The identifying section at the top of a credit report is the part most people skim. It is worth reading carefully — wrong identifiers can cause a lender to question your file, and occasionally they are the visible edge of a much bigger problem: someone else’s information mixed into yours.
Published August 3, 2026 · Educational information — not legal, tax, lending, or financial advice.
Quick answer
Send this letter to the credit reporting company, not to your creditor. The bureaus maintain your identifying information, and under Regulation V, 12 C.F.R. § 1022.43, a dispute about identifying details such as name, date of birth, Social Security number, telephone number, or address is specifically excepted from the disputes a furnisher must investigate. Distinguish three different requests as you write: correcting something inaccurate, removing an old address that is simply obsolete, and reporting a file that appears to contain another person’s accounts — which is a mixed file and a more serious matter. One thing this letter cannot do: removing an address never removes an accurate account that happens to be linked to it.
Use your current 3-bureau account information before editing this letter
Account numbers, balances, payment history, dates, and reporting details must match your current credit reports. Open your 3-bureau monitoring account and verify the information before completing the template.
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This letter goes to the credit reporting company. If more than one bureau shows the problem, send a separate letter to each — they do not share these requests.
Three pre-addressed versions of this letter are provided below — choose the bureau whose report shows the item. Dispute with every bureau that shows it, using one letter per bureau.
Equifax Letter — personal-information correction to a credit reporting company
[FULL NAME][STREET ADDRESS][CITY, STATE ZIP][DATE]
Equifax Information Services LLC
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374
Re: Correction of personal identifying information
Report reference number (if shown on your report): [REPORT REFERENCE NUMBER]
To whom it may concern:
I am writing to correct personal identifying information in my credit file. I have reviewed my Equifax report dated [REPORT DATE] and marked the affected entries on the enclosed copy.
PERSONAL INFORMATION SUMMARY
Credit bureau: Equifax
Report date: [REPORT DATE]
Fields at issue: [LIST THE FIELDS — e.g. CURRENT ADDRESS, DATE OF BIRTH]
Nature of the request: [CORRECTION OF INACCURATE INFORMATION / REMOVAL OF OBSOLETE INFORMATION / BOTH]
Possible mixed file: [YES OR NO]
Supporting documents enclosed: [LIST OF ENCLOSURES]
Requested action: [REQUESTED ACTION]
The enclosed comparison table lists each field, what my report currently shows, the correct information, and the action I am requesting.
[EXPLAIN BRIEFLY, IN YOUR OWN WORDS.] For example: the current address shown is not an address at which I have ever lived, and my correct current address is the one at the top of this letter. Or: the report lists a name variation that is not mine and that I have never used. Or: the address shown at [ADDRESS] is a former address and I am asking that it be removed as obsolete.
[INCLUDE THIS PARAGRAPH ONLY IF IT APPLIES.] I am also concerned that my file may contain information belonging to another person. The identifiers listed above are not mine, and my report additionally shows the following accounts that I do not recognize: [LIST ACCOUNTS, MASKED TO THE LAST FOUR DIGITS]. I am disputing those accounts separately, and I am asking that you review whether information belonging to another consumer has been merged into my file.
I have enclosed copies of [LIST OF ENCLOSURES] to confirm my identity and current address. These are copies; I have retained the originals. I have masked unrelated account information on the enclosures.
Please correct or remove the information identified above, and send me written confirmation of what was changed together with an updated copy of my report.
You may contact me in writing at the address above.
Sincerely,
[FULL NAME]
Enclosures: [NUMBER] — comparison table, marked copy of report page, [LIST EACH IDENTITY DOCUMENT]
Mail this letter with copies of your supporting documents — never originals. See the mailing and recordkeeping checklist on this page before you send.
Experian Letter — personal-information correction to a credit reporting company
[FULL NAME][STREET ADDRESS][CITY, STATE ZIP][DATE]
Experian
P.O. Box 4500
Allen, TX 75013
Re: Correction of personal identifying information
Report reference number (if shown on your report): [REPORT REFERENCE NUMBER]
To whom it may concern:
I am writing to correct personal identifying information in my credit file. I have reviewed my Experian report dated [REPORT DATE] and marked the affected entries on the enclosed copy.
