How to Remove Medical Collections From Your Credit Report (2026 CFPB Rules)

What the 2022–2025 medical debt rule changes actually did

In March 2022, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion jointly announced that paid medical collections would be removed from consumer credit reports starting July 2022, and that the reporting delay for new unpaid medical collections would move from 6 months to 1 year.

In April 2023, the same bureaus removed all unpaid medical collections with an original balance under $500. In January 2025, the CFPB finalized a rule under the Fair Credit Reporting Act barring consumer reporting agencies from including most medical debt on credit reports used for lending decisions — the rule is being implemented in stages by the bureaus.

What should already be removed from your report

Paid medical collections of any dollar amount. Unpaid medical collections with an original balance below $500. New medical collections that are less than one year old (the reporting delay).

If you see any of the above on an Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion report pulled from AnnualCreditReport.com, the tradeline is non-compliant with bureau policy and should be disputed immediately.

Why medical collections are uniquely disputable

Medical bills are prone to coding errors, duplicate billing, insurance-adjustment lag, and surprise-billing claims that get reversed later. Under the FCRA, any inaccuracy — including an out-of-date balance, a wrong date of first delinquency, or a bill still pending insurance — is grounds for deletion under Section 611.

Collectors also frequently fail to validate medical debts under FDCPA §1692g because the underlying itemized bill is held by the provider, not the collector. A validation gap gives you leverage most consumer debt does not.

Do not pay before disputing

Paying a medical collection does not accelerate deletion under the 2022 policy — it is deletion-eligible either way, but only after the bureau processes an update from the collector. Paying first also removes leverage for a validation dispute.

The safer sequence: dispute first, request validation second, and only settle if the collection survives both and you cannot wait for the CFPB rule to force removal.

How to remove a medical collection from your credit report

1. STEP 1

   Pull all three bureau reports

   Download free reports from AnnualCreditReport.com. Confirm which bureaus are still reporting the medical collection — deletions do not always happen simultaneously.

2. STEP 2

   Check the tradeline against the 2022–2025 rules

   Confirm whether the tradeline is paid, under $500 original balance, or less than one year old. If yes, it is a policy-violating tradeline and eligible for immediate removal.

3. STEP 3

   File a Section 611 dispute with each bureau

   Cite FCRA §611 and reference the bureau's own July 2022 / April 2023 medical debt policy update and the CFPB's January 2025 rule. Bureaus must respond within 30 days.

4. STEP 4

   Send a debt validation letter to the collector

   Under FDCPA §1692g, request the itemized medical bill, proof of assignment, and evidence of insurance-adjustment reconciliation. If the collector cannot produce these, they must cease collection and typically delete.

5. STEP 5

   Escalate with a CFPB complaint if the tradeline survives

   File at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. The CFPB forwards complaints to the collector and bureau, and both are required to respond — medical-debt complaints have among the highest resolution rates.

6. STEP 6

   Re-pull reports after 45 days

   Verify deletion across Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. If any bureau still reports it, resend the dispute with your CFPB complaint number attached.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & citations

• CFPB — Final rule removing medical debt from credit reports (January 2025)
• Equifax, Experian, TransUnion — Joint medical debt policy update (March 2022)
• 15 U.S.C. § 1681i — FCRA reinvestigation of disputed items
• 15 U.S.C. § 1692g — FDCPA debt validation