If you have ever missed a payment or had an account sent to collections, one of the first questions you probably asked was how long negative items stay on your credit report. The short answer is that most negative information can be reported for about seven years, bankruptcies for up to ten, and hard inquiries for up to two. The longer answer depends on the type of item, when the delinquency started, and a few exceptions written into federal law.
This guide walks through the reporting timelines set by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), how the credit bureaus describe them, when the clock actually starts, and what you can and cannot do to speed things up. Knowing these dates helps you plan a major application, such as a mortgage or auto loan, and spot entries that should already have dropped off.
The Basic Rule: Seven Years for Most Negative Information
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a credit reporting company can generally report most negative information for seven years. That limit comes from Section 605 of the FCRA (15 U.S.C. 1681c), which bars consumer reports from including accounts placed for collection, charged-off accounts, and most other adverse items that are more than seven years old.
“Negative information” covers the entries that lenders treat as warning signs, including:
- Late or missed payments
- Accounts sent to a collection agency
- Charge-offs, where the lender writes the balance off as a loss
- Foreclosures, repossessions and short sales
- Civil judgments and certain tax liens
- Bankruptcies
Positive information works differently. The CFPB notes that positive information may continue to be reported after a loan is paid off and even after the account is closed. There is no federal seven-year cap on good news.
Timeline by Type of Negative Item
The table below summarizes the general reporting periods described by the CFPB, the FCRA, and Equifax. Exact handling can vary slightly by bureau, so treat these as maximums rather than guarantees of an exact removal date.
| Item | How long it can stay | When the clock starts |
|---|---|---|
| Late payments | Up to 7 years | Original delinquency date |
| Collection accounts | Up to 7 years | Based on the delinquency that led to collection (see below) |
| Charge-offs | Up to 7 years | Based on the delinquency that led to the charge-off |
| Foreclosure, repossession, short sale | Up to 7 years | First missed payment that led to the negative status (per Equifax) |
| Civil judgments | 7 years or until the statute of limitations expires, whichever is longer | Date of entry |
| Paid tax liens | 7 years | Date of payment |
| Bankruptcy | Up to 10 years | Date of entry of the order for relief or adjudication |
| Hard inquiries | Up to 2 years | Date of the inquiry |
| Closed accounts paid as agreed | Up to 10 years (Equifax) | Date reported by the lender |
Late payments
Equifax states that late payments can remain for up to seven years from the original delinquency date. Importantly, paying the past-due balance does not erase the late mark. Bringing the account current stops new late payments from piling up, but the history of the missed payment stays until its time limit runs out.
Collections and charge-offs
When an account goes to collections or is charged off, the entire negative entry is tied to the original delinquency, not to the date the collector bought the debt. Equifax says the collection account is removed seven years from the first missed payment that led to the collection or charge-off. Paying the collection early does not remove it ahead of schedule, although Equifax notes a paid account may have less impact on your score.
Bankruptcy
Under the FCRA, a bankruptcy case can be reported for up to 10 years from the date of entry of the order for relief or the date of adjudication. The CFPB lists Chapter 7, Chapter 11, Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 cases as able to stay on reports for up to 10 years. Equifax describes a range of seven to 10 years depending on the type of bankruptcy. Because practices can differ, check each of your three reports to see exactly how your case is being reported.
Hard inquiries
A hard inquiry happens when a lender pulls your credit because you applied for new credit. Equifax says hard inquiries can remain for up to two years. Soft inquiries, such as checking your own credit, are treated differently. Our guide to hard vs. soft credit inquiries explains the difference in more detail.
When Does the Seven-Year Clock Start?
The start date is where many people get confused. For collection and charge-off accounts, the FCRA says the seven-year period begins once 180 days have passed from the start of the delinquency that immediately preceded the collection activity or charge-off. In practice, that means the clock is tied to when you first fell behind, not to when a collector contacted you or when the debt was sold.
This design prevents a common problem: a debt being sold several times, with each new owner reporting it as if it were brand new. The original delinquency date travels with the debt. If an old account reappears with a newer date, that may be an error worth disputing.
