Question 1

Is CreditKaren free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. AI-auditing your Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion credit report, viewing every flagged dispute item, and generating FCRA-informed draft dispute letters for all three bureaus is completely free — no account required.

Question 2

Does CreditKaren store my credit report?

Accepted Answer

No. Uploaded PDFs are parsed in your browser and only the extracted text is sent to the analysis function. Nothing is written to a database, and results are cached only in your browser's sessionStorage so a refresh doesn't lose your work. Closing the tab clears everything.

Question 3

Is CreditKaren legal advice?

Accepted Answer

No. CreditKaren is an educational tool that helps consumers exercise their existing rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. It is not a law firm, credit-repair organization under CROA, lender, or financial advisor. Nothing on the site is legal advice and no specific dispute outcome is guaranteed.

Question 4

Which credit bureaus does CreditKaren support?

Accepted Answer

Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can upload one bureau report or all three in a single session. CreditKaren's AI-assisted report reviews each report separately and generates bureau-specific FCRA dispute letters addressed to the correct dispute mailing address for each bureau.

Question 5

How do I dispute an error on my credit report?

Accepted Answer

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) Section 611, you have the right to dispute any inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information on your credit report. File a written dispute with each bureau (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) that lists the item, identify the account, explain why it's inaccurate, and include supporting documents. The bureau must investigate within 30 days and remove or correct the item if it can't be verified. CreditKaren's AI drafts FCRA-informed draft dispute letters for all three bureaus in seconds.

Question 6

How long does it take to remove an error from my credit report?

Accepted Answer

Credit bureaus must complete an investigation within 30 days of receiving your dispute (45 days if you provide additional information during the investigation). If the disputed item cannot be verified by the original creditor, it must be deleted from your report. You'll receive written results within 5 business days of the investigation completing.

Question 7

What is a 609 dispute letter and does it actually work?

Accepted Answer

A 609 letter references FCRA Section 609, which requires bureaus to provide proof of the original signed consumer contract for any disputed account. While popular online, 609 letters are often misrepresented — Section 609 governs disclosure rights, not deletion rights. The strongest dispute letters cite Section 611 (right to dispute) and Section 623 (furnisher accuracy obligations) together, which is what CreditKaren generates.

Question 8

How long do late payments stay on my credit report?

Accepted Answer

Most negative items, including late payments, charge-offs, and collections, remain on your credit report for 7 years from the date of first delinquency. Chapter 7 bankruptcies stay for 10 years. Hard inquiries remain for 2 years. Accurate negative information generally cannot be removed early through disputes, but inaccurate or unverifiable items can be removed at any time.

Question 9

Can I remove a collection account from my credit report?

Accepted Answer

Yes — if the collection is inaccurate, incomplete, outside the 7-year reporting window, or the collector cannot validate the debt under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), it must be removed. Common grounds include incorrect amounts, wrong dates, duplicate entries between original creditor and collector, or accounts that don't belong to you. Always dispute with both the bureau and the collector.

Question 10

How can I improve my credit score quickly?

Accepted Answer

The fastest legitimate improvements come from: (1) disputing inaccurate negative items, (2) paying down revolving credit card balances below 30% utilization (ideally under 10%), (3) becoming an authorized user on a well-aged account, (4) requesting credit limit increases without a hard pull, and (5) using a credit-builder loan or secured card. Avoid closing old accounts — length of credit history matters.

Question 11

Is it legal to dispute accurate items on my credit report?

Accepted Answer

You have the legal right under the FCRA to dispute any item you believe is inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable. However, knowingly filing false disputes about accurate information can be considered fraud. The proper approach is to dispute items you have a good-faith belief are inaccurate — and many accurate-looking items have small errors (wrong dates, balances, payment status) that are legitimately disputable.

Question 12

Do credit repair companies actually work?

Accepted Answer

Credit repair companies can only do what you can legally do yourself for free — file disputes under the FCRA. They typically charge $50–$150 per month for services that take a few hours of your time. The Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) makes it illegal for them to charge upfront fees or guarantee results. CreditKaren's AI platform lets you generate the same FCRA-informed draft dispute letters yourself in seconds.

Credit Dispute Frequently Asked Questions