Honest DIY strategy

How to dispute a authorized-user account

What actually works versus what’s myth — the exact letters to send, in order, and the accuracy rules that keep you on the right side of the law.

All dispute strategies › Authorized-user account

The honest reality

You are only an authorized user, not the liable borrower — so a negative AU tradeline can simply be removed on request. You are not disputing the debt, just your association with it.

Your dispute sequence

Restore paces these into rounds and tracks each 30-day deadline. Send them in this order:

  1. Credit bureaus
    Send: Authorized-User Tradeline Removal
    Ask the bureaus to remove the AU tradeline — you are not contractually liable.
  2. Creditor / collector
    Send: Failure-to-Update Dispute
    Ask the issuer to stop reporting you as an AU on the account.

Accuracy rule (read this first)

This removes a negative AU account; do not use it to strip a good AU account you want to keep for the history.

How to mail each letter

  1. Print the letter the tool generated and fill in your address block at the top.
  2. Sign and date it by hand — never type your signature.
  3. Attach copies (never originals) of any proof: receipts, statements, the report page, your ID.
  4. Mail it CERTIFIED with return receipt so you have proof of the date they received it.
  5. Save the green card / tracking number and a copy of everything you sent.
  6. Calendar 30 days — that is the bureau's deadline to reinvestigate under FCRA § 611.

Let Restore run this authorized-user account plan for you

We generate each letter in the sequence, cite the right statute, track every 30-day deadline, and tell you when to send the next round. Free to start.

Start disputing free →

← Browse all 18 dispute strategies · Browse all 39 letters

Restore Credit is software that helps you exercise your rights under the FCRA (15 U.S.C. §1681 et seq.) and FDCPA (15 U.S.C. §1692 et seq.). It is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice, and no outcome — including item removal or score improvement — is guaranteed. Only dispute information you have a good-faith basis to believe is inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, or unverifiable; submitting false information to a credit bureau can be unlawful. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney.