Credit bureau dispute letter to remove debt review (template)

Send to the relevant credit bureau's disputes channel and attach your supporting documents. Replace each [PLACEHOLDER].

[YOUR FULL NAME]
[YOUR ID NUMBER]
[YOUR ADDRESS]
[YOUR EMAIL]  |  [YOUR PHONE]

[DATE]

[CREDIT BUREAU NAME - e.g. TransUnion / Experian / others]
Disputes Department
[THEIR DISPUTE EMAIL OR ADDRESS]

RE: Dispute of incorrect information on my credit profile - ID [YOUR ID NUMBER]

Dear Sir / Madam,

I dispute the following information on my credit profile, which is incorrect:

  Entry / account:        [ACCOUNT NAME AND NUMBER, OR "debt review listing"]
  [What is](/debt-counselling/what-is-debt-review/) shown:          [e.g. an active debt review flag; account in arrears]
  Why it is incorrect:    [e.g. I completed debt review and a clearance
                           certificate (Form 19) was issued on [DATE]; the
                           account was settled in full on [DATE]; this account
                           is not mine]

I attach the following proof:
  - [[Clearance certificate](/debt-counselling/debt-review-clearance-certificate/) (Form 19) / settlement letter / proof of payment /
     other relevant document]

In terms of the National Credit Act, please:
  1. investigate this dispute within the prescribed period;
  2. remove or correct the incorrect information; and
  3. confirm the outcome to me in writing, with a reference number for this
     dispute.

I understand this dispute is free of charge. Please advise if you require
anything further to complete the investigation.

Yours faithfully,

[YOUR FULL NAME]
ID number: [YOUR ID NUMBER]

The National Credit Act gives every consumer the right to a credit report and the right to challenge information that is wrong, outdated or cannot be verified, at no cost. When you lodge a dispute, the bureau must investigate within the prescribed period, contact the source of the information, and remove or correct anything it cannot confirm.

Because this right is free, you do not need a "credit repair" or "credit clearing" service. Those companies charge for sending the same letters you can send yourself, and they cannot remove genuinely accurate information any faster than you can. Use the bureaus' own dispute channels, attach solid proof, and keep the reference number you are given.

The classic case is a debt review listing that lingers after you finished. Once your debt counsellor issued your clearance certificate (Form 19), the flag should have been removed within about 21 business days. If it is still there, attach a copy of your clearance certificate to the dispute - that certificate is the strongest possible proof that the flag is now wrong.

While you are still under debt review, a debt review flag is correct and a bureau will not remove it, because it accurately reflects your status. The flag is meant to come off only once you qualify and your counsellor processes the removal. So pair this dispute with a clearance certificate request to your counsellor if you have paid up but no certificate exists yet.

The dispute is only as strong as the evidence. For a leftover debt review flag, attach the clearance certificate. For a settled account still showing arrears or a balance, attach the creditor's full and final settlement letter and proof of payment. For an account that is not yours, say so clearly and attach your ID and any proof of mistaken identity.

Keep the file tidy: one dispute letter, the specific entries listed, and the matching documents. Vague disputes with no proof are easy for a bureau to verify against the creditor's records and reject. Targeted disputes with hard documents are the ones that get incorrect entries removed.

After the investigation, the bureau must tell you the outcome and give you a reference. If it removes or corrects the entry, pull a fresh report to confirm. If it refuses, ask for the reason and the evidence it relied on.

If you still believe the entry is wrong - for example, you hold a valid clearance certificate but the flag remains - you can escalate. Complaints about credit information and credit providers go to the National Financial Ombud, which absorbed the Credit Ombud in 2024, and the National Credit Regulator at ncr.org.za oversees the bureaus and credit providers generally. Keep your dispute reference and all correspondence when you escalate.