How Long Does A collection account Stay on Your Credit Report?

The short answer

A collection account generally stays on your credit reports for seven years from the date of first delinquency on the original account.

What that means in practice

Paying may not remove it, but paid medical collections are removed under current bureau policy.

The rules behind the clock

The Fair Credit Reporting Act sets the standard seven-year limit for most negative items and ten years for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The clock starts at the date of first delinquency and paying or settling does not restart it. Bureaus also apply their own voluntary policies on top, such as removing paid medical collections.

Check your own dates

Pull all three reports free at annualcreditreport.com, find the date of first delinquency on the tradeline, and count forward. Anything reporting past its limit is worth a dispute.

Related

Report review checklist generator · FCRA explained · The dispute process

Educational information only. Not financial, legal or credit-repair advice, and no outcome is promised. Verify current rules with the official sources linked below before acting.

Official sources: annualcreditreport.com (free weekly reports), consumerfinance.gov, ftc.gov.