How to Dispute Incorrect Information on Your Credit Report
If your credit report contains incorrect information, you have the right to dispute it with the credit bureau. Lodge a dispute in writing, provide supporting documents, and the bureau must investigate and correct or remove information that is inaccurate or outdated. If the dispute is not resolved, you can escalate the matter to the relevant regulator.
Key Points
- You can dispute inaccurate or outdated credit information.
- Lodge the dispute in writing with supporting documents.
- The bureau must investigate and respond.
- Unresolved disputes can be escalated to the regulator.
When should you dispute information?
Dispute any information that is factually incorrect — for example an account you never opened, a payment recorded as missed that you made on time, or a debt-review flag that should have been removed after clearance.
Also dispute information that is outdated, as bureaux must remove certain records after prescribed retention periods.
How to lodge a dispute
Contact the bureau in writing, identify the specific information you are disputing, and attach supporting documents such as payment receipts or your clearance certificate. Keep copies of everything you submit.
The bureau is required to investigate the dispute, usually by contacting the credit provider that supplied the information.
What if the dispute is not resolved?
If the bureau refuses to correct information you believe is wrong, you can escalate the complaint to the relevant regulator or ombud. Your debt counsellor can also assist with disputes related to debt-review information.
Persistence matters — incorrect information can affect your access to credit, so it is worth following through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Worried That Your Debt Has Become Unaffordable?
Debt Guidance can assess your income, essential expenses and debt commitments to determine whether debt review may be appropriate.
Reviewed by Carolina Guevara Harris
Registered Debt Counsellor · NCRDC3152
Last updated: 17 September 2025
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