How to Write a Goodwill Letter
That Actually Works
A goodwill letter asks a creditor to remove an accurate late payment as a courtesy. It does not always work — but when it does, it can remove years of damage from your report overnight.
What is a goodwill letter?
A goodwill letter (also called a goodwill deletion request) is a letter you send to a creditor asking them to remove an accurate negative item from your credit report as a goodwill gesture. Unlike a dispute, you are not claiming the information is wrong — you are asking the creditor to help you anyway.
Goodwill letters work best for:
- A single late payment with an otherwise perfect history with that creditor
- A late payment caused by a verifiable hardship (job loss, medical emergency, natural disaster)
- An account you have since brought current and paid on time for many months
They are unlikely to work for habitual late payers, charge-offs, or collection accounts.
When to send one
The best time to send a goodwill letter is after you have paid the account in full or brought it current and maintained a clean payment history for at least 6–12 months. Sending one while the account is still delinquent almost never works.
Success rates are low — estimated at 10–30% for eligible accounts. But the downside is zero and the upside can be significant. It costs a stamp and 20 minutes to write.
Goodwill letter template
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
[Date]
[Creditor Name]
[Customer Service Address]
Re: Goodwill Deletion Request — Account #[last 4 digits]
Dear [Creditor Name] Customer Service,
I am writing to request a goodwill adjustment to my credit report for a late payment that was reported on my account ending in [XXXX] in [month/year].
I have been a customer since [year] and have otherwise maintained a consistent, on-time payment history with you. The late payment occurred because [brief explanation: medical emergency / job loss / oversight during a move / etc.]. Since that time, I have [resolved the issue / brought the account current / paid in full] and my account has been in good standing for [X months].
I understand this information is accurate and I am not disputing it. I am respectfully asking that you consider removing this late payment as a goodwill gesture, given my otherwise positive history with your company.
I have attached [a copy of the credit report showing the item / documentation of the hardship] for your reference.
I greatly appreciate your consideration. Please feel free to contact me at [phone/email] with any questions.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Account Number (last 4 only)]
What to include
- A brief, honest explanation of what happened
- Evidence of your good history before and after the late payment
- A specific ask (goodwill deletion, not a general “please help me”)
- Polite, professional tone — no ultimatums
What to do after sending
Wait 30 days. If you receive no response, send a follow-up. If you receive a denial, try calling the customer service line and asking to speak with a supervisor. Some creditors have different policies at different levels.
If the creditor is a bank and the response is still no, you can try the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) complaint process — this sometimes prompts reconsideration.
Whatever the creditor decides, new on-time history is what outweighs an old late payment. If you need a card to build it, see the best cards to build credit — ranked by math.