When will it fall off my credit report?
Pick the negative item and enter the date it started. You get the date it must come off your credit report and how many months are left, using the time limits in the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the bureaus’ published practice.
Use the month the payment was first reported 30 or more days late. Each late payment drops off on its own date.
Enter a date to see the removal date.
An estimate from the rules below, not legal advice. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere. The bureaus may remove an item a little earlier than the date shown: creditors report the date of first delinquency as a month and year.
The rules the calculator uses
| Item | Comes off | Clock starts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late payment | 7 years | Date of that late payment | FCRA §605(a)(5) |
| Collection account | 7 years + 180 days at the latest (bureaus: about 7 years) | Date of first delinquency on the original account | FCRA §605(a)(4), (c)(1) |
| Charge-off | 7 years + 180 days at the latest (bureaus: about 7 years) | Date of first delinquency | FCRA §605(a)(4), (c)(1) |
| Repossession | 7 years | First missed payment that led to it | FCRA §605(a)(5); Experian |
| Foreclosure | 7 years | First missed payment that led to it | FCRA §605(a)(5); Experian |
| Chapter 7 bankruptcy | 10 years | Filing date | FCRA §605(a)(1) |
| Chapter 13 bankruptcy | 7 years (bureau practice; the law allows 10) | Filing date | Experian; FCRA §605(a)(1) |
| Hard inquiry | 2 years (bureau practice) | Date of the inquiry | Experian |
| Civil judgment, tax lien | No longer reported by the three bureaus (2017, 2018) | If reported: entry date (judgment) or payment date (paid lien) | FCRA §605(a)(2)–(3); CFPB |
Things that do not change the date
- Paying, partly paying or settling. The clock runs from the date of first delinquency on the original account. A payment updates the balance and status; it does not restart the seven years.
- The debt being sold. A new collector must report the original delinquency date, so a resold debt comes off on the same date as before.
- Accounts in a bankruptcy. The bankruptcy itself has its own date, but each account included in it still comes off seven years after its own date of first delinquency (or seven years after filing for accounts that were current, under Chapter 13).
Re-aging is when a collector or creditor reports a later delinquency date than the real one, which would keep the item on your report too long. The law requires the furnisher to report the month and year the delinquency began (15 U.S.C. §1681s-2(a)(5)). If the “on record until” date on your report is later than the date above, dispute it with the credit bureau; you can also ask the collector to confirm the original delinquency date in writing.
Separate clock: the statute of limitations. How long a creditor can sue you over a debt is set by state law, usually three to six years, and in some states a payment or written acknowledgment can restart it. That has nothing to do with the credit reporting period above: a debt can drop off your report and still be collectable, or stay on your report after the lawsuit deadline has passed. Check your state’s rule, or the CFPB’s explainer, before paying an old debt.
The time limits have exceptions
The seven- and ten-year limits don’t apply to a credit report pulled for a loan or credit line of $150,000 or more, life insurance with a face amount of $150,000 or more, or a job paying $75,000 a year or more (FCRA §605(b)). Criminal convictions also have no time limit.
Questions
How long do negative items stay on a credit report?
Most negative information can be reported for seven years under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. §1681c). Bankruptcies can be reported for up to ten years. The three nationwide credit bureaus remove a Chapter 13 bankruptcy seven years after the filing date and hard inquiries after two years, as a matter of their own policy.
When does a collection account fall off my credit report?
The FCRA starts the seven years when 180 days have passed from the date the delinquency began on the original account (the date of first delinquency), so the latest date is seven years and 180 days after it. In practice the bureaus remove collections about seven years after the date of first delinquency. Selling the debt to a new collector does not start a new clock.
Does paying a collection restart the seven years?
No. The reporting period is tied to the date of first delinquency on the original account, which a payment, partial payment or settlement does not change. Paying updates the account to paid; it does not make it stay longer. A payment can restart the separate statute of limitations on a lawsuit in some states.
What is re-aging?
Re-aging is when a creditor or collector reports a later date of first delinquency than the real one, which would keep a negative item on your report longer than the law allows. The furnisher must report the month and year the delinquency began (15 U.S.C. §1681s-2(a)(5)). If the date on your report is later than your records show, dispute it with the credit bureau.
Is the statute of limitations the same as the credit reporting time limit?
No. The statute of limitations is a state law that limits how long a creditor can sue you over a debt, usually three to six years, and in some states a payment or acknowledgment can restart it. The seven-year credit reporting period is federal and runs separately; a debt can still be reported after the lawsuit deadline passes, or drop off the report while it can still be collected.
Do judgments and tax liens still show up on credit reports?
Generally not. The three nationwide bureaus stopped including civil judgments in 2017 and tax liens in 2018. If one appears on your report, you can dispute it. The FCRA limits are seven years from entry for judgments (or longer if the statute of limitations is longer) and seven years from payment for paid tax liens.
Sources
- 15 U.S.C. §1681c (FCRA §605): requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports, including (a)(1)–(5), (b) and (c)(1).
- 15 U.S.C. §1681s-2(a)(5): furnishers must report the date of delinquency (month and year it began).
- 11 U.S.C. §301(b): filing a voluntary bankruptcy petition is the order for relief.
- CFPB, How long does negative information remain on my credit report?
- CFPB, What is a statute of limitations on a debt?
- CFPB, Public records (civil judgments and tax liens) removed from credit records, 2017–2018
- Experian: bankruptcy, collections, repossession, foreclosure, hard inquiries, tax liens.
Rules checked against the statute and the sources above on October 17, 2026. By the YourBest Editorial Team. Found an error? Tell us.