Short answer: under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a consumer reporting agency may not include negative items in a credit report once they are older than set limits: seven years for collection accounts, charge-offs and other adverse items, and ten years for a bankruptcy case. For a collection or charged-off account, the seven years are counted from a date tied to when the account first went delinquent. The limits do not apply to every report. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.
The time limits in the law
Except in the cases in subsection (b), “no consumer reporting agency may make any consumer report containing” these items (15 U.S.C. 1681c(a), official U.S. Code text, read October 30, 2026):
| Item | Limit in 15 U.S.C. 1681c(a) |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy cases (title 11 or the Bankruptcy Act) | 10 years from the date of entry of the order for relief or the date of adjudication (a)(1) |
| Civil suits, civil judgments and records of arrest | 7 years from date of entry, or until the governing statute of limitations has expired, whichever is longer (a)(2) |
| Paid tax liens | 7 years from the date of payment (a)(3) |
| Accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss | 7 years (a)(4), with the start date set by 1681c(c) |
| Any other adverse item, other than records of convictions of crimes | 7 years (a)(5) |
Note what (a)(5) leaves out: the law sets no time limit there for records of criminal convictions. The CFPB sums up the main limits the same way: negative information about your payment history can generally be reported “for up to seven years”, a lawsuit or judgment “for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer”, and “Bankruptcies can stay on your report for up to ten years” (CFPB, last reviewed September 2, 2026, read October 30, 2026).
When the seven-year clock starts for collections and charge-offs
For a delinquent account placed for collection, charged to profit and loss or subjected to a similar action, the seven-year period begins “upon the expiration of the 180-day period beginning on the date of the commencement of the delinquency which immediately preceded the collection activity, charge to profit and loss, or similar action” (15 U.S.C. 1681c(c)(1)). Placement for collection counts whether it is done “internally or by referral to a third party, whichever is earlier”.
The company that reports the account must give the reporting agency that date. Within 90 days after it reports an account placed for collection or charged off, it must tell the agency “the date of delinquency on the account, which shall be 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), official U.S. Code text, read October 30, 2026). A collector that later reports the account meets this duty if it reports the same date of delinquency the original creditor reported (1681s-2(a)(5)(B)(i)).
The law ties the start to the delinquency. It does not name the date you pay or settle, or the date a debt is sold, as a starting point. For what paying a collection does and does not change, see paying off collections before a loan; for what a charge-off means, see what a loan charge-off means.
Date examples, only for the math
These examples are only for the math, and every date in them is an example date. The dates on your own report and the facts of your account decide the real answer.
| Example | Start | Limit reached about |
|---|---|---|
| Collection account, delinquency began March 15, 2021 | 180 days later: September 11, 2021 | September 11, 2028 (7 years later) |
| Bankruptcy, order for relief entered June 1, 2022 | June 1, 2022 | June 1, 2032 (10 years later) |
March 15, 2021 plus 180 days is September 11, 2021; seven years after that is September 11, 2028. Ten years after June 1, 2022 is June 1, 2032.
When the time limits do not apply
The limits in 1681c(a)(1) through (a)(5) do not apply to a credit report used in connection with (1681c(b)):
- “a credit transaction involving, or which may reasonably be expected to involve, a principal amount of $150,000 or more”;
- the underwriting of life insurance with a face amount of $150,000 or more; or
- the employment of a person at an annual salary of $75,000 or more.
The CFPB also notes that after these limits pass, reporting companies “still may keep your information on file” (CFPB).
Medical debt
The law has separate rules for medical information. For the nationwide reporting agencies, it bars reporting a veteran’s medical debt that is less than one year old, and a veteran’s medical debt that was delinquent, charged off or in collection and has been fully paid or settled, when the agency has actual knowledge that the debt is a veteran’s medical debt (1681c(a)(7) and (a)(8)). For medical debt in general, see medical debt and your credit report.
If an item is too old or wrong
The CFPB says no one “has the right to remove negative information, such as late payments, from a credit report if it is accurate”, and “You can only get your credit report fixed if it contains errors, and you can do that on your own at no cost” (CFPB). An item reported past its time limit, or with a wrong date of delinquency, is a reason to dispute. See dispute a loan reporting error.
- Get your credit reports and list each negative item with its dates. See check your credit report before a loan.
- For each collection or charged-off account, find the date the delinquency began.
- Count the limit from the right start date for each kind of item.
- Dispute any item that is past its limit or shows a wrong date, and keep copies.
Questions to ask
- To the reporting agency: what date of delinquency do you have for this account, and who reported it?
- To a collector: what date of delinquency did the original creditor report?
- To a lender: is my application for an amount where the time limits do not apply?
For a bankruptcy and new credit, see bankruptcy and personal loans. For how a paid-off loan shows on your report, see after paying off a personal loan.
Checklist
- Seven years for collections, charge-offs and other adverse items; ten years for bankruptcy.
- Judgments: seven years or the statute of limitations, whichever is longer.
- Collections and charge-offs: the clock starts 180 days after the delinquency began.
- The limits do not apply for credit or life insurance of $150,000 or more, or a job paying $75,000 or more.
- Dispute anything past its limit or with a wrong date.
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Sources
- 15 U.S.C. 1681c, Requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports (Fair Credit Reporting Act), official text from the U.S. Code on GovInfo
- 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2, Responsibilities of furnishers of information to consumer reporting agencies (Fair Credit Reporting Act), official text from the U.S. Code on GovInfo
- CFPB: How long does information stay on my credit report? (page last modified September 2, 2026)
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.