How To Remove Late Payments From Your Credit Report: The Ultimate Guide

You may be wondering how to remove late payments from your credit report if you've defaulted on a loan or credit card. Late payments negatively impact you and become part of your credit history for up to seven years. Is it possible to remove them and get your score back on track? This guide will help you understand in what situations you can remove late payments from your credit report and when you can't.

How Does A Late Payment Affect Your Credit Report?

A late payment occurs when you miss the minimum payment due on your account. If the lender or credit card issuer reports to credit bureaus, then they will report said missed payment. This "negative" mark, in turn, will appear on your credit report and will lower your credit score. Late payments are one of the most damaging things you can do to your report because 35% of your score is your payment history. In other words, it's the most influential aspect. That's why even one late payment can significantly impact your credit.

#DidYouKnow A bad credit score can make it harder to get approved for financial products.

How Long Do Late Payments Stay On Your Credit Report?

Late payments remain on your report for seven years. However, the impact on your credit score will lessen over time as the late payment gets older and you get other debts. For example, if you missed a payment in 2021, it won't drop off until 7 years later, in 2028. Seven years seems like a long time to wait, but when you consistently pay your bills on time, your credit score will gradually increase each month.

Are The Missed Payments Accurate Or A Mistake?

The most critical factor in removing late payments from your credit report is whether or not they are accurate. The first thing you should do is review the late payments. You can request a copy of your credit report from all the credit bureaus or AnnualCreditReport.com. If you have truly made a late payment, then it will be challenging to get it removed. However, if it is inaccurate or a mistake, you may have a much better chance of having it removed.

• If you believe the late payment is inaccurate or a mistake, you should dispute it with the credit bureau. You will need to provide documentation to support your claim so they can remove it from your report.
• If the late payment is accurate, there's not much you can do.

In either case, it is crucial to keep accurate records of your payments and correspondence with creditors so that you can prove your case if necessary.

Remove Mistakes Or Inaccurate Late Payments From Your Credit Report

Three major credit institutions, Equifax, Experian, and Transunion, gather credit information about consumers. It's up to you to ensure that the credit information they outline is accurate. If you find an incorrect late payment on your report, you have several options.

How To Dispute Late Payments With Credit Bureaus

If you see a late payment entry on a credit bureau outline that's a mistake, contact the credit agency immediately to point out the error. If they cannot verify whether the information is accurate, they must remove it. Just make sure to contact them later and request a copy of the revised document to double-check that they removed the negative entries.

Dispute The Late Payment With Creditors

If there is a mistake on your credit report, reach out to your creditor to dispute the information. If the creditor agrees that the information is inaccurate, they will contact the bureaus and request the removal of the entry.

File A Complaint With The CFPB

If you're having difficulty getting results from creditors or bureaus, contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). They stand up for you in case lenders, creditors, and other financial institutions fail to treat you fairly. Once you contact them, they will listen to your complaint and provide information on how to correct inaccuracies and how to build your credit record. They provide consumer tools, research, and other valuable resources to keep you informed about your credit history.

Remove An Accurate Late Payment From Your Credit Report

Removing missed payments from your credit report is possible but complicated, if not downright impossible. This is because creditors must report accurate information, and bureaus usually only correct the info if it's wrong. So, if you're late on a payment, it will likely show up and stay on your credit report. Keep in mind that it takes time to build credit. However, there are a few things you can do to try to remove a late payment from your credit report. It's important to note that they might not work.

Talk With Your Creditors

If this is a one-off and you have a good relationship with your creditors because you always make payments on time, most creditors are willing to make a goodwill adjustment to your account.

Goodwill Letter Or Late-Payment Removal Letter

If the delinquency was your fault, write a letter explaining why it occurred and ask the creditor to write off the entry. Provide as much proof as possible to validate why the occurrence happened. Offer to sign up for automatic payments. Creditors will appreciate your good faith efforts to pay your bills promptly. If they agree to remove the item from your record, ask them to notify the credit agencies.

Pay-For-Delete

A third way to remove late payment entries is pay-for-delete. With this method, you offer to pay the collection agency or creditor in exchange for them deleting the late payment from your report. You'll likely have more success with this method if you're paying off the entire balance owed.

What Are Credit Reports, And Why Do They Matter?

Everyone might as well call credit reports financial report cards because they list everything about your credit activity. Lenders can gauge your paying habits by reviewing information relating to accounts that are in good standing and any that aren't. These documents provide detailed information relating to:

• credit limits
• credit inquiries
• any liens issued by creditors for repayment of loans

Consequently, all of your credit information determines your credit score, which lenders look at in depth when making loan decisions. A lower score affects whether lenders offer you a loan and determines the interest rates they charge.

#DidYouKnow When you apply for credit, there are 2 types of credit check: Hard Inquiry vs Soft Inquiry. A soft credit check won't hurt your credit score.

Therefore, it's important that you understand how to keep your score at least 700 or higher. To achieve that goal, you can take steps to remove negative information posted to your credit summary.