How to fix errors on your credit report in Canada

If you find an error on your credit report, you have the right to dispute it for free with Equifax and TransUnion, and the bureau is required to investigate. The process is straightforward: get both of your reports, identify the inaccuracy, file a dispute with supporting evidence, then follow up until it is corrected. A corrected error can improve your credit score and your borrowing terms.

The most common errors

The first step is knowing what to look for. The most common errors on Canadian credit reports are:

• Identity errors: a misspelled name, wrong address, incorrect date of birth, or a file mixed up with someone who has a similar name.
• Inaccurate accounts: an account that isn’t yours, a wrong balance, or a misreported credit limit — which can distort your utilization ratio.
• Misreported payments: an on-time payment marked late, or a late payment that stays on your file longer than your province allows.
• Closed accounts shown as open: a card or line of credit you closed that still appears active.
• Signs of fraud: credit applications you never authorized or accounts opened in your name. In that case, also place a fraud alert on your file.

Some of these errors are harmless; others can push up the rate a lender will offer you, or lead to a refusal.

Get your report from both bureaus

You can’t fix what you haven’t seen. Equifax and TransUnion let Canadians check their credit report online for free, and provincial consumer protection laws also give you the right to a copy on request, including by mail.

Check both reports: lenders don’t always report to both bureaus, and an error may exist on only one side. Note each inaccurate item precisely — account name, partial number, date, amount — before moving on to the dispute.

File a dispute: bureau and lender

You have two doors to knock on, and it’s often effective to use both in parallel:

1. With the credit bureau. Equifax and TransUnion each offer a dispute process (online or by mail). Describe the error, attach your evidence and request the correction. The bureau then contacts the source of the information — the lender — to verify it.
2. With the lender or creditor. If the error comes from a bank, a card issuer or a collection agency, contact them directly. They are the ones sending data to the bureaus: if they correct it at the source, the update flows through to your reports.

The dispute is free. You do not need to pay a “credit repair” company: it cannot do anything you can’t do yourself.

Documents to provide and timelines to expect

A solid dispute file speeds everything up. Gather:

• a piece of ID (often required to open the dispute);
• proof of payment: bank statements, confirmations, receipts;
• any correspondence with the lender (letters, emails);
• for fraud: a police report or a declaration to your institution.

On timelines, the bureau must investigate within a reasonable period — often around 30 days, depending on the province. It then informs you of the outcome: a correction, removal of the item, or no change if the source confirms the information. Keep a dated copy of everything you send.

Follow up, and what to do if the dispute is denied

Don’t consider the matter settled until you have seen the correction with your own eyes. A few weeks after the response, pull your reports again and confirm the item was actually fixed — at both bureaus if the error appeared in both places.

If the bureau keeps the information and you still disagree, you can:

• submit a new dispute with additional evidence;
• require that a consumer statement be added to your file, a short note explaining your side, visible to lenders;
• file a complaint with your province’s consumer protection agency, which regulates credit reporting agencies.

Next steps

Correcting an error is one of the few moves that can improve your credit profile without changing your habits. Once your file is clean, you’re in a strong position to shop around: compare several lenders before submitting an application, whether for a personal loan or debt consolidation. An accurate file means better offers on the table.