Hypothetical example: Suppose you missed a credit card payment in March 2022 and never caught up. The lender charged off the account later that year and sold it to a collection agency in 2023. Under the FCRA rule, the clock runs from about 180 days after the March 2022 delinquency began, so the charge-off and the related collection would generally fall off around fall 2029. The 2023 sale does not restart the timeline. (Bureaus may use slightly different internal conventions, so your actual removal date could differ by a few months.)
Exceptions: When Time Limits Do Not Apply
The FCRA includes exceptions where the usual time limits do not apply. According to the statute and the CFPB, older negative information can still appear on reports used in connection with:
- A credit transaction with a principal amount of $150,000 or more
- Life insurance with a face amount of $150,000 or more
- Employment at an annual salary of $75,000 or more
In practice, this means a large mortgage application or a higher-paying job could, in principle, surface older information.
Medical Debt on Credit Reports
Medical debt has received special treatment in recent years. In 2022, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion jointly announced voluntary changes that took effect by spring 2023, as described by the Congressional Research Service and the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC):
- Paid medical collection debt is removed from credit reports.
- Medical debt that is less than a year delinquent is not included.
- Medical collections under $500 are not included.
The CFPB finalized a broader federal rule in January 2025 that would have removed most medical debt from credit reports, but a federal court in Texas vacated that rule in July 2025. As of November 2026, NCLC reports that 15 states and the District of Columbia have their own laws limiting medical debt reporting, though some of those laws face legal challenges. If you have medical bills in collections, check your state’s rules and your reports for entries that should not be there.
Does the Impact Fade Before Removal?
A negative item does not have to disappear before your situation improves. Scoring models weigh many factors, including your recent payment behavior, how much of your available credit you use, and the age of your accounts. As a negative item gets older and you add months of on-time payments, it typically carries less weight in lending decisions than a fresh problem.
Two practical levers are fully in your control: paying every bill on time going forward and keeping your balances low relative to your limits. Our explainer on the credit utilization ratio shows how balances affect scores, and our guide to what counts as a good credit score breaks down the common score ranges lenders use.
What You Can Do About Negative Items
You cannot legally force accurate negative information off your report before its time limit, and companies promising to do so for a fee deserve caution. Here is what you can do:
- Review your reports from all three bureaus. You can request free copies through AnnualCreditReport.com.
- Check the dates. Compare the date of first delinquency on each negative entry with the timelines above. An item older than its limit should not appear.
- Dispute inaccurate or outdated items. You can dispute errors directly with the credit bureau and with the company that supplied the information.
- Ask for a goodwill adjustment if it fits your situation. Some creditors may agree to update a one-time late payment after a long record of on-time payments, but they are not required to.
- Keep building positive history. On-time payments and low balances help offset older negative marks while you wait.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does paying off a collection remove it from my credit report?
Generally, no. Equifax says a paid collection can stay until its seven-year period ends, although it may affect your score less once paid. The exception is paid medical collections, which the three major bureaus have agreed to remove.
Does a debt being sold restart the seven-year clock?
No. Under the FCRA, the reporting period for collections and charge-offs is tied to the original delinquency, not to the date a new collector acquired the debt.
How long does a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy stay on my report?
The FCRA allows bankruptcies to be reported for up to 10 years, and the CFPB says that applies to all chapters, including Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Equifax describes a range of seven to 10 years depending on the type, so review each report to see how your case appears.
Bottom Line
Most negative items, including late payments, collections, charge-offs, foreclosures and repossessions, can stay on your credit report for up to seven years, with the clock tied to the original delinquency. Bankruptcies can stay for up to 10 years, and hard inquiries for up to two. Paying a past-due debt will not erase its history, but it prevents further damage and can reduce its weight over time. Check all three reports regularly, confirm the dates, and dispute anything that is inaccurate or past its limit.
Sources
- CFPB – How long does information stay on my credit report?
- CFPB – How long does a bankruptcy appear on credit reports?
- Cornell Law School LII – 15 U.S. Code § 1681c, Requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports
- Equifax – How Long Does Information Stay on My Equifax Credit Report?
- Congressional Research Service – An Overview of Medical Debt: Collection, Credit Reporting, and Related Policy Issues
- National Consumer Law Center – The Latest on Keeping Medical Debt Out of Credit Reports
This article is for general information only and is not financial advice. See our Disclaimer.
