Can a Collection Agency Change the Open Date on Your Account?

Having an account go to collections is stressful, especially after a financial setback. The newer open date you may see on the collection account is normal: it marks when the collector took over the debt. What controls how long the collection stays on your report is a different date, the date of first delinquency (DOFD) on your original account, and a collector isn’t allowed to change it.

Can a collection agency change the open date on your account?

Yes, and it's normal. The “open date” on a collection account is when the collector took over the debt. It will be a more recent date than the open date on the original account, which should stay on your credit report too.

Neither open date controls how long the collection stays on your report. The seven-year countdown starts at the original account’s date of first delinquency.

What the open date on a collection account actually means

If you spot a new, recent open date on your credit report, you might think it’s identity theft. Usually it isn’t: a collection account gets its own open date. If you don’t recognize the original debt at all, though, that’s worth checking. Pull your free reports at AnnualCreditReport.com, available weekly from all three bureaus.

When a collector buys or takes over a debt, it opens its own record of the account.

The “open date” on a collection account isn’t meant to erase or replace the original account’s open date. It just shows you, and any lender reading your report, when the collector took over the account.

Open date vs. date of first delinquency (DOFD)

A collection account can stay on your credit report for about seven years, counted from the date of first delinquency on the original account.

The date of first delinquency (DOFD) generally means the date the account first became delinquent and was never brought current again before it was charged off or sent to collections.

Read more >> How Long Do Collections Stay on Your Credit Report?

Why changing the DOFD is a problem

When a collector reports a debt to the credit bureaus, federal law requires it to report the original DOFD: the month and year the account first fell behind before it went to collections. The seven-year reporting period runs from that date.

Reporting a later DOFD than the real one is called illegal re-aging. It makes an old debt look newer, which can keep a collection on your report past the seven-year limit. In 2020, CFPB examiners found collectors reporting incorrect delinquency dates.

If the DOFD on a collection doesn’t match when your original account first fell behind, that’s an inaccuracy, and you can dispute it with the credit bureau for free. Kikoff’s AI Credit Disputes can draft the dispute letter for you. If the date still isn’t corrected, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB.

The seven-year limit isn't the statute of limitations

The seven-year reporting limit and your state’s statute of limitations aren't on the same schedule.

One decides how long a collection can stay on your credit report. The other decides how long a collector can sue you, and it varies by state and type of debt.

• A payment can’t change the DOFD, so it won’t extend how long the collection is reported.
• A debt that’s dropped off your report may still be within the statute of limitations, so a collector may still be able to sue.
• Once the statute of limitations runs out, a collector can’t sue or threaten to sue.

Before you pay an old collection. In some states, even a small payment can give a collector a new window to sue. Before you pay or agree to pay a collection that’s several years old, check your state’s rules with a legal aid office or a licensed consumer attorney.

If you’re deciding how it fits with your other bills, a nonprofit credit counselor can help. The National Foundation for Credit Counseling offers free or low-cost counseling at 800-388-2227.

Bottom line

A collector can give a collection account its own open date, but it can’t move the date of first delinquency. That date sets when the collection comes off your report.

That clock runs on its own. Waiting removes the collection eventually, but it doesn’t add anything positive in the meantime. On-time payment history does. Kikoff’s Credit Account reports your on-time payments to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, with no credit check to sign up. Plans start at $5 a month.