The Credit Dispute 30-Day Clock, Explained

Credit reporting companies generally have 30 days to investigate, with some circumstances allowing 45 days. Track the actual dates and exceptions.

The general rule

The Fair Credit Reporting Act generally requires a reasonable reinvestigation within 30 days after the bureau receives a dispute.

Why 45 days appears

The period can extend to 45 days in certain circumstances, including when a consumer supplies additional relevant information during the 30-day period or uses the annual free-report process described by law.

Results deadline

After the investigation, the bureau must provide written results and a free copy of the report if the dispute led to a change.

Track, do not guess

Record the delivery date, additional-document dates, the expected window, and the result date. A missed date is a fact to document, not an automatic deletion button.