How Long Does Bankruptcy Stay on Your Credit Report?

How long does bankruptcy stay on your credit report?

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a credit bureau may not report a bankruptcy case that, measured from the date of the order for relief, is more than 10 years old. That rule is in 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)(1). In a voluntary bankruptcy, filing the petition is the order for relief, so FTC staff explain that the 10 years runs from the filing date, even though the discharge comes later.

In practice, the bureaus treat the chapters differently:

Type of case	What the bureau says it does
Chapter 7	Experian and Equifax: up to 10 years from the date filed
Chapter 11	Equifax: 10 years from the date filed
Chapter 13	Experian and Equifax: 7 years from the date filed
Chapter 12	Equifax: 7 years from the date filed
Dismissed (any chapter)	Equifax: 7 years from the date filed

The seven-year Chapter 13 period is a bureau policy, not something the statute requires. The FCRA would allow 10 years for any chapter. Experian and Equifax both publish the seven-year Chapter 13 practice on their own sites, and both count from the filing date, not from discharge or the last plan payment. If you filed Chapter 13 in March 2020, for example, you would expect the public record to come off those reports around March 2027, regardless of when your plan ended.

Why bankruptcy stays even after your debts are discharged

A discharge ends your legal obligation to pay the debts, but it does not erase the history. The bankruptcy itself is a public record, and each account that went into the bankruptcy is its own item on your report.

FTC staff explain that those accounts are governed by their own reporting periods. A collection, charge-off or late payment on a card that you later included in a bankruptcy can still be reported for its usual seven-year period, while the bankruptcy filing can be reported for 10. Equifax also says that accounts included in a bankruptcy are not automatically removed from its reports when you file.

So it is normal to see old accounts on your report after a discharge. What matters is how they are reported.

How should discharged debts appear on your credit report?

This is where most bankruptcy reporting errors happen. According to FTC staff guidance, a credit report may include an account that was discharged in bankruptcy, as well as the bankruptcy itself, as long as it reports a zero balance to show that you no longer owe the debt.

Experian says the accounts on your report should show that they were included in the bankruptcy, the bankruptcy public record should be listed too, and both should show as discharged once the bankruptcy is complete.

Check every pre-bankruptcy account on all three reports for these problems:

A balance still showing on a debt that was discharged
“Past due” amounts or new late payments reported after the filing date
No bankruptcy notation at all, so the account looks like an ordinary unpaid debt
“Charged off” added after the fact. FTC staff say it is not a reasonable procedure to label a discharged account “charged off as bad debt” if the account was open and not charged off when you filed. A creditor may still report a charge-off that really happened before the bankruptcy.
A collection agency or debt buyer reporting a balance on a debt that was discharged
A reaffirmed debt reported as discharged. If you reaffirmed a car loan or mortgage and kept paying, FTC staff say the report should reflect the reaffirmation and your payments, not just a discharge.
The wrong chapter or a dismissed case shown as discharged (or the reverse). Under § 1681c(d), a bureau must identify the chapter if its source provides it, and must report a voluntary withdrawal once it receives documentation of it.
A bankruptcy that isn’t yours, often from a mixed credit file with a relative or someone with a similar name

One thing to know: the bankruptcy court does not update your credit reports for you. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, for example, says it has no interaction with the credit bureaus and does not verify what they report. Experian says creditors are expected to ask that their accounts be updated once they learn of the bankruptcy, and that if the accounts don’t show as discharged, you can dispute them.

How to fix bankruptcy errors on your credit report

Get your reports from all three bureaus. Each bureau keeps its own file, and the same account can be right at one and wrong at another.
Gather your bankruptcy papers. Experian says to send a copy of your Schedule A, D or F (the schedules listing your debts), proof of discharge, and a statement asking for the update. Your discharge order and the creditor list from your petition are the key documents.
Dispute with each bureau that shows the error. Identify each account, say that it was included in and discharged in your bankruptcy, and ask that it show a $0 balance and a discharged status. Our guides to disputing credit report errors and writing a dispute letter walk through the details. You can dispute with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion online or by mail; mail with a return receipt gives you the best record.
The bureau must reinvestigate within 30 days of receiving your dispute, notify the creditor within five business days, and send you written results within five business days after it finishes, under § 1681i. Experian says it may contact the court to verify a discharge.
The creditor must investigate too. Once a bureau notifies it, the creditor must review what you sent and correct or delete inaccurate information under § 1681s-2(b), and report the correction to the other bureaus it reports to.
Check again a month or two later. Creditors report monthly, and a balance can reappear. If the bureau reinserts something it deleted, it must tell you in writing within five business days.