PERSONAL INFORMATION SUMMARY
Credit bureau: Experian
Report date: [REPORT DATE]
Fields at issue: [LIST THE FIELDS — e.g. CURRENT ADDRESS, DATE OF BIRTH]
Nature of the request: [CORRECTION OF INACCURATE INFORMATION / REMOVAL OF OBSOLETE INFORMATION / BOTH]
Possible mixed file: [YES OR NO]
Supporting documents enclosed: [LIST OF ENCLOSURES]
Requested action: [REQUESTED ACTION]
The enclosed comparison table lists each field, what my report currently shows, the correct information, and the action I am requesting.
[EXPLAIN BRIEFLY, IN YOUR OWN WORDS.] For example: the current address shown is not an address at which I have ever lived, and my correct current address is the one at the top of this letter. Or: the report lists a name variation that is not mine and that I have never used. Or: the address shown at [ADDRESS] is a former address and I am asking that it be removed as obsolete.
[INCLUDE THIS PARAGRAPH ONLY IF IT APPLIES.] I am also concerned that my file may contain information belonging to another person. The identifiers listed above are not mine, and my report additionally shows the following accounts that I do not recognize: [LIST ACCOUNTS, MASKED TO THE LAST FOUR DIGITS]. I am disputing those accounts separately, and I am asking that you review whether information belonging to another consumer has been merged into my file.
I have enclosed copies of [LIST OF ENCLOSURES] to confirm my identity and current address. These are copies; I have retained the originals. I have masked unrelated account information on the enclosures.
Please correct or remove the information identified above, and send me written confirmation of what was changed together with an updated copy of my report.
You may contact me in writing at the address above.
Sincerely,
[FULL NAME]
Enclosures: [NUMBER] — comparison table, marked copy of report page, [LIST EACH IDENTITY DOCUMENT]
Mail this letter with copies of your supporting documents — never originals. See the mailing and recordkeeping checklist on this page before you send.
TransUnion Letter — personal-information correction to a credit reporting company
[FULL NAME][STREET ADDRESS][CITY, STATE ZIP][DATE]
TransUnion Consumer Solutions
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016-2000
Re: Correction of personal identifying information
Report reference number (if shown on your report): [REPORT REFERENCE NUMBER]
To whom it may concern:
I am writing to correct personal identifying information in my credit file. I have reviewed my TransUnion report dated [REPORT DATE] and marked the affected entries on the enclosed copy.
PERSONAL INFORMATION SUMMARY
Credit bureau: TransUnion
Report date: [REPORT DATE]
Fields at issue: [LIST THE FIELDS — e.g. CURRENT ADDRESS, DATE OF BIRTH]
Nature of the request: [CORRECTION OF INACCURATE INFORMATION / REMOVAL OF OBSOLETE INFORMATION / BOTH]
Possible mixed file: [YES OR NO]
Supporting documents enclosed: [LIST OF ENCLOSURES]
Requested action: [REQUESTED ACTION]
The enclosed comparison table lists each field, what my report currently shows, the correct information, and the action I am requesting.
[EXPLAIN BRIEFLY, IN YOUR OWN WORDS.] For example: the current address shown is not an address at which I have ever lived, and my correct current address is the one at the top of this letter. Or: the report lists a name variation that is not mine and that I have never used. Or: the address shown at [ADDRESS] is a former address and I am asking that it be removed as obsolete.
[INCLUDE THIS PARAGRAPH ONLY IF IT APPLIES.] I am also concerned that my file may contain information belonging to another person. The identifiers listed above are not mine, and my report additionally shows the following accounts that I do not recognize: [LIST ACCOUNTS, MASKED TO THE LAST FOUR DIGITS]. I am disputing those accounts separately, and I am asking that you review whether information belonging to another consumer has been merged into my file.
I have enclosed copies of [LIST OF ENCLOSURES] to confirm my identity and current address. These are copies; I have retained the originals. I have masked unrelated account information on the enclosures.
Please correct or remove the information identified above, and send me written confirmation of what was changed together with an updated copy of my report.
You may contact me in writing at the address above.
Sincerely,
[FULL NAME]
Enclosures: [NUMBER] — comparison table, marked copy of report page, [LIST EACH IDENTITY DOCUMENT]
Mail this letter with copies of your supporting documents — never originals. See the mailing and recordkeeping checklist on this page before you send.
What every bracketed placeholder means
[FULL NAME] Your name as you want it to appear — the correct spelling.
[STREET ADDRESS] / [CITY, STATE ZIP] Your correct current mailing address. This is also the address the bureau will use to reply.
[DATE] The date you are mailing the letter.
