Published 2026-08-23
How Long Does Bad Credit Actually Stay on Your Report?
Seven years for almost everything, ten for a bankruptcy, two for the inquiry that started it. The clock is set by federal law, it starts earlier than most people assume, and nobody can legally shorten it for a fee.
Key takeaways
- Most adverse information drops off after seven years. Bankruptcy cases can be reported for ten.
- The clock runs from the original delinquency, not from the day you paid or the day it went to collections.
- Paying a collection does not remove it. It changes the balance to zero and leaves the record in place.
- Anyone promising to erase accurate negative information for a fee is describing something that cannot be done.
The short answer
The Fair Credit Reporting Act caps how long a credit reporting company may keep adverse information in your file. For nearly every kind of black mark that cap is seven years. For a bankruptcy case it is ten.
The cap is a maximum, not a countdown you can negotiate. It is also a maximum on reporting, not on the debt itself — a collector can still try to collect after the item stops showing up, subject to your state's statute of limitations.
The clock, item by item
The numbers below come from the statute, and they are what the bureaus have to obey. Individual bureaus sometimes drop things earlier as a matter of policy; none of them may keep an item longer.
| Item | How long it can be reported |
|---|---|
| Late payments and charge-offs | 7 years |
| Accounts placed for collection | 7 years from the original delinquency |
| Civil suits and judgments | 7 years, or until the statute of limitations expires — whichever is longer |
| Paid tax liens | 7 years from the date of payment |
| Bankruptcy cases | 10 years |
| Hard inquiries | 2 years, and they stop affecting FICO scores after one |
| Records of criminal conviction | No time limit in the statute |
When the clock actually starts
This is the part that surprises people. For a delinquent account sent to collections, the seven years run from the original delinquency date on the account with the first creditor — the month you fell behind and never caught up again.
It does not restart when the debt is sold. A collection agency buying an old debt inherits the original date; it does not get a fresh seven years. If a re-aged account appears on your report with a newer date, that is an error worth disputing, and the bureau has to investigate it.
Paying does not reset it either, and it does not delete it. A paid collection shows as paid with a zero balance for the remainder of the seven years. That is still better than an unpaid one — newer scoring models ignore paid collections entirely — but the line stays.
What time does to the damage
A negative item is not a switch that flips off in year seven. Its weight decays. A ninety-day late from four years ago costs you far less than one from four months ago, because scoring models read recency as a signal about what you are doing now.
Which is why the useful strategy is rarely waiting. It is stacking clean months on top: on-time payments, low utilisation, no new applications. The old item fades on schedule while the new record grows underneath it.
- Payment history is the largest single input to a FICO score, and it is cumulative — every on-time month is added evidence.
- Utilisation has no memory. Paying a card down changes that part of your score on the next reporting cycle.
- Closing an old account does not remove its history, and it can shorten your average age of accounts.
The repair pitch, and why it fails
Credit repair companies sell the removal of negative items. What they can legally do is what you can do for free: dispute information that is inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable.
Accurate information stays. There is no letter, no loophole and no fee that removes a late payment you actually made. Federal law also forbids these companies from charging you before the promised service is delivered, and from telling you to misrepresent your identity to the bureaus.
Frequently asked questions
Does paying off a collection remove it from my report?
No. It updates the balance to zero and marks it paid, and the record itself stays for the rest of the seven-year window. The more recent FICO and VantageScore models disregard paid collections when scoring, so the practical harm drops even though the line remains visible.
Can a collector restart the seven years by selling the debt?
No. The period runs from the original delinquency with the first creditor. A debt that reappears with a newer date has been re-aged, which is a reporting error you can dispute.
How long do hard inquiries hurt?
An inquiry can stay on the report for two years, but FICO scoring models only consider inquiries from the last twelve months, and a single one typically costs a handful of points.
Is a Chapter 13 bankruptcy treated the same as Chapter 7?
The statute sets one ceiling for bankruptcy cases: ten years. In practice the bureaus report a completed Chapter 13 for seven years from filing as a matter of policy, because the filer repaid part of the debt. The ten-year ceiling is the legal maximum, not a promise about either chapter.
Run the numbers
This guide explains the concept. These put your own figures on it.
- Credit Card Payoff CalculatorSee how long paying only the minimum really takes, and how much an extra $50 or $100 a month saves.
- Debt Payoff CalculatorCompare the debt avalanche and debt snowball strategies to see which pays off your debts faster and cheaper.
Free and no sign-up, on financeinyourpocket.com — our sister site.
Terms used in this guide
- Credit score
- The score range an issuer suggests for approval. It is guidance, not a guarantee: income, existing debt and your history with that bank all weigh in.
Sources
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — How long does information stay on my credit report?
- U.S. Government Publishing Office — Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. 1681c — requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — How to tell a credit repair scam from a reputable credit counsellor
The content provided on this site is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice.