If you’ve found a mistake on your credit report and sent a dispute to the credit bureau, you’re probably wondering how long it will take to get a response. The good news is that the Fair Credit Reporting Act sets strict deadlines for the credit bureaus to complete their investigation.
Once the credit bureau receives your dispute, it generally has 30 days to investigate and respond. That clock starts ticking the day they get your dispute. If you submit more information after the initial filing, they may get an extra 15 days, but only if the new information is relevant to the investigation.
During that time, the credit bureau must contact the company that provided the disputed information (called the "furnisher") and pass along the details of your dispute. The furnisher must then investigate and report back.
When the investigation is complete, the credit bureau must send you the results in writing. This will typically include a free copy of your updated credit report.
Bottom line: You should expect a response within 30 to 45 days of filing your dispute. If the bureau doesn’t respond or fails to fix a clear error, you may have legal options.