Bureau name and mailing address Pre-filled in each version above. Use the Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion letter that matches the report showing the item — still one company per letter, and dispute with every bureau that shows the error.
[REPORT REFERENCE NUMBER] The confirmation or file number printed on your report, if there is one. Delete the line if not.
[REPORT DATE] The date printed on the report copy you are working from.
[LIST THE FIELDS — e.g. CURRENT ADDRESS, DATE OF BIRTH] Name each field you are writing about. Match them to the rows of your table.
[CORRECTION OF INACCURATE INFORMATION / REMOVAL OF OBSOLETE INFORMATION / BOTH] Say which request you are making. This is the line that tells the bureau how to handle the letter.
[YES OR NO] Answer honestly, and only say yes if you are also seeing accounts that are not yours.
[LIST OF ENCLOSURES] Name each document, e.g. “copy of driver’s license” and “utility bill dated July 2026.”
[REQUESTED ACTION] State the outcome for each field: correct to the accurate detail, or remove as obsolete.
[EXPLAIN BRIEFLY, IN YOUR OWN WORDS.] Two or three plain sentences. Do not pad it.
[INCLUDE THIS PARAGRAPH ONLY IF IT APPLIES.] Delete the whole mixed-file paragraph unless you are genuinely seeing another person’s accounts.
[LIST ACCOUNTS, MASKED TO THE LAST FOUR DIGITS] Last four digits only, and only accounts you truly do not recognize.
[NUMBER] / [LIST EACH IDENTITY DOCUMENT] How many items you enclosed, and what each one is.
Replace every placeholder with your own accurate details and delete any line or paragraph that does not apply. Do not mail this wording unchanged. Do not ask for the removal of an accurate identifier in the hope of breaking the link to a real account — that is not a correction, and it does not work.
Who this letter is for
This page is for a consumer who has read the personal-information section of a credit report and found something that does not belong: a misspelled name, an address they never lived at, a date of birth that is off, an employer they never worked for, or a variation of their name that belongs to someone else entirely.
These entries do not carry a score the way an account does, and a slightly misspelled middle name is not worth a stamp. But identifiers do real work: they are how a lender confirms the file in front of it is yours, and they are how information gets matched to your file in the first place. An identifier that belongs to someone else is how another person’s account ends up on your report.
What can be corrected
Incorrect name spelling — your name misspelled, or an initial or suffix wrong
A name that is not yours — an alias or variation belonging to a different person
An incorrect current address — a current address you have never lived at
An obsolete address — a genuine former address you would like removed from the file
An incorrect telephone number
An incorrect date of birth
An incorrect employer — a job you never held, or a former employer listed as current
Possible mixed-file information — identifiers and accounts that appear to belong to another person
Start from what your report actually says
A letter is only as good as the facts behind it. Before you write, get a current picture of all three files: your scores, your account summaries, the negative items, the alerts, and the factors moving your score. That is what tells you which template you need, which bureau to write to, and which month or field is actually wrong.
AnnualCreditReport.com is the only authorized source for the free reports federal law entitles you to, and it is the right starting point for a dispute. If you also want an ongoing three-bureau view while you work, optional monitoring through MyFreeScoreNow is one way to get it — an independent third-party platform, useful for reviewing and planning, and no substitute for your federally authorized reports. No monitoring service files disputes for you, corrects anything on your behalf, or guarantees any result.
Four different requests, often confused
These get written as though they were the same letter. They are not, and being clear about which one you are making is what gets a useful answer.
1. Correcting inaccurate identifying information. The report says something factually wrong about who you are. You are asking for a correction to the accurate detail, and you may need to show identity documents to support it. This is the ordinary case.
2. Removing obsolete information. An old address or a former employer is accurate history, not an error. You are not saying the bureau got it wrong; you are asking that information you no longer want carried in your file be removed. Bureaus commonly honour reasonable requests of this kind, but a former address is not inaccurate, so this is a request rather than a dispute about accuracy.
3. Identity theft. If someone used your identity, the identifiers on your file may have been changed by the person who did it — a different address so that mail goes elsewhere, a different phone number, sometimes a different employer. Do not treat that as a clerical correction.
4. A mixed credit file. Another person’s information has been merged into yours, usually because you share a name, a similar Social Security number, or a family address. The identifiers are the symptom; the accounts are the problem.
