Short answer: under Regulation F, a debt collector must not report a debt to a credit reporting company until it has spoken with you about the debt in person or by phone, or has mailed or sent you a message about it and waited a reasonable period for a notice that it was not delivered. If you dispute a debt, the collector must not report it without saying it is disputed. A collection account can stay on your reports for seven years, counted from a date tied to when you first fell behind, not from when the collector got the debt. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.
The contact-first rule
The rule says a debt collector “must not furnish to a consumer reporting agency” information about a debt before it (12 CFR 1006.30(a)(1), eCFR, text up to date as of October 28, 2026, read October 30, 2026):
- “Speaks to the consumer about the debt in person or by telephone”; or
- “Places a letter in the mail or sends an electronic message to the consumer about the debt and waits a reasonable period of time to receive a notice of undeliverability.”
If the collector gets a notice that the letter or message was not delivered during that period, it must not report the debt until it meets the rule another way. The official comment says a period of “14 consecutive days” after the letter is mailed or the message is sent is a reasonable period (comment 30(a)(1)-2, eCFR). The CFPB lists the same four ways, with a wait of “generally 14 days” for a letter or electronic message (CFPB, last reviewed January 29, 2024, read October 30, 2026; this page may be out of date).
The rule has one carve-out: it does not apply to reporting to a nationwide specialty reporting company that keeps check writing history (1006.30(a)(2)).
What the official comment says about timing
| What happened | Result under comment 30(a)(1)-3 |
|---|---|
| Validation notice mailed May 1; no notice of undeliverability from May 1 to May 14; collector then reports | No violation, even if a notice of undeliverability comes in after it reports. |
| Notice mailed May 1; notice of undeliverability May 10; collector reports with no other step | A violation of 1006.30(a)(1). |
| Notice mailed May 1; undeliverable May 10; new notice mailed May 11; nothing returned May 11 to May 24; collector then reports | No violation. |
The comment also says the validation information a collector must give you is information “about the debt” (comment 30(a)(1)-1). For what that notice must say, see your rights with a debt collector.
A disputed debt must be shown as disputed
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lists as a false or misleading practice “Communicating or threatening to communicate to any person credit information which is known or which should be known to be false, including the failure to communicate that a disputed debt is disputed” (15 U.S.C. 1692e(8), Cornell LII, read October 30, 2026). The Fair Credit Reporting Act adds a rule for anyone who reports: if you dispute the completeness or accuracy of what they report directly with them, they “may not furnish the information to any consumer reporting agency without notice that such information is disputed by the consumer” (15 U.S.C. 1681s-2(a)(3), Cornell LII).
To dispute with the credit reporting company itself, and for the time limits on its investigation, see how to dispute a loan reporting error. To dispute the debt with the collector, see the dispute rules in 12 CFR 1006.38 (eCFR).
How long a collection account can stay
A credit reporting company may not include “Accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss which antedate the report by more than seven years” (15 U.S.C. 1681c(a)(4), Cornell LII). For a delinquent account placed for collection, the seven years start “upon the expiration of the 180-day period beginning on the date of the commencement of the delinquency which immediately preceded the collection activity” (1681c(c)(1)). The limit does not apply to reports used for credit of $150,000 or more, life insurance of $150,000 or more, or a job paying $75,000 or more a year (1681c(b)).
Whoever reports a collection account must tell the credit reporting company, within 90 days, the date of delinquency: “the month and year of the commencement of the delinquency on the account that immediately preceded the action” (15 U.S.C. 1681s-2(a)(5)(A)). So the date to report is tied to when you first fell behind, not to when a collector got the debt. For other kinds of negative items, see how long negative items stay on a credit report.
Counting the seven years, only for the math
This example is only for the math, and the date is an example date. You first fell behind on January 10, 2020, and that delinquency led to the collection account. The 180-day period that begins on January 10, 2020 runs through July 7, 2020 (day 1 plus 179 more days). The seven years then start, so the account would come off reports around July 2027. Ask the credit reporting company for the date of delinquency on your report and check it against your own records.
If a debt shows up before you heard from anyone
- Get your free credit reports and look for the collector, the amount and the date of delinquency; see check your credit report before a loan.
- Ask the collector in writing when and how it first contacted you, and keep the envelope or message if one arrives later.
- If you dispute the debt, say so in writing and keep a copy, so you can check that the report shows it as disputed.
- If you think a collector reported a debt without meeting its duties, the CFPB says you can submit a complaint at consumerfinance.gov/complaint (CFPB).
Related guides
Medical bills in collection have their own reporting rules; see medical debt and your credit report. Whether to pay a collection before you apply for a loan is covered in paying off collections before a loan. An old debt may be past the time limit for a lawsuit, which is a different clock; see time-barred loan debt. If you were sued, see sued by a debt collector.
Questions to ask the collector
- On what date did you first speak with me, or mail or send me a message about this debt?
- Did you get any notice that the letter or message was not delivered?
- What date of delinquency did you report, and where does it come from?
- Does my report show this debt as disputed?
Checklist
- No reporting before the collector speaks with you or sends a letter or message and waits for a notice it was not delivered.
- Fourteen consecutive days is a reasonable wait, per the official comment.
- A disputed debt must be reported as disputed.
- Seven years, starting 180 days after the delinquency that led to collection began.
- Check your reports, dispute in writing, and keep copies.
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Sources
- 12 CFR 1006.30: Other prohibited practices (Regulation F)
- eCFR: Supplement I to Part 1006, Official Interpretations (Regulation F), current text up to date as of October 28, 2026
- CFPB: When can a debt collector report my debt to a credit reporting company? (last reviewed January 29, 2024)
- Cornell LII: 15 U.S. Code 1692e, False or misleading representations (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act)
- 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2: Responsibilities of furnishers of information to consumer reporting agencies
- 15 U.S.C. 1681c: Requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports
- eCFR: 12 CFR 1006.38, Disputes and requests for original-creditor information (Regulation F), current text up to date as of October 28, 2026
- CFPB: Submit a complaint
Disclosure: Modern Lending Solutions is not a lender, loan broker or agent for any lender or loan broker, and does not make credit decisions. Any compensation we receive is paid by participating lenders, only for advertising services. This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice.