How to Remove an Incorrect Address From Your Credit Report

Your credit report includes more than just the history of your financial accounts. It also includes your current and past addresses. Credit bureaus include these to make it easier to verify your identity and prevent identity theft.

If you spot an address you don’t recognize on your credit report, there’s no need to panic. However, you should take steps to remove it and be vigilant for any signs of identity theft. Take a look at how to remove an incorrect address from your credit report.

How to remove an incorrect address from your credit report

If you notice an incorrect address while reviewing your credit report, you should take certain steps to remove it.

Step 1: Identify the incorrect address on your report

If an address you don’t recognize appears on your report, it could be there for a legitimate reason, such as:

• You received mail at that address at some point
• If you’re an authorized user on any accounts, that address may be linked to the primary cardholder

If you’re confident that neither of these is the case, you should file a dispute with the credit bureau.

Step 2: File a dispute with the credit bureau

You should dispute the address with every credit bureau that shows it on your report. You can usually dispute errors on your report online, but in some cases, you may need to dispute an address over the phone or by mail.

Credit bureaus usually require you to send supporting documentation with your dispute. The dispute form should detail what you need to include.

Generally, credit bureaus have 30 days to investigate disputes. However, in some cases, they may be able to extend the timeline to 45 days.

Once the investigation is complete, the credit bureau should get in touch with you to inform you of the findings and any actions taken. Credit bureaus have five business days to contact you after completing the investigation.

Step 3: Follow up and confirm removal

If the deadline (plus five business days) passes and you haven’t heard anything, reach out to the credit bureau to request an update. Even if the credit bureau tells you the incorrect address has been removed from your credit report, you should still check your report again to confirm.

Why incorrect addresses appear on your credit report

Your credit report will usually include past and current addresses. However, because it only includes addresses you used when opening new lines of credit, it may not include a record of every place you’ve lived.

There are several reasons a wrong address may be on your credit report:

• It’s linked to someone who has you as an authorized user on their account
• The credit bureau accidentally merged your file with someone who has a similar name or Social Security number
• A data furnisher may have made an error when reporting your account to the credit bureau
• Someone else used your information to open a fraudulent account

Even after you remove an incorrect address, make sure to monitor your credit report for any signs of fraud. It may be worth placing a freeze or fraud alert on your credit as well.

Does an incorrect address affect your credit score?

Now you know how to remove an incorrect address from your credit report. But does a wrong address on credit reports impact your credit score?

Fortunately, a wrong address doesn’t directly affect your score, but it could have other negative impacts. Lenders may be suspicious and flag your credit applications for review, causing delays.

Does your credit score need work?

Checking your credit report for inaccuracies and promptly disputing them is an important part of maintaining your credit. But if you’ve already gotten errors removed and your credit still isn’t where you want it to be, Kikoff might be able to help.

We’re a credit-builder app dedicated to helping those with poor credit or limited credit history improve their scores. On average, our new members with credit scores below 600 improve by 86 points* in a year.

Do you want to find out more about what we have to offer? Sign up for free with no credit check today!