FCRA & FDCPA Attorneys
Medical Debt on Your Credit Report? You Have More Rights Than You Think
A medical bill you didn't expect. A charge your insurance was supposed to cover. A debt you already paid that somehow ended up in collections. Medical debt is the most common kind of debt Americans get chased for, and a lot of what shows up on credit reports is flat wrong.
Medical bills make up a huge share of the debt in collections in this country, and studies have found that a large portion of it is inaccurate. So if there's a medical collection dragging down your score, there's a real chance it shouldn't be there at all.
Here's the part most people don't know: you don't have to just live with it. If a medical debt on your report is inaccurate, federal law gives you the right to dispute it and get it removed. And if a collector is hounding you over it, the law limits what they're allowed to do. We handle both.
What Actually Shows Up on Your Credit Report Now
This changed recently, and a lot of websites still have it wrong, so here's where things actually stand in 2026.
The three credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, voluntarily stopped reporting some medical debt back in 2023. Under that change, paid medical collections come off no matter the amount, and unpaid medical collections under $500 don't get reported at all. That part is still in place today.
In early 2025, the CFPB tried to go further with a rule that would have pulled almost all medical debt off credit reports. A federal court struck that rule down in July 2025, so it is no longer in effect. What that means for you: larger unpaid medical debts can still land on your report, and if one is there wrongly, disputing it is how you get it off.
So the short version is this. Paid medical debt and small unpaid collections generally shouldn't be on your report at all. Bigger unpaid medical debts still can be. And anything that's simply wrong, no matter the amount, can be disputed.
How Long Does Medical Debt Stay on Your Credit Report?
When medical debt is accurately reported and unpaid, it can stay on your credit report for up to seven years from the date it first went delinquent. After that, it has to fall off.
But two things change that timeline in your favor. First, if the debt is paid, the bureaus' own rules say it should come off, not sit there for seven years. Second, if the debt is inaccurate, you don't have to wait at all. An error can be disputed and removed now, no matter how recent it is.
A lot of people wait out the clock on debt that never should have been there in the first place. If yours is wrong, waiting seven years is the last thing you should do.
Common errors
Medical Debt That Shouldn't Be on Your Report
A surprising amount of medical debt on credit reports is there by mistake. The ones we see most often:
1) Insurance Should Have Paid
A bill your insurance already paid, or was supposed to pay, that got sent to collections anyway.
Disputable
2) Already Paid, Still Showing
A debt you already paid that's still showing as unpaid.
Disputable
3) Should Have Come Off Already
A collection under $500, or a paid collection, that should have come off under the bureaus' own rules.
Disputable
4) Not Even Your Debt
A bill that isn't even yours, often from a mix-up with someone who shares your name.
Disputable
5) Wrong Amount or Duplicated
A debt still showing after it was discharged in bankruptcy.
Disputable
6) Discharged but Still There
A debt still showing after it was discharged in bankruptcy.
Disputable
If any of that sounds like your report, it's not something you have to accept. It's an error, and errors can be disputed and removed under federal law.
Our process
How we get medical debt off your report
You can start a dispute on your own, and for a simple error that's sometimes enough. Here's the basic path:
step 01
pull Your Reports
Pull your reports from all three bureaus so you can see exactly what's being reported and by whom.
step 02
Gather Your Proof
Gather your proof, an insurance Explanation of Benefits, a billing statement, a payment receipt, whatever shows the debt is wrong.
step 03
Dispute With the Bureau
Send a written dispute to the bureau reporting the error. They generally have 30 days to investigate.
step 04
Dispute With the Collector
Send the collector a dispute too, and ask them to validate the debt. If they can't prove it's valid, they shouldn't be reporting it.
The problem is what happens next. A lot of the time the bureau runs an automated check, calls the debt "verified," and closes it, even when it's clearly wrong. That's the wall most people hit on their own. When that happens, having an attorney behind the dispute changes what the bureaus and collectors are willing to do.
