit report

Your credit report serves as a window into your financial past, detailing your credit history and providing lenders with valuable insights. However, negative items on your credit report can cast a shadow on your creditworthiness and affect your ability to secure loans, credit cards, or favorable interest rates. By understanding these negative elements, you’ll be better equipped to take proactive steps toward credit repair and financial well-being.

Late payment and collections history

If you fell behind on payments, defaulted on a loan or had to fend off collection agencies hounding you for past-due accounts, that negative payment history will drop your credit score faster than a buy-here-pay-here car lot approving a car loan at an outlandishly high-interest rate.

Payment history is one of the biggest factors in calculating your credit score, making up around 35 percent of the total score. But those past mistakes don’t have to put you at the mercy of predatory lenders for the rest of your life.

Negative payment accounts drop off your credit report after seven years. Seven years may seem like a long time, but keep in mind that some of the negative accounts on your credit report may have already been there several years.

Meanwhile, if you’re making timely payments on other credit accounts, your score should steadily improve as each old account falls off your credit report.

Find out: What Happens when My Account Goes to Collections?

Bankruptcy

If you filed bankruptcy, you may think your credit is ruined forever. However, even bankruptcy automatically drops off your credit report eventually after seven to ten years, depending on which type you filed.

With Chapter 7 bankruptcy, unsecured debt such as credit cards gets wiped out or discharged. Chapter 7 bankruptcy will remain on your credit report for ten years, according to major credit bureau Experian. If you filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy, allowing you to keep paying on your debts over time, that negative credit mark will drop off your credit report after seven years.

Once those bankruptcy filings drop, you’ll have a clean slate. And if you’ve been making timely payments over the years, your credit score should improve significantly.

Find out: How Often Can You File Bankruptcy and What Happens When You File Twice?

Charge-off debts

When a creditor gives up on collecting a debt you didn’t pay, that may appear as a charge-off entry on your credit report, counting as negative payment history. Like other negative payment history, charge-offs will drop automatically from your credit report after seven years.

Find out: What Should I Do If I Made a Mistake While Disputing Charge-Offs?

When do derogatory marks fall off?

This shows you how long a negative item can stay on your credit report:

Type of Negative Item	Amount of Time It’s Reported
How long do charge-offs stay on your credit report?	180 days plus seven years from the date the first payment was missed (creditors move an account to charge-off after 6 months on nonpayment)
How long does Chapter 7 stay on your credit report if you declare bankruptcy?	10 years from the date you filed
How long does Chapter 13 bankruptcy stay on your credit report if you declare bankruptcy?	7 years from the date you file
How long does a collection account stay on your credit?	180 days plus seven years from the date the first payment was missed on the original account (i.e. it should the collection account disappears at the same time as the charge off)
How long does a credit inquiry stay on your credit report if you authorize a credit check?	“Hard” inquiries stay on your report 2 years from the date that you authorized the credit check; however, these inquiries only affect your credit score for 6 months
How long does debt settlement stay on your credit report?	7 years from the date of final discharge (i.e. after the creditor receives the settlement money and discharges the remaining balance)
How long does a defaulted private student loan stay on your credit report?	7 years from the date the account first became delinquent (i.e. you missed your first payment)
How long does a defaulted federal student loan stay on your credit report?	7 years from the date of first delinquency OR after 6 consecutive payments to bring the loan current, except for Perkins Loans, which remain until the loan is paid in full
How long does a delinquent account stay on your credit report?	7 years from the date that the account first became delinquent
How long does a default stay on your credit report?	6 years from the default date
How long does an eviction stay on your credit report?	7 years from that of the eviction; it’s the same amount of time it takes for the eviction to be deleted from the public record
How long does a foreclosure stay on your credit report?	7 years from the date your mortgage first became delinquent
How long does a short sale stay on your credit report?	Most lenders won’t distinguish between short sales and foreclosures because the lender received less than the full loan amount originally agreed upon. A short sale may show up on your credit reports as “not paid as agreed,” Short sales will stay on your record for 7 years
How long does a judgment stay on your credit report?	Paid court judgments remain for 7 years from the judgment filing date; unpaid court judgments can remain indefinitely if the judgment is renewed; otherwise, it matches the statute of limitations on the judgment
How long do late payments stay on your credit report?	Late payments are only reported after they are more than 30 days late; then they stay on your report for 7 years from the date the creditor reported it
How long do medical collections stay on your credit report?	7 years from the date the original medical expense became delinquent
How long do missed payments stay on your credit report?	Creditors report missed payments after 30, 60, 90 and 120 days; they remain on your report for 7 years from the date they were reported
How long do missed child support payments stay on your credit report?	7 years from the original date of delinquency
How long do public records stay on your credit report?	These vary based on the type of record; see: judgments, Chapter 7, Chapter 13, evictions foreclosure, repossession and tax liens
How long does a repossession stay on your credit report?	7 years from the original delinquency date on the loan secured with the collateral taken
How long doe settled accounts stay on your credit report?	7 years from the date of final discharge
How long does a tax lien stay on your credit report?	In the past, tax liens could remain on your credit report for up to 15 years if they went unpaid. However, as of April 2018, all three credit bureaus stopped reporting tax liens on consumer credit reports.

Positive items in your credit report

That covers all the negative items that can appear in your credit report. But there are also positive items in your credit. Those generally stay longer. In fact, neutral or positive credit report information can remain indefinitely. However, to keep credit reports manageable, the credit bureaus remove information after a certain amount of time.

Type of Positive Action	Amount of Time It’s Reported
How long does a closed account stay on your credit report?	The account remains on your credit report for 10 years from the date of last activity (DLA) as long as it was closed in good standing.
How long do open accounts stay on your credit report?	As long as there is activity on the account, open accounts in good standing remain indefinitely
How long does a debt stay on your credit file?	A debt stays on your credit 10 years from the date of final payoff
How long does payment history stay on your credit report?	Positive payment history (i.e. payments you make on time) can remain indefinitely; however, the credit bureaus typically only show payments going back 10 years on your credit report