How to Remove a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy From a Credit Report

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy will appear on your credit report for a period of 10 years.  Unfortunately, this means that your credit score will be lowered.  Once the statute of limitations is past you will want to make sure that it is automatically removed from your credit report. If not, there are some steps that you will want to take in order to have it removed.

1. Get a free copy of your credit report from one of the three credit reporting bureaus: TransUnion, Equifax or Experian.  You can do this by going online, calling them or mailing a request to them.  If you do it online, make sure to print it out so that you won’t have to pay a fee if you decide to go back and look at it again later.


2. Look over your credit report.  Pay special attention to the “Public Records” section in order to see if the bankruptcy is still listed there.  Since this information is updated on a regular basis it may have already changed.


3. File a dispute with the credit bureau on their website, if the bankruptcy is still listed. You need to indicate what you are disputing and why you are disputing it.  While this is the quickest way to file a dispute, they can also be filed with a customer service agent on the telephone or by mail.  If you are going to file a dispute by mail, you will need to write a letter saying what items you are disputing and why.  You will also need to send any documentation supporting your claim.  Regardless of how you choose to file, you should save a copy of the dispute for your own records.


4. Allow 30 days for the credit bureau to respond.  This is the amount of time that the FCRA (the Fair Credit Reporting Act) allows them to have in order to investigate your dispute and make any necessary corrections.  If your dispute was initiated online, you will be emailed with the outcome.  Otherwise you will receive this information by regular mail.  Besides notifying you of the outcome, the credit bureau should also include an updated copy of your credit report to show you that they have indeed removed the bankruptcy.