Option 1 — Dispute it if anything is wrong
Collection accounts are error-prone: wrong balances, wrong dates, debts that were already paid, or 're-aged' accounts where the collector resets the clock. If any detail is inaccurate, dispute it with the bureaus under the FCRA and it may be removed.
Check the 'date of first delinquency.' A collection must fall off seven years from that original date — collectors sometimes report a later date to keep it on longer, which is itself disputable.
Option 2 — Demand debt validation
Within 30 days of a collector's first contact, you can send a written debt-validation request. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the collector must stop collecting until it provides proof you owe the debt and that it has the right to collect it.
If the collector can't validate — which happens often with old debts that were bought and sold — it cannot legally keep reporting or pursuing it.
Option 3 — Negotiate pay-for-delete
If the debt is valid and you can pay, you can offer to pay in exchange for the collector deleting the entry. Get any agreement in writing before you pay a cent. Not every collector agrees, and it's not guaranteed, but many will for a lump sum.
Note: paying a collection doesn't automatically remove it, and for most newer scoring models a paid collection hurts less than an unpaid one — but older models still weigh it.
Medical collections are different
As of recent rule changes, paid medical collections should not appear, unpaid medical debt under $500 should not appear, and medical debt has a longer grace period before it can be reported. If a small or paid medical collection is on your report, dispute it.
You can pursue all three paths yourself at no cost. Subefy helps by spotting re-aged and duplicate collections across all three bureaus and drafting the dispute and validation letters for you to send. Results vary and no removal is guaranteed.