If identity theft is involved, start there instead
File at IdentityTheft.gov first and work from the Identity Theft Credit Report Letter Template. Section 605B of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2, gives you a block on information that resulted from the theft — a stronger and faster remedy than an ordinary correction request. An address the thief added is part of that picture, and it belongs in that process rather than in a standalone correction letter.
When it may be a mixed credit file
A mixed file is worth naming early in your letter, because it is investigated differently from a typo. The tell is not one wrong identifier — it is a wrong identifier together with account activity you do not recognize.
A name variation you have never used, especially one belonging to a relative with a similar name
An address you have never lived at appearing alongside accounts you do not recognize
Accounts opened in years or places that do not match your history
An employer you have never worked for, with credit activity clustered around the same period
A date of birth off by a year or a digit, in a file that also contains unfamiliar accounts
A junior or senior suffix that is missing, wrong, or applied to the wrong person’s history
If that is what you are seeing, say so plainly in the letter: state that you believe your file may contain information belonging to another person, list the identifiers that are not yours, and list the accounts you do not recognize. Then dispute those accounts as well — the identifiers alone will not resolve it. Use the Credit Bureau Dispute Letter Template for the accounts, and send both letters to the same bureau.
What correcting an identifier will not do
Removing an address does not remove an accurate account linked to it. This is the important one. An account is verified against the account record, not against which addresses appear at the top of your file. Removing an old address where a debt was incurred does not orphan the debt, does not make it unverifiable, and does not delete it.
Remove an accurate identifier just because it is connected to a negative account — a request to strip identifiers in order to break the link to a real debt is not a correction, and a bureau that recognizes the pattern will decline it
Change your score — identifying information is not a scoring factor
Fix accounts that belong to someone else — those need their own dispute
Merge or separate files on request — how a bureau maintains its files is its own process; what you can do is report what is wrong and identify what is not yours
Editable comparison table
Fill in one row per field you are asking about, then enclose it with the letter. A table is easier for a bureau to process than a paragraph, and it forces you to be precise about what you are actually asking for.
Editable personal-information comparison table
Personal-information field
Currently reported
Correct information
Requested action
[FIELD — e.g. FULL NAME]
[WHAT THE REPORT SHOWS]
[THE ACCURATE DETAIL]
[CORRECT / REMOVE]
[FIELD — e.g. CURRENT ADDRESS]
[WHAT THE REPORT SHOWS]
[THE ACCURATE DETAIL]
[CORRECT / REMOVE]
[FIELD — e.g. DATE OF BIRTH]
[WHAT THE REPORT SHOWS]
[THE ACCURATE DETAIL]
[CORRECT]
[FIELD — e.g. EMPLOYER]
[WHAT THE REPORT SHOWS]
[THE ACCURATE DETAIL]
[CORRECT / REMOVE]
[FIELD — e.g. FORMER ADDRESS]
[WHAT THE REPORT SHOWS]
not applicable — obsolete
[REMOVE AS OBSOLETE]
Identity documents you may need
A bureau will usually want to confirm who you are before it changes how you are identified. Expect to provide some of the following — and read the safety rules underneath before you copy anything.
A government-issued photo identification, such as a driver’s license or state ID
Proof of current address, such as a utility bill, bank statement, or lease showing your name and address
A birth certificate or passport, if a date of birth is being corrected
A Social Security card or an official document showing the correct number, only if the bureau specifically asks and only as it directs
A marriage certificate or court order, if a legal name change is involved
An employment record or pay statement, if an employer entry is being corrected
Rules for handling identity documents — read before you copy anything
Never place a full Social Security number in this template or in any web page, including this one. If a bureau requires the full number to verify your identity, provide it only through the channel that bureau specifies for that purpose — not in a letter you have drafted from a public sample.
Send only the identification reasonably required by the bureau. More documents is not better. A correction to a telephone number does not call for a birth certificate. Read what the bureau asks for and send that.
Send copies, never originals. Nothing you mail comes back.
Mask unrelated information. Black out account numbers, balances, transaction detail, and anyone else’s information on any statement or bill you use as proof of address.
Do not paste an image of an identification card into the body of the letter. Keep identity documents as separate enclosures, listed on the enclosure line, so the letter itself can be printed, copied, and filed without carrying your ID inside it.
Before you send: a last read-through
Ten lines. If you can tick all ten, the package is ready to leave the house.
I reviewed a current credit report or collection notice.
I identified the exact information at issue.
I explained why it is wrong, or why I am requesting information.
I included supporting documents.
I kept the originals.
I masked unnecessary sensitive information.