Can a bankruptcy be removed from your credit report early?

If it is accurate, generally no. Experian says there is no way to remove an accurate record of bankruptcy from a credit report, and the Eastern District of Missouri bankruptcy court’s FAQ makes the same point: no one can legally remove accurate information. Companies that promise to make an accurate bankruptcy disappear for a fee cannot do what the law does not allow.

What you can do:

Dispute a bankruptcy that is not yours or that shows the wrong chapter, filing date or status
Dispute a bankruptcy that is too old, such as a Chapter 7 still showing more than 10 years after filing, or a Chapter 13 still at Experian or Equifax more than seven years after filing
Fix the accounts that should show $0 and “discharged”

Does the 10-year limit always apply?

No. Under § 1681c(b), the time limits do not apply to reports used for a credit transaction of $150,000 or more, life insurance with a face amount of $150,000 or more, or a job paying $75,000 or more a year. FTC staff explain that bureaus may keep older information for those uses. So a mortgage lender or a higher-paying employer could, in some cases, see a bankruptcy that has dropped off the report you see.

When to talk to an FCRA attorney

Discharged debts that keep showing a balance are among the most common errors after bankruptcy, and they can cost you a car loan, apartment or mortgage approval just as you are rebuilding. If you disputed a discharged account with your bankruptcy papers and the bureau or creditor still verified the balance, or a bankruptcy that isn’t yours appears on your report, you may have a claim. The FCRA allows recovery of actual damages for negligent violations and statutory or punitive damages for willful ones, plus attorney’s fees.

Get a free case review

Talk to an FCRA lawyer about your reports. The case review is free, and we work on contingency: no fee unless we win.

Do not wait too long. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681p, an FCRA lawsuit generally must be filed within two years after you discover the violation, and no later than five years after the violation occurred.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Chapter 7 bankruptcy stay on a credit report?

Up to 10 years. The FCRA bars reporting a bankruptcy case more than 10 years after the order for relief, and for a voluntary case that is the filing date. Experian and Equifax both say Chapter 7 stays 10 years from the date filed.

How long does a Chapter 13 bankruptcy stay on a credit report?

The law allows 10 years, but Experian and Equifax say they remove a Chapter 13 seven years from the filing date. That is a bureau policy, not a requirement of the statute. The seven years runs from filing, not from discharge or the end of the plan.

Can I get an accurate bankruptcy removed early?

Generally no. Experian says there is no way to remove an accurate record of bankruptcy from a credit report before it expires. Be wary of anyone who promises otherwise for a fee. What you can fix are errors in how the bankruptcy or the included accounts are reported.

Should a debt discharged in bankruptcy still show a balance?

No. FTC staff guidance says a report may include a discharged account only if it shows a zero balance, because you are no longer liable for the debt. Experian says the accounts should be marked as included in the bankruptcy and as discharged once the case is complete.

My bankruptcy was dismissed. How long will it show?

Equifax says dismissed bankruptcies of every chapter stay seven years from the filing date on its reports. A dismissed case should be reported as dismissed, not as discharged, and a withdrawn case should be reported as withdrawn once the bureau receives documentation.

Can I sue over bankruptcy reporting errors?

Possibly. If you disputed a discharged debt that still showed a balance, or a bankruptcy that isn't yours, and the bureau or creditor failed to fix it, you may have a claim under the FCRA. A lawsuit generally must be filed within two years of discovering the violation and no later than five years after it occurred.

Sources

Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.

How Long Does Bankruptcy Stay on Your Credit Report? Chapter 7, Chapter 13 and Discharged Debts