The claim
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(1)), a consumer reporting agency must, free of charge, conduct a reasonable reinvestigation and record the current status of the disputed information, or delete the item from the file, before the end of the 30-day period beginning on the date it receives the notice of the dispute. That period may be extended for not more than 15 additional days if the agency receives information from the consumer during that 30-day period that is relevant to the reinvestigation — except where, during the 30-day period, the information is found inaccurate or incomplete or cannot be verified.
The receipt
Subject to subsection (f) and except as provided in subsection (g), if the completeness or accuracy of any item of information contained in a consumer's file at a consumer reporting agency is disputed by the consumer and the consumer notifies the agency directly, or indirectly through a reseller, of such dispute, the agency shall, free of charge, conduct a reasonable reinvestigation to determine whether the disputed information is inaccurate and record the current status of the disputed information, or delete the item from the file in accordance with paragraph (5), before the end of the 30-day period beginning on the date on which the agency receives the notice of the dispute from the consumer or reseller.
Except as provided in subparagraph (C), the 30-day period described in subparagraph (A) may be extended for not more than 15 additional days if the consumer reporting agency receives information from the consumer during that 30-day period that is relevant to the reinvestigation.
Subparagraph (B) shall not apply to any reinvestigation in which, during the 30-day period described in subparagraph (A), the information that is the subject of the reinvestigation is found to be inaccurate or incomplete or the consumer reporting agency determines that the information cannot be verified.
If the reinvestigation does not resolve the dispute, the consumer may file a brief statement setting forth the nature of the dispute.
What the rule doesn't say
The 30-day period begins on the date the agency receives the notice of the dispute. The 15-day extension is not automatic: it depends on the agency receiving relevant information from the consumer during those 30 days, and it does not apply when, within that period, the information is found inaccurate or incomplete or the agency determines it cannot be verified. The law also doesn't promise that a disputed item will be deleted — the agency either records its current status or deletes it. And the rule opens with exceptions ("Subject to subsection (f) and except as provided in subsection (g)"): this page quotes the general timing, not every case.
What you can do
The deadlines in the statute count from the day the agency receives your dispute, so the date it was received and a copy of what you sent are the two things worth keeping. If the reinvestigation doesn't resolve the dispute, the statute says you may file a brief statement setting out the nature of the dispute — you can ask the agency how it accepts one.
Sources last checked: September 23, 2026.
Consumer info, not financial advice.