How We Get Medical Debt Off Your Report
We don't send a form letter and hope. We build the dispute with proof and push it hard.
➤ We pull your reports and pin down exactly what's wrong and who's reporting it.
➤ We dispute it with the bureaus and the collector, with your records behind it.
➤ If they refuse to fix a real error, that can be a violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and we can take them to court.
When a bureau or collector breaks the law, you may be owed money, not the other way around. That can include your actual damages, statutory damages of $100 to $1,000 for willful violations, and your attorney fees paid by them.
Most cases cost you nothing upfront. We only get paid when you win.
When the Problem Is the Collector, Not Just the Report
Sometimes the bigger problem isn't the credit report. It's the debt collector calling you at work, calling your family, threatening you, or trying to collect a medical bill you don't even owe.
There's a separate federal law for that, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). It limits how and when collectors can contact you, and it bans harassment, threats, and lies about what you owe. If a medical debt collector has crossed the line, we can stop them and, in many cases, get you compensated for what they did.
A lot of our clients come to us for one problem and find out they actually have two, a wrong debt on their report and a collector breaking the law chasing them for it. We handle both at once.
What This Costs You
For most of these cases, nothing upfront. We work on contingency, which means you don't pay us out of pocket to get started. And both the FCRA and the FDCPA let us recover attorney fees from the bureau or collector when we win, so a strong case often costs you nothing out of pocket.
The first step is just a conversation, and that's free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I remove medical debt from my credit report?
If the medical debt is inaccurate, already paid, or shouldn't be reported under the bureaus' rules, yes, it can be disputed and removed. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the bureaus have to investigate and correct genuine errors. Accurate, unpaid medical debt over $500 can still be reported, but a lot of what shows up is wrong and can come off.
Isn't medical debt banned from credit reports now?
Not entirely. The CFPB tried to ban most medical debt reporting in early 2025, but a federal court struck that rule down in July 2025, so it's not in effect. What's still true: the credit bureaus voluntarily removed paid medical collections and unpaid ones under $500 back in 2023. Bigger unpaid medical debts can still appear, and if one is on your report by mistake, you can dispute it.
How long does medical debt stay on my credit report?
Accurately reported unpaid medical debt can stay for up to seven years from the date it first went delinquent. But paid medical collections should come off under the bureaus' rules, and inaccurate debt can be disputed and removed right away. You don't have to wait out the clock on a debt that's wrong.
My insurance was supposed to pay this. Why is it in collections?
This is one of the most common medical billing errors. If your insurer covered the bill, or should have, and the provider still sent it to collections, that debt is being reported wrongly. With your Explanation of Benefits and billing records, we can dispute it and push to have it removed.
Can I sue over a medical debt that's wrong on my report?
Yes. If you dispute an inaccurate medical debt and the bureau or collector keeps reporting it without a real investigation, that can be a violation of the FCRA. At that point you may be able to sue and recover damages, including your attorney fees paid by them.
What does it cost to hire you?
For most of these cases, nothing upfront. We work on contingency, and the FCRA and FDCPA let us recover attorney fees from the bureau or collector when we win, so a strong case often costs you nothing out of pocket. The case review is always free.
“Trusted By Clients Across New York”
Tariq Law, PC. is located in the heart of New York City at 99 Park Avenue, footsteps from the iconic Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. We serve clients primarily in New York, New Jersey, and in federal courts across the United States.
In order to evaluate your particular circumstances, please reach out to us to schedule an individual case review. Using this site or communicating with an attorney does not establish an attorney-client relationship, which can only be established in writing and signed by the lawyer and the client.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This website is for informational purposes only.
Attorney Advertising.
NYC's premier consumer protection law firm. We fight for justice in FCRA, FDCPA, identity theft, and debt defense cases with unmatched expertise and tenacity.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (866) 885-8529
Location: 99 Park Avenue New York, NY 10016
