How to Remove a Charge-Off From Your Credit Report

A charge-off means a lender wrote your balance off as a loss after roughly 120–180 days of non-payment. You still owe the debt, and the mark can report for up to seven years from the date of first delinquency — not from the charge-off date or the date you paid.

Charge-offs are frequently misreported: balances that should be zero after the account was sold, re-aged dates of first delinquency, and the same debt listed by both the creditor and a collector. Under FCRA §§ 611 and 623, the bureau and the furnisher must correct or delete anything inaccurate or unverifiable within 30 days. If the charge-off is fully accurate and still with the original creditor, a goodwill request is the remaining — entirely voluntary — option.