I verified the current mailing address.
I saved a complete copy of the package.
I selected a trackable mailing method.
I recorded the delivery date and the response deadline.
I am asking about identifiers only, and I have disputed any unfamiliar accounts separately.
I enclosed only the identification the bureau asks for, with unrelated information masked.
Mailing and recordkeeping checklist
Send one letter per credit reporting company, and keep each letter to one issue where you can
Enclose the comparison table with every letter
Keep identity documents as separate enclosures — not inside the letter body
Send copies of every document — never originals
Mark the disputed entry on the enclosed report page so it cannot be missed
Use certified mail with a return receipt if you want proof of delivery, or keep the online submission confirmation
Photocopy or scan the complete package before it leaves your hands
Note the mailing date and count 30 days forward as the date to expect results
File the copy, the receipt, and any response together, by account
Keep a tracking log
One row per letter: recipient, date sent, method, tracking or confirmation number, what you enclosed, the date a response is due, the date a response arrived, and the outcome. A single page in a notebook is enough. When something goes wrong months later — a corrected item reappears, or nobody responds — that log is the difference between a documented case and a memory.
What may happen next
The information is corrected or removed. Identifier corrections are often among the more straightforward requests a bureau handles, particularly when your documents match what you are asking for. You should receive written confirmation of what changed.
The bureau asks for more identification. A common and reasonable response, especially for a date of birth or a name change. Send what is asked for, nothing more, and keep a copy of what you sent.
An old address stays on the file. Bureaus are not obliged to remove accurate history, and address history is part of how a file is matched and verified. If a request to remove an obsolete address is declined, that is a normal outcome rather than a violation.
A mixed file takes longer. If another person’s information really has been merged into yours, expect the identifiers and the accounts to be worked separately and expect it to take more than one round. Keep every letter, every reply, and every report copy, and check all three bureaus — a mixed file frequently affects more than one. If it persists against clear documentation, submit a complaint to the CFPB, and consider talking to a consumer-rights attorney.
None of these outcomes is guaranteed, and no letter can promise a change to your file.
IdentityTheft.gov — the FTC’s official site for reporting identity theft and generating an Identity Theft Report.
Frequently asked questions
No, and this is the most common misunderstanding on this page. Accounts are verified against the furnisher’s own account records, not against the list of addresses at the top of your file. Removing a former address does not orphan a debt, does not make it unverifiable, and does not delete it. Ask for an obsolete address to be removed if you want it gone from your file — but not as a strategy for reaching an accurate account.
The credit reporting company. The bureaus maintain your identifying information, and Regulation V specifically excepts disputes about identifying details — name, date of birth, Social Security number, telephone number, and address — from the disputes a furnisher is required to investigate. Writing to a creditor about a misspelled name is unlikely to accomplish anything; writing to the bureau is the correct route.
Not directly. Names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and employers are not scoring factors, so a misspelling costs you no points. What they can affect is matching: an identifier that belongs to someone else is one way another person’s account ends up on your file, and wrong identifiers can cause friction when a lender is verifying your application. That is the reason to fix them.
Only if the bureau specifically requires it, and only through the channel that bureau designates for verifying identity. Never write a full Social Security number into a sample letter drafted from a public template, and never type one into a web page. Send only the identification the recipient actually asks for, send copies rather than originals, and mask unrelated information on anything you enclose.
Look at whether the wrong identifier travels with unfamiliar activity. One misspelled name on a file where every account is yours is a clerical error. A name variation you have never used, alongside accounts you do not recognize, points to another person’s information being merged into your file — often a relative with a similar name, or someone with a close Social Security number. Report the identifiers and dispute the accounts, and check all three bureaus.
You can ask for your name to be reported accurately, and you can support a legal name change with a marriage certificate or court order. What you cannot do is have accurate identifying history removed simply because you prefer a different presentation — and asking a bureau to strip variations of your name in order to make accounts harder to match to you is not a correction request. Bureaus recognize that pattern and decline it.
Back to the DIY Credit Repair CenterThe ten-step pathway, the free report review checklist, all ten letter templates, and the rebuilding guides.
Educational information only — not legal, tax, lending, or financial advice, and not a substitute for an attorney. Credit Consultants Group does not guarantee deletions, score changes, approvals, or any particular outcome, and no letter can. Every statement you make must be truthful and specific to your own accounts; do not send a dispute about information you know to be accurate. This website does not collect, transmit, store, or pre-fill any personal or credit information.