Honest DIY strategy

How to dispute a charge-off

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 › Charge-off

The honest reality

A charge-off is the original creditor writing the debt off — it can still report for 7 years from the original delinquency. Attack accuracy: the balance, the monthly "pay status," the date of first delinquency, and whether the debt was sold (if sold, the original creditor must show a $0 balance).

Your dispute sequence

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

  1. Credit bureaus
    Send: Bureau Dispute Letter
    Dispute any inaccurate field — balance, status, dates.
  2. Creditor / collector
    Send: Creditor "Prove the Debt" (direct)
    Make the original creditor prove the account is yours and itemize the balance (direct § 623 dispute).
  3. Credit bureaus
    Send: Date-of-First-Delinquency Correction
    Lock the true date of first delinquency so the 7-year clock is correct and cannot be reset.
  4. Creditor / collector
    Send: Balance After Sale Dispute
    If the creditor sold the debt but still shows a balance, force it to $0 / "sold."

Accuracy rule (read this first)

An accurate charge-off within 7 years is not removable just for asking — focus on genuinely wrong fields.

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 charge-off 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 →

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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.