Enrichment · Life Skills

Found an error?
Dispute it and keep score.

Log each wrong item with what is correct and the proof that shows it, the date the bureau received it and how. The organizer counts the investigation period, tells you when an answer is late, and what to do if the bureau says the item is accurate.

Add a disputeWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Life skills kit, $29 for 28 items.

Disputes

The worked example is three made-up disputes: a late payment with no answer after 40 days, an unknown medical collection still being investigated, and a store card already deleted. Disputes save on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · Life Skills$5

What you finish with
A dispute per item with the bureau or company, the account by name and last four digits, the problem, what is correct, date, method, confirmation, extra information sent, four kinds of evidence, the result and a statement of dispute; the day count against 30 or 45 days, and flags for late answers, items marked accurate and fixes to check.
Who it is for
Adults and young adults checking their credit for the first time, families helping a relative, and anyone recovering from identity theft.
Format
Browser organizer with a saved record per dispute. Prints a dispute, all disputes or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Life skills kit ($29) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Life Skills space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Get your free reports from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com.
  2. Add one dispute per wrong item, with what is correct.
  3. Send it with copies, never originals, and note the date it was received.
  4. Check back as the day count runs; follow up when it passes the limit.
  5. When the item is fixed, pull a fresh report to confirm.

Add a dispute

The dispute clock

What happens after you disputeDay 0Bureau receives your disputeWithin 5 business daysBureau tells the company that reported itDay 30Investigation ends (45 if you added information)+5 business daysYou get the results in writingWhat happens after you disputeDay 0Bureau receives your disputeWithin 5 business daysBureau tells the company that reported itDay 30Investigation ends (45 if you added information)+5 business daysYou get the results in writing
If the company cannot verify the item, the bureau must correct or delete it.

Your rights

The Fair Credit Reporting Act lets you dispute anything on your report that is wrong or incomplete, free. The bureau must investigate, usually within 30 days, and pass your evidence to the company that reported the item. Information that cannot be verified must be corrected or removed. You can also dispute directly with the company that reported it.

If it comes back accurate

Ask the bureau how it verified the item, send the dispute to the company that reported it, and add a brief statement of dispute to your file. If you believe the investigation was not done properly, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Sources

  1. Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. 1681i (procedure in case of disputed accuracy) and 1681s-2 (duties of furnishers).
  2. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How do I dispute an error on my credit report? (consumerfinance.gov).
  3. Federal Trade Commission. Disputing Errors on Your Credit Reports (consumer.ftc.gov), including the sample dispute letter.
  4. AnnualCreditReport.com, the official site for free credit reports from the three nationwide bureaus.

The worked example is made up. This organizer follows general federal rules; it is not legal or credit advice. Never type full account or Social Security numbers. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.