FCRA Dispute Letter — Outdated Information (7-Year Rule)

Free template for disputing outdated information on a credit report. Cites the FCRA 7-year reporting limit under 15 U.S.C. 1681c(a).

When to use this template

Use this template when an account is older than 7 years from the date of first delinquency (or 10 years for Chapter 7 bankruptcies). Outdated information must be deleted.

Federal statutes invoked

15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)
15 U.S.C. § 1681c(c)
FCRA § 605

Blank template

[Your Name + Address]
[Date]

[Bureau Name + Address]

RE: Outdated Information Dispute Under § 1681c(a)

Dear Dispute Department,

The following item exceeds the FCRA reporting time limit and must be removed:

  Account: [Creditor + Account #]
  Date of first delinquency: [DATE]
  Days reportable: [days from DOFD]

Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)(4), an account is reportable for no more than 7 years from the date of first delinquency that led to the account being reported.

Please delete this item within 30 days as required by 15 U.S.C. § 1681i and notify me in writing.

Sincerely,
[Your Signature]

Filled-in example

Lin Chen
789 Pine Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101
April 28, 2026

TransUnion LLC
Consumer Dispute Center
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016

RE: Outdated Information Dispute Under § 1681c(a)

The following item exceeds the FCRA reporting time limit and must be removed:

  Account: Bank of America, charge-off, account ending #1199
  Date of first delinquency: October 2018
  This is over 7 years ago.

Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)(4), this account is no longer reportable. Please delete it within 30 days.

Sincerely,
Lin Chen

(Names, addresses, and account numbers are fictional.)

If you don't get a response in 30 days

If the bureau refuses to delete an obviously expired item, this is a § 1681c violation - escalate to attorney review. Statutory damages of $100-$1,000 per violation.

Generate this letter, ready to mail

LawSensai pre-fills every field from your credit report, runs the FCRA citations, and offers $8.99 USPS certified mailing with return receipt - the gold-standard way to anchor the 30-day clock.

Use this template

Blank template

[Your Name + Address] [Date] [Bureau Name + Address] RE: Outdated Information Dispute Under § 1681c(a) Dear Dispute Department, The following item exceeds the FCRA reporting time limit and must be removed: Account: [Creditor + Account #] Date of first delinquency: [DATE] Days reportable: [days from DOFD] Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)(4), an account is reportable for no more than 7 years from the date of first delinquency that led to the account being reported. Please delete this item within 30 days as required by 15 U.S.C. § 1681i and notify me in writing. Sincerely, [Your Signature]

Filled-in example

Lin Chen 789 Pine Avenue San Diego, CA 92101 April 28, 2026 TransUnion LLC Consumer Dispute Center P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016 RE: Outdated Information Dispute Under § 1681c(a) The following item exceeds the FCRA reporting time limit and must be removed: Account: Bank of America, charge-off, account ending #1199 Date of first delinquency: October 2018 This is over 7 years ago. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)(4), this account is no longer reportable. Please delete it within 30 days. Sincerely, Lin Chen

(Names, addresses, and account numbers are fictional.)