The timeline table
General timeframes under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. §1681c):
- Late payments and collections: up to 7 years.
- Chapter 7 bankruptcy: up to 10 years.
- Chapter 13 bankruptcy: up to 7 years from the filing date.
- Repossession: up to 7 years.
- Hard inquiry: about 2 years, with more weight in the early months.
- Accounts paid as agreed: may stay longer — and that works in your favor.
When the clock starts
This is the detail that decides many cases. The seven-year window for a collection runs from the first delinquency that led the account to collections — not from the date a collection agency bought the debt.
Why it matters: when a debt is sold from one collector to another, the recorded date sometimes "re-ages", and the item shows up as if it were recent. That is an error, it is disputable, and it is one of the most valuable things to check on your report.
Keep the rule: the date does not change because the debt changed owners.
The medical debt situation
This changed recently and much of the information circulating is outdated.
A federal rule restricting medical debt reporting was vacated by a court in 2025, so that federal restriction is not in force. Separately, the credit bureaus maintain voluntary policies adopted in 2023 that already removed part of those collections, and some states adopted their own rules.
Practical result: you cannot say "medical debt no longer appears" nor "it appears like any other debt". It depends on the amount, the bureau's policy and the state. It is exactly the kind of item worth checking on your own report, with the date and amount in hand, before concluding anything.
Removal is not payoff
Two different things people treat as one:
- Coming off the report means that information is no longer shown to companies checking your credit.
- No longer owing means the financial obligation ended, through payment, settlement or the legal collection period.
A debt can come off the report and still exist. And a paid debt can keep showing an open balance — and that is a real error worth disputing.
So on the mortgage path, the right question is never just "will this come off?". It is "will this come off, is it still owed, and will the lender require payoff before closing?".
What can genuinely be disputed
Once the timeframes are clear, it is easy to separate legitimate disputes:
- An item past its window still showing.
- A first-delinquency date recorded incorrectly, including through a change of creditor.
- An account that is not yours.
- A balance or status that does not match reality.
- The same debt listed twice as different accounts.
- An inquiry made without a permissible purpose (§1681b).
And what is not: asking to remove accurate information, within its window, because it is inconvenient. That request has no grounds — and any company willing to file it for you is doing more harm than good.
For the step-by-step, see how to dispute an error on your report.
Frequently asked questions on this topic
Does paying a collection remove it from the report?
Not automatically. Paying usually changes the status to "paid", but the record can remain until its window closes. In some cases a lender requires payoff anyway to clear the loan.
Does bankruptcy really disappear after 10 years?
Chapter 7 can stay up to 10 years; Chapter 13 up to 7 years from the filing date. While accurate, there is nothing to dispute.
How long does a hard inquiry hurt?
The inquiry stays about two years on the report, but the score impact concentrates in the first months and fades over time.