So, this is my issue. I've paid off debts 9 months ago. They are still showing up on my credit report as PAID. I was under the impression that it needs to be removed all together after being paid off. I disputed these on the credit report site.

Thank you.

So, this is my issue. I've paid off debts 9 months ago. They are still showing up on my credit report as PAID. I was under the impression that it needs to be removed all together after being paid off. I disputed these on the credit report site.

Why is it listed under "potentially negative" when looking at my credit report?

I might suggest you post this over to Money & Services, since most personal finance topics are covered over there.

I'm not an expert on credit reports, but things don't necessarily disappear just because they are paid. Unpaid debt can stay on there for seven years. It should now show as paid. But it's still something that affects your overall credit. Your credit rating and your report are not just a picture of your current stuff. They are a picture of your past record also. I get the impression these were overdue debt (though I could be wrong), and even though you may have paid them off, people looking at your credit want to know that's in your history. Things don't just disappear off your credit report that quickly... i.e. it's going to contain a record of what debt you had, how often it was x number of months late, how often on time, x number of months in a row on time, etc. That's still pertinent to your whole credit history. (History being a key word there.)

Even things paid on time will stay on there for a period. Like I've got a credit card that I closed and stopped using quite a few years ago. All payments were on time, so it's nothing hurting my credit. (It helped it in fact.) And that's still on some of my reports, as being paid on time for x months, and as being now closed. Different reporting agencies will do things differently.

If you want any laws on how long a paid debt can stay on there, I don't know. This forum is mostly business finance, and Money & Services is where you'll find the personal finance stuff. I see there's a credit forum under that and I would hope they can tell you more of the legalities.

If you actually paid it 9 months ago, it can and will stay on your credit report for up to a total of 7 years, good or bad credit remains for 7 years on your credit report. If this was paid in full, then it is now a positive credit listing,

If this is a debt you never owed, or is incorrect you can challenge it on the report, but a correct listing, such as showing paid, and you did pay it, is what is suppose to show up.


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Just agreeing with the above advice... I have records from old student loans, old credit debts, an old mortgage... all on my current report, even when accounts are paid off, closed, etc.

If you have closed accounts on your credit report that were in good standing, such as car loans, etc. they can stay on the report forever. They are not hurting you (nor are they helping you after a while either). If they are negative, they can stay on for up to 7 years (Ch. 7 bankruptcies are the exception and they can stay on for 10 years).

If this was a collection account that you are referring to and you paid it, it will report as "paid" and can stay on for 7 years from that date. Caution though: if the collection was 6 years old when you paid it, you probably lowered your score and made it stay on the report for another 7 years. The more recent a negative item is, the more it can hurt.

LG