What the law gives you

You can get free credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion at annualcreditreport.com, the only official site.

You can dispute wrong or incomplete information yourself, for free. You do not need to pay anyone.

The bureau usually must investigate within 30 days and send you the results in writing, plus a free copy of your report if anything changed.

Information that is wrong, incomplete or can't be verified must be corrected or deleted. The bureau decides which.

Most negative items can be reported for 7 years. Chapter 7 bankruptcy can be reported for 10.

If a dispute doesn't change anything, you can add a short statement to your file explaining your side.

You can ask a collector to prove a debt. If you ask in writing within the 30-day window in their notice, they must pause collecting until they send proof.

With a report from IdentityTheft.gov, you can ask the bureaus to block information from identity theft, and place a free fraud alert or credit freeze.

Under federal law (Credit Repair Organizations Act) they can't charge before the work is done, must give you a written contract and 3 days to cancel, and can't promise to remove accurate information. Many states also require them to register and post a bond; in California that's the Department of Justice and a $100,000 bond.