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Charge-offs disputed.
An account a creditor has written off as a loss after months of non-payment, still owed and still reported.
What are charge-offs?
A charge-off is an account your creditor wrote off as a loss on their books, typically after 120 to 180 days of missed payments. Writing it off is an accounting move, not forgiveness. You still owe the money, the account keeps reporting as a charge-off, and the creditor often sells the balance to a collection agency, which can put a second negative entry on your report for the same debt. Charge-off entries are frequently reported with wrong balances, wrong dates, or a status that never gets updated after the debt is sold.
How charge-offs hurt your score
A charge-off is one of the most damaging marks on a credit report and can stay on your report for up to seven years from the first missed payment that led to it. Lenders read it as a debt you walked away from, which makes new approvals and good rates much harder.
Your rights under the law
The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires everything about a charge-off entry to be accurate and verifiable, including the balance, the date of first delinquency, and the current status. Once a charge-off is sold to a collector, the original entry must reflect that, and the reported balance often has to drop to zero. You have the right to dispute any charge-off that is inaccurate, outdated, or unverifiable, and the bureaus must investigate and correct or delete entries the furnisher cannot verify.
How we dispute charge-offs
We compare the charge-off entry across all three bureaus and against any collection reporting the same debt, then challenge every inconsistency. That means wrong balances, re-aged delinquency dates, sold accounts still showing a balance, and entries the creditor cannot verify. Each dispute goes to Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian, and we track every response until the bureaus resolve it.
We challenge items that are inaccurate, outdated, or unverifiable. We never promise to remove accurate, current, and verifiable information. Results not typical; individual results vary.
Covered by the Platinum plan
Disputes for charge-offs are included in the Platinum plan, starting at $150 down and $100 bi-weekly. Best for a few negative items.
Free guides on this topic
- Buy Now, Pay Later and Your Credit Score: What It Really Does
- Medical Debt on Your Credit Report in 2026: What Still Shows and What You Can Fight
- Zombie Debt: When Old Collections Come Back From the Dead
- Secured Credit Cards to Rebuild Credit
- Your FCRA Rights Explained in Plain Language
- How to Dispute Credit Report Errors Step by Step
- How to Rebuild Credit After Collections
Questions about charge-offs, answered straight.
How long does a charge-off stay on a credit report?
A charge-off can stay on a credit report for up to seven years from the date of the first missed payment that led to it. It cannot legally be re-aged to extend that window, and re-aged dates are a common and disputable error.
Do I still owe money on a charged-off account?
Yes, you still owe the debt after a charge-off. The write-off is an accounting step for the creditor, not debt forgiveness. The balance can be collected by the original creditor or sold to a collection agency.
What is the difference between a charge-off and a collection?
A charge-off is the original creditor writing the account off as a loss, while a collection is a third-party agency pursuing the same debt afterward. Both can appear on your report at once, and each entry must independently be accurate and verifiable.
Can a charge-off with the wrong balance be disputed?
Yes, a charge-off reporting the wrong balance can be disputed. Once a debt is sold, the original account generally must report a zero balance, and inflated or duplicated balances are among the most common charge-off errors we challenge.
Also on your report, we work on these too.
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Submitting this form is not a contract. Results not typical; individual results vary.