Correcting errors on your credit report
Mistakes happen: a paid loan still showing a balance, a payment marked late that was on time, an account that is not yours. You can dispute an error yourself, free, with the bureau and with the lender that reported it. Correct information cannot be removed — but wrong information must be.
Step by step
- Collect proof. Closure letter, no-dues certificate, payment receipts or bank entries, or the lender’s own statement showing the correct position.
- Raise a dispute with the bureau on its website. Pick the account and the field that is wrong, describe the error, and upload your proof. Note the dispute reference number.
- Write to the lender at the same time. The bureau can only change what the lender confirms. Send the lender the same proof and ask it to correct the record it reported. Use the lender’s grievance email and keep a copy.
- Wait for the response. The bureau checks with the lender and replies within the time set by regulation, usually about a month. The entry is marked "under dispute" meanwhile.
- Check the corrected report. Download a fresh report after the correction. If it is still wrong, escalate.
If the lender or bureau does not fix it
- Escalate through the lender’s grievance channel, then its nodal officer.
- If a regulated lender does not respond within 30 days or you are unhappy with the reply, complain free to the RBI Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in. Credit-information companies are also covered.
- Keep every reference number, date and reply in one folder.
What cannot be changed
Accurate records of late payments, defaults, settlements or write-offs. No agency can remove them for a fee. They fade in importance as newer on-time payments build up.
Questions about disputes
Is there a fee to dispute?
No. Disputing with a bureau or a lender is free.
How long does a correction take?
Usually within about a month of a complete dispute; longer if the lender is slow to confirm.
The lender has closed down or merged. Who corrects the entry?
The successor institution, or the bureau on the basis of your proof. Ask the bureau how to proceed.
The error is in my personal details, not an account.
Dispute it the same way; wrong personal details can mix your file with someone else’s.
An account on my report is not mine. What should I do?
Dispute it immediately as "not my account", inform the lender in writing, and consider a police complaint if it looks like identity misuse.
Can Orange Fincorp file the dispute for me?
No — the dispute must come from you, and it is free. We can explain the steps and help you organise the proof.
Will the dispute itself hurt my score?
No. While under review the entry is flagged as disputed; a correction in your favour can raise the score.
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What we do here: we explain how credit reports and scores work and, if you have your own report, walk through it with you. We do not pull reports, monitor scores, or promise to repair or remove entries. See what we do.
