Last reviewed: 30 September 2026
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Your credit dispute came back "verified." What can you do next?
A "verified" result is not the end of your options. The bureau must send written results, you can ask for a description of how the item was checked, you can add a short statement to your file, you can dispute directly with the company that reported the item, and you can complain to regulators.
Why it matters
Many people stop after the first answer. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) attaches specific rights to that answer, some with deadlines, and a few of them only work if you ask for them.
The short version
- Written results: the bureau must give you written notice of the results of its reinvestigation no later than 5 business days after completing it, by mail or by other means you authorize.[1]
- With the results, it must give you a statement that the reinvestigation is completed, a consumer report based on your revised file, and notices of your rights: to ask for a description of the procedure, to add a statement to your file, and to ask that it notify certain recipients.[1]
- Description of the procedure: on request, the bureau must describe the procedure used to determine accuracy and completeness, including the business name and address of any furnisher it contacted and that furnisher's phone number if reasonably available. The description is due no later than 15 days after it receives your request.[1]
- Statement of dispute: if the reinvestigation does not resolve the dispute, you may file a brief statement of the nature of the dispute. The bureau may limit it to 100 words if it helps you write a clear summary.[1]
- In later reports: unless there are reasonable grounds to believe the statement is frivolous or irrelevant, the bureau must note in any later report containing that information that you dispute it, and include your statement or a clear and accurate summary of it.[1]
Steps in order
| Step | What it is | Limits to know |
|---|---|---|
| Read the results notice | Check the revised report and the listed rights.[1] | Results are due within 5 business days of completing the reinvestigation.[1] |
| Ask for the description of the procedure | Learn how accuracy was determined and which furnisher was contacted.[1] | Due within 15 days of your request.[1] See why this request does not force a deletion. |
| Add a statement | A brief statement of the nature of the dispute, carried on later reports.[1] | The CFPB says the right to add a statement applies only to disputes you submitted to a credit reporting company, not to disputes you submitted directly to a furnisher.[3] |
| Ask for notification of the outcome | At your request, the bureau must send notice of a deletion, or your statement or its summary, to anyone you specifically designate who received a report containing that information: within two years for employment purposes, within six months for any other purpose.[1] | The recipients must be ones you designate.[1] |
| Dispute with the furnisher | A direct dispute to the company that reported the item. It must investigate a reasonable direct dispute about, for example, liability, terms, or payment history, and report results to you within the period a bureau would have had.[2][5] | Exceptions include identifying information, information derived from public records, information another furnisher reported, and a dispute the furnisher reasonably believes was prepared for you by a credit repair organization. A dispute substantially the same as one already handled may be treated as frivolous unless it includes new required information.[2] |
| Complain | The CFPB, your state attorney general, and others.[3][4] | For a CFPB complaint about inaccurate information, you attest that you disputed more than 45 days ago or that the dispute is no longer pending.[6] |
A new dispute with more information
The statute requires a bureau to review and consider all relevant information you submit during the reinvestigation period.[1] It also lets a bureau end a reinvestigation it reasonably determines is frivolous or irrelevant, including for lack of sufficient information, and it must tell you within 5 business days and say what information is needed.[1] The rule for furnishers adds that a direct dispute is not treated as substantially the same as an earlier one if it includes required information not previously provided.[2] In short: if you have documents you did not send before, say what they are and attach them. For the automated systems behind this, see why mass disputing does not work.
Legal help
The CFPB says that credit reporting companies that break the law can be held liable for damages and attorney fees, that time limits apply to bringing a lawsuit, and that you can speak with a lawyer and may qualify for free legal services in your community. Servicemembers can contact a legal assistance office.[3]
Your options, step by step
- Read the notice and calendar the dates. Note when you received it and the 15-day clock for any description you request.[1]
- Request the description of the procedure in writing and keep a copy.
- Decide on a statement, and on designating recipients if an employer or lender recently pulled the report.[1]
- Dispute with the furnisher if the error concerns an account; see furnishers and your dispute rights, including the limits on suing over a direct dispute.
- Complain if the process failed; see where to file.
- If identity theft is behind the item, see blocking fraudulent information from your report.
What this page does not cover
It does not say whether your item is accurate or whether it should be removed, and it does not cover how long accurate negative items may be reported (see that guide).
When we will update this page
We revisit it when 15 U.S.C. § 1681i or Regulation V's direct-dispute rule is amended, or when the CFPB changes its dispute or complaint pages.
What you can do next
- Find a company — see which specific US companies we checked and what we could verify.
- How we check — the rules and sources behind each result.
- More credit help guides
- Report an error on this page